video; un: viktor

[runeing]

[ the video feed opens with the shot of… the ground, and a pair of strangely purple, metallic-looking feet, some blue fabric covering the legs. faintly, one may hear viktor’s voice saying, ]

This proves it without a shadow of a doubt. You were right. It is possible to make them remember… to help them.

Wobbles, hold this for me, please.

[ the tablet shakes for a moment as viktor sets it in the hands of the little robot, and as his face comes into focus, it is framed by a hood, and his cheeks, while not quite purple, certainly don’t look to be made of flesh anymore. ]

Observe this, if you would, [ he says this to those watching, and then walks away, long staff in hand, entirely steady on his feet. the surroundings reveal themselves to be in rumpitur; there is a snake person standing nearby, seeming panicked as viktor approaches, watching someone off to the side of the view of the camera. ]

It will not hurt, I promise. Let me help you become who you once were.

[ what happens next is nothing short of unbelievable: viktor lifts his hand, and the purple lines in his metallic body all start to glow at once, an otherworldly light emanating from his limbs, spreading to his eyes, and finally exploding outward as it connects with the naga. for a moment, the light is too bright for anything to be seen clearly; though if one tries, there are circles inside the light, forming a strange sort of a pattern as they wrap around the duo, standing there.

when the light finally dies down, viktor is still there, leaning onto his staff, visibly exhausted — but opposite him, there now stands a person, a man looking mostly human, with some scales still along his arms, his eyes still with slit pupils, like a snake’s. ]

How… do you feel?

[ the formerly-a-snake blinks, shakes his head as if trying to gather his bearings, and says, ] Like… it feels like I’ve been asleep for a long time. Just woken up from a dream, except there was nothing there, you know? Just… emptiness.

[ before viktor can say anything more, there is clamoring to be heard, coming closer; other snakes, shouting, an indistinct mess of he’s hurting them, see and stop that — the others are clearly not pleased, and viktor sighs before holding out his hand towards wobbles the robot, signaling for it (and the tablet) to come closer. ]

Can you see? It can be reversed. What the previous AI did. I could only save this one and two others… but it can be done. We are not helpless. This simulation is not all-powerful.

[ that is all he has time for, though, as the yelling comes closer, and with a frown he takes the tablet and cuts the connection. ]

( ooc: viktor is back from his canon update and is now from between acts 1 and 2 of season 2! his responses come with a slight delay as they are currently being kicked out of rumpitur. some responses to the post may also come from octavian, who is off-screen throughout the post. )

Comments

voice, un: fauna

[nightwild]

[There's a LOT to process there, but... That was magic, wasn't it? But the snake... and the AI?]

What... the hell was that?

voice;

[runeing]

[ his response, when it eventually comes, is accompanied by the crunch of footsteps; clearly he is walking and responding at the same time. ]

The Naga of Rumpitur used to be like us. Chosen, they were called, too. Until they were changed. That much is now undeniably true.

voice; private un: QUEENOFZAUN

[opheliac]

[well, shit. this was something she was hoping would never happen, but given her track record of always stumbling onto unfortunate events, she should have seen this coming. the question now is: how to handle it? on her own or to inform everyone?

and what a crappy time for the rest of runeterra to return home now that viktor is officially the Herald. caitlyn will see this soon enough, and so will vi. and there's an instinct that screams at her to contact them and maybe join forces? ... no. even if that's the most logical thing to do, she isn't going to let either of them go through this whole cycle again. not them, not with silco, ragna, haruhi, scott, or anyone else included. she'll handle this alone.]

Finally caught up, eh?

voice; permaprivate

[runeing]

[ oh. it's her. ]

No, I don't believe I am.

[ there is genuine thoughtfulness to his tone. ]

You speak as if we have met. We have not. That leads me to believe you are still from my future... in which case whatever it is that brings this hostility to your voice has not yet come to pass, for me.

voice; un: unitA2

[abandonware]

[She sounds surprised and haunted both.]

