School House Rumbles 3: Act 3. Warriors and Liberators.

[Eternal Torment]

Elewa had been standing by the commotion, not really understanding who these spectral motherfuckers were and why Casimir was turning into a stone dude and shit, when Sloane made his big announcement.

Rosemary? The... kind of quiet girl... maybe... he was blanking on who she exactly was since he was pretty sure they'd never spoken.

On the other hand, the Butcher had clearly just overcome some kind of personal milestone and Elewa was nothing if not happy for his bro. He knew all to well how hard it could be to outright express feelings, especially in public and especially in such ridiculous circumstances. He raised an enormous hand and clapped the bald man on the back with a loud slam.

"Well said bruh," he rumbled, smiling broadly.

Robert blinked.

He wasn't completely sure what was happening, but he had the gist of it... at least he thought he did.

"I still say you're making a big deal out of nothing."

"Except for that. You go, Sloane!" Robert said with both thumps up.

"Aw, thank you guys. R-" Sloane's grin suddenly dissolved into panic as he realized that he was the only one who had decided to throw caution to the wind. Oh shit. He turned back to Rose.

"Oh gosh. If I embarassed you, I'm really sorry about that."

[Hazard]

Elewa chuckled, it wasn't often he agreed with Berto-berto on anything but this all seemed rather extreme. So Flashy Dan wasn't human anymore, so what? Few of them really were. Elewa didn't think of himself as human, it looked like Berto-berto didn't, Frigid Tits was too damn crazy to be human and 'Keshi was all about embracing his inner monster and shit. What was one more non-human in the team? They were still all essentially the same inside.

"Yah man," he said broadly, "Jus' cause you got some old ghost motherfuckers tryin' to tell you somethin' else don't make it so ya'hear? You be whoever de fuck you wanna be 'cause it's what's in you head dat makes you into a person and shit. I ain't human, mi body not made a flesh no more. I don' need sleep, food, air, water, land... nothin'... I just am, you know? S'like I'm just a solid projection of... the idea of me rather than a fleshy dude anymore. Just cause you made of rocks and... your head is... on fire and all dat don't mean you gotta change,"

He leaned to closer to the ghost things. His eyes taking on that cloudy quality once more. Authoritarian monsters trying to tell a man what to do, they struck him as annoying.

"Unless dese motherfuckers are making trouble for you? Den we just get them to fuck off and we golden," he said dangerously.

Robert giggled. Of all the things to agree.

"Yeah man," He said to Cas. "Blood, brain, arteries, muscles, whatever. I can ditch all those if I want to. Pure earth controlled by... I'm not sure what yet but whatever. Point is, I don't really think that changes who I am. I'm Robert. Earth. Flesh. Whatever. I'm made of awesome. Whatever happens to me. Whatever I do. I am myself. In fact, I'm pretty sure it is impossible for me to not be myself."

"So yeah, old god or whatever. You're Cas. A bit too dark and broody and kind of stupid with those suicidal plans of yours. But you care about us and try to do your best. You're our friend."

[Guy Smiley]

Mack had had it.

People were running around the prison like they had the run of the place, despite that their little prison break had probably managed to set off alarms back in Eden proper that would be sending Volkov's secret police their way any minute now. People were getting attacked, Casimir was having seizures and turning into some sort of giant statue man, (and seeing as his clothes had disappeared Mack wondered if Maxana was so upset because her beau was now anatomically incorrect) and in the wake of the arguments back at Tabia's castle, Mack expected there'd be cadets sneaking around and attempting to cement their crazy plans of action to manipulate the terms of Volkov's upcoming death. They were all very likely to either be in danger or of danger, and Mack was no longer inclined to allow any of them to be keeping secrets from him. Not now.

So Mack had spied on them.

It was surprisingly easy to do. He just released his Zephyrkinetic senses, flowing out among the air currents like some sort of amoeba. It couldn't pass through the strange material of the Gulag's walls, but it flowed around corners, through vents and the gaps between doors, and ignored mundane materials like the remnants of Cammy's lava, until Mack had reached his full range. An expansive area of Zephyrkinesis, where Mack could manipulate sound. And to manipulate sound, one had to be able to sense it. Disparate noises from throughout the prison replayed in Mack's head and were sorted by Mack's superspeed subconscious, preventing him from being overwhelmed by the task he was attempting. And so Mack had heard.

He'd heard Cammy making her pact with M. Durand.

He'd heard Irie and her friend, and also Takeshi and Mrs. Sato after her up-close-and-personal brush with Father Jacob's God.

He'd heard Casimir and his bogeymen and the arguments over who had done what to Cas.

He'd heard snippets and echoes from Sloane and Rose's conversation about the entity now in possession of Rose's body, and a much clearer picture when they had reentered the commons and begun trying to bargain with the Great Old Ones or whatever they were calling themselves.

Mack, lounging against a wall near Selma, facepalmed. "Pssht! It's like everybody's dark'n mysteeerious past d'cided ta wait 'til now an' jump on us all at once!" he groused. "All we need now is fer that blind garbage lady er whatever ta show up fer Sloane's head ta make this just 'bout the craziest damn hour ta ever happen!"

Still, this could be an advantage. Mack still didn't have a good idea of how to prevent things from going wrong once they got into Eden. He did, however, have a bad idea. It was a blatantly terrible idea, and Mack knew it. Still, if it offered even a sliver of a chance, Mack was going to seize it, no matter how batshit insane it was. If everyone else continued to find themselves wrapped up in their own matters like this, Mack was going to have a little breathing room when he needed it. He glanced at Father Jacob. That man was going to be the wildcard here. Mack suspected the padre would try to dissuade Mack of his incredibly shitty plan if he learned of it, and he had the power to utterly stop Mack in his tracks if he so chose. Mack would have to continue biding his time, and be prepared to move if any of these new situations decided to explode.

[Yun Lao]

Sloane narrowed his eyes.

"I can hardly believe you'd be considerate."

But it wasn't like he was going to let his pride get in the way of finding a solution. He took a deep breath, and let go of his burdens.

"I'm doing this because I love Rosemary!" He declared. "And Skies take it, I'm not going to let Lunarius ruin her life!"

"Aw, thank you guys. R-" Sloane's grin suddenly dissolved into panic as he realized that he was the only one who had decided to throw caution to the wind. Oh shit. He turned back to Rose.

"Oh gosh. If I embarassed you, I'm really sorry about that."

Her face was bright red. "T-that's okay...I'm...still not used to hearing that."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Arnvusiil grumbled. "I am curious, little one, why it is you were able to attack me so easily, amid a group of your bondmates. Such an act would be well beyond the comfort of another of your kind." He looked at her curiously.

"At the time, I thought you were the reason Casimir was in so much pain, so it was easy to attack you."

Not at all the whole truth, but frankly, her own personal problems are none of his or any if these other 'Gods'' business.

The Queen frowned, and Casimir dropped his head. "Yes... We have seen this before. It is not surprising, given what he has been through, and put himself through. But you are right. Short of removing his heart, or damaging him to the point where his connection with what you call the leylines is severed, he cannot die. She paused. "However... There were some, who, after the change, fell in love with a mortal, and when it came time for their loved one to pass on, they chose to sever their connection willingly. Once done however, the Old God dies by weeks end." She paused again. "There have also been mortals who have accepted the gift of immortality themselves, though special circumstances were involved...

Removing his heart is one of the only ways to kill him. How ironic.

Though, the second and third bits pique her interest. Would Casimir be willing to sever his ties to the Leylines, and kill himself when she dies?

No. She does not want to put him in that position. "What special circumstances?"

[Eternal Torment]

Her face was bright red. "T-that's okay...I'm...still not used to hearing that."

"Err... yeah." Sloane coughed awkwardly. "Y- you know, I don't really know how you feel about me."

Man, this was a mistake.

"It's not like I expect it to be... y'know. I just want to know where I stand, in your eyes."

[Tami]

The way she was acting.. It reminded him of a night almost four months ago. She had acted like this while telling him about what happened the day that man had hurt her father... She'd called him a monster. A demon...

He looked like one now, hell he was barely even human anymore, from the way they had described it. She must be terrified. He looked down at his feet, and said softly. "Rivia, it's alright... I understand."