The AI... it changed them? How?

voice;

[runeing]

Yes, I believe that has now been proven.

[ his tone, though serious, contains just an edge of wryness to it. evidently, this is what happened. as for the how... ]

But as the previous AI is unreachable, we cannot know how exactly it happened. However, we have seen enough evidence that the current simulation can transform us easily enough to believe it must have happened in a similar manner.

voice; un: shadowspread

[unsunder]

[ Oh, now this is interesting. ]

I should very much like to know what you did and how.

voice;

[runeing]

I showed you how.

[ he's not going to get into the fact he is essentially a magic supercomputer, now, not over the tablets. ]

I reversed what the previous AI had done. They were not always snakes, and the AI lacked the skill to stop the corruption that was happening to them... but I do not.

voice | un : shortstack

[jaganshi]

It is wise to go about reversing things the AI has done so readily? Particularly with our experiences with the naga thus far...

[ Look, he isn't saying that he doesn't want to release them if the snakes are chaotic - Hiei loves a bit of chaos, but.. well. The cat is out of the bag, he supposes.This sort of thing is more of a Kurama thing, of course, and he's no doubt sending this on to the fox, but he's not quite done with questions, either. ]

Can you only do two more and that is it permanently? Or is it a matter of rest before you can do more?

[runeing]

We have had all this time and done nothing. I will not continue to do nothing.

[ and in any case, wise or not, it is done. some of the former chosen are now returned to almost as they used to be... which is more than they had just a few hours ago. ]

You misunderstand. I tried to heal more, but they would either resist the change, or not respond to the attempts at all. Whether that is temporary or not... I don't know. But they did not take the healing kindly, the snakes who remain, and so I can't go back, either.

voice; un: altius

[chimericalclaw]

[Others are asking the most important of the questions he has—if Viktor answers them here, he'll have them to reference later.]

Where are you heading now?

[These are not conversations he wants to have on the network.]

voice;

[runeing]

[ well, this is a nice thing to hear — a familiar voice, someone he is glad is still here. ]

Back to Aldrip. All five of us.

[ six, if you count wobbles... ]

I'm afraid the Naga saw what I did as harming them, and when I was unsuccessful in healing more of them, it was more important to protect the ones who were changed than to remain. [ read: they got kicked out. ]

text; un: brickfuckingmaster

[giraffic]

what the fuck dude

[ yeah that's all she's got

what the shiiit ]

voice;

[runeing]

[ dryly, ]

If you have nothing else to say, perhaps I might recommend considering whether your input is required at all.

voice @gadriel

[thecodexabides]

You have found a way to undo the corruption of a Chaos god?

[That's...impressive. He sounds definitely impressed. ]

voice;

[runeing]

Undo what the former AI had done to stop the corruption of the Chosen at that time.

[ let's be specific, here... but otherwise, yes, that's about correct. ]

voice; un:curtaincall

[endcaller]

Fun trick.

Will you deign to tell me how you did it?

[runeing]

I healed them. Reached out, felt their corruption, fear and pain, felt the souls trapped beneath it all... and I altered them. Brought them back to a form they had once been.

[ there's the shifting of fabric, which may be because he is still walking, currently, or because he is shrugging his shoulders. ]

Beyond that, I cannot tell you. You don't share my power — if from that description you cannot do it with whatever power you have, then that is your failing.

video - un: punchesu

[grappler]

[..........................................]

Oh what the hell.

[she was going to come to this post with some tact, but as soon as she opens her mouth, that's exactly what comes out.]

[runeing]

[ ........... ah. ]

Hello, Violet.

[ for now, that is all he says — he, for his part, is glad to hear from her... but whether she feels the same, he can't really say. jinx certainly had reacted to him with sharp anger; will that be vi, too? ]

video; un: cupcake

[bulleting]

[Caitlyn honestly wasn't sure what she feared most when Viktor disppeared; that he would be another friend gone from this place, or he would be returning as the Herald.

Apparently her worst fears were correct.

She can't even hide the concern and fear across her face as she watches Viktor "healing" the Naga, unable to help but think back to those horrifying creatures that attacked Piltover at Viktor's command. She hadn't witnessed any of his healing firsthand like Vi and Jinx had, but Vi's description had been more than enough.

Fuck.]

I know you think you're helping them, Viktor, but I promise, you're not.

[Her voice is not as composed as she wants it to be, but this has been what she's feared the most since she returned from home -- seeing Viktor becoming this again, and losing everything because of it. It's frightening enough that she doesn't even realize she didn't properly private this like she intended.]

[runeing]

Caitlyn.

[ he very nearly addresses her as miss kiramman; but he remembers their friendliness, here, remembers getting to know her, appreciating her kindness, her forthrightness, her willingness to do good.

there is some irony to all that, now. ]

Don't worry, Jinx has already expressed her apprehension. And I will tell you what I told her — I have not met her, yet. And the fact she has very clearly met me means that whatever both of you fear might happen has not come to pass.

I don't know what you believe of what I can do... but trust me, they will not harm anyone. I will not harm anyone. You know me, do you not? I may look different, but I am still your friend.

Text; un: eyeofzaun

[conflictresolution]

Oh good, you've returned them to their senses for a life of ostracization and recalling potentially some of the worst experiences of their lives. I'm certain they will be a boon.

Where were you with your city needed help? Out from under a Piltie's shadow now. My, my, how we have aged brilliantly from our time in the sun.

[runeing]

Because living a lie was that much better? No, I will not accept that.

I believe I could ask you the same thing. Where were you, Silco? What did you do for our city, but leave its people shiver on the streets in misery, mistrust... malformed. Shimmer may have bought you power, but its cost was a dear one.

And when a chance arose for you to do some real good, effect a real change... you were gone. Do not speak to me of deeds left undone when I am the only one who has been capable of healing the people whose lives you brought to ruin.

voice; un: spartan

[melnik]

[ Uhhh... this is great, he supposes, in a way! But it's hard to just accept it as a good thing at face value for a multitude of reasons. ]

Hold on. You didn't get to the most important part. Do any of these people remember anything? About what happened before they were transformed?

[runeing]

They remember who they were, yes. Part of the previous cycle of Chosen, based in Rumpitur.

[ after a pause, he adds, inflectionless and yet still somehow a little disappointed, ] They don't remember anything of how that cycle ended.

video | un: echo

[individualized]

[Hi, she hasn't really met him, but that's not going to stop her from asking the question that just came to her.]

Why were they changed before? Was there some purpose?

[runeing]

[ that is completely fine — he expects questions from people both familiar and not. ]

The previous AI did that, in order to stop their corruption... to save them in its own way, I believe.

audio; un: shades

[laserguy]

[Wait what happened to Viktor-- but also what?? He restored one of the Rumpiturs and he's heard about the theory about the Naga being former Chosen, but this kind of proves it??? Holy shit.]

How did you do that? Are... are you able to affect other parts of this world?

[A mixture of awe, shock, and maybe confusion too. Just. He doesn't know what this means. Does he have the power to fight back against the simulation itself?? Also he hopes that Viktor wasn't trampled by what it looked like to be a rising mob-- hopefully the scientist responds soon.]

[runeing]

Hello, Scott.

[ he recognises the voice, of course... and can hear the shock and confusion there. ]

It is a form of arcane magic. Healing, specifically. I am altering their forms by reaching into who they used to be and bringing that forth.

[ as for the other question... ] I do not know. This is what I know how to do... I wouldn't know where to start with the rest of the world.

video; un: ushiromiya

[entreats]

[ Thankfully what she's seeing here is making a whole lot more sense between Octavian's message from before and what context Viktor is providing. In fact, it makes it crystal clear what's happening here, and it surprises Ange enough that she hastily moves to reply. ]

What sort of magic were you using to do that?

[ Her tone definitely isn't its usual emotionless tone - she sounds clearly interested. All over this, in fact. ]