"I did it again, I let you down. I'm sorry, just forget about it." Rivia gets herself under control as best she can and looks up at him with sad yet serious eyes, "we need to focus on you, I need to focus." She then turns to face these old gods, to support Cas and Max as best she can.

[Cthulhu_of_R'yleh]

Sloane narrowed his eyes.

"I can hardly believe you'd be considerate."

But it wasn't like he was going to let his pride get in the way of finding a solution. He took a deep breath, and let go of his burdens.

"I'm doing this because I love Rosemary!" He declared. "And Skies take it, I'm not going to let Lunarius ruin her life!"

Casimir smiled faintly. At least the idiot had finally admitted it. The Queen merely chuckled. "So it is. I suppose... it would not be wrong of me to answer a few questions."

"At the time, I thought you were the reason Casimir was in so much pain, so it was easy to attack you."

Not at all the whole truth, but frankly, her own personal problems are none of his or any if these other 'Gods'' business.

"Fair enough." He grumbled.

Removing his heart is one of the only ways to kill him. How ironic.

Though, the second and third bits pique her interest. Would Casimir be willing to sever his ties to the Leylines, and kill himself when she dies?

No. She does not want to put him in that position. "What special circumstances?"

"Acts of character that placed a person above the rest of their kind. You must prove your surviving through the tides of time would not be a waste." She replied simply.

"I did it again, I let you down. I'm sorry, just forget about it." Rivia gets herself under control as best she can and looks up at him with sad yet serious eyes, "we need to focus on you, I need to focus." She then turns to face these old gods, to support Cas and Max as best she can.

"I'm sure I'll be fine.. Pain is gone. Casimir replied, then placed his hand on her shoulder as gently as he could. "You being here helps me more than enough. The others, I think, don't really get it. Or me.. Only you, and Max."

[Eternal Torment]

Casimir smiled faintly. At least the idiot had finally admitted it. The Queen merely chuckled. "So it is. I suppose... it would not be wrong of me to answer a few questions."

"Uhh... sure. Okay." Sloane replied hesitantly.

[WickedElphaba]

Skye hops up from her spot on the ground. "Hey! You, Old Gudes. You owe me a favor, right? Like anything I want?" She asks.

[Cthulhu_of_R'yleh]

Skye hops up from her spot on the ground. "Hey! You, Old Gudes. You owe me a favor, right? Like anything I want?" She asks.

Arnvusiil looked down at Skye and raised an eyebrow. "If you helped kill the Swordsman, and, if it is within our power.. Yes."

[Tami]

Casimir smiled faintly. At least the idiot had finally admitted it. The Queen merely chuckled. "So it is. I suppose... it would not be wrong of me to answer a few questions."



"Fair enough." He grumbled.



"Acts of character that placed a person above the rest of their kind. You must prove your surviving through the tides of time would not be a waste." She replied simply.



"I'm sure I'll be fine.. Pain is gone. Casimir replied, then placed his hand on her shoulder as gently as he could. "You being here helps me more than enough. The others, I think, don't really get it. Or me.. Only you, and Max."

Rivia turned her head slightly to look up at him and gave Cas a slight smile before looking back at these so-called gods.

[WickedElphaba]

Arnvusiil looked down at Skye and raised an eyebrow. "If you helped kill the Swordsman, and, if it is within our power.. Yes."

"Ayup. That's me. Vanquisher of swordsmen everywhere. Anyway. How much power do you have? I mean, aside from turning Casimir into Rocky Chasmimir." She says.

[Cthulhu_of_R'yleh]

"Ayup. That's me. Vanquisher of swordsmen everywhere. Anyway. How much power do you have? I mean, aside from turning Casimir into Rocky Chasmimir." She says.

"Enough to rival that of what you call 'angels'." He responded.

[The Dog]

She laughs. "The only thing awesome about the Sentinel Lantern is that projectile vomiting red guy. And the cut-away gags in the Unbelievable Bulk are hilarious! Their pointlessness is the whole point. And don't tell me you don't like random humor."

"Strike one fer talkin' bad 'bout Jordan Scott. An' strike two fer actually defendin' random an' pointless humor. If ya actually start talkin' 'bout Relative Dude bein' good, then that'll be strike three an' Ah'll have ta bid ya a good day." Selma replied.