Tyler found himself in a familiar place. It was a welcome sight, though he couldn't place why. He saw Isla standing in front of him, dealing cards on the poker table, just as before. The sounds of slot machines reached his ears, and he knew he was back in The House of Cards.
He opened his mouth to speak, noting how he could do much easier than the first time he was there, "Isla?" She looked up from the table, smiling. He noted how strange she looked with makeup on.
"Hello, Mr. Hale. Sleeping well?"
"I'm not sure. Why am I here?" he asked.
"This is where all Discordians go when they dream. This is where we get to know one another, where we discuss our experiments and even hold experiments as a group. Every Discordian in the world passes through here on those rare nights they can dream. It helps us find one another when we wake, too."
"This is where I dream now?"
Isla set the stack of cards aside, "Yes." She gestured to someone, and Tyler saw several people surround the table, each having a seat and welcoming him.
A thin man with unruly facial hair shook Tyler's hand and introduced himself, "My name is Mikail, out of Stockholm."
A woman with long light red hair spoke up, "Atalanta, out of Aberdeen"
Another man, larger and cleaner cut than the first took his turn, "Dima, out of Moscow."
Finally, another woman sat down with red, dreadlocked hair. She dressed in a green coat, slacks, and looked remarkably out of place compared to the formal wear the others wore, "Mal, out of Sydney."
Tyler greeted each of them and Isla spoke again, "It's awfully quiet tonight."
"How many Discordians are there?" Tyler asked. "Is there even a way to tell?"
"Less than a hundred, by my count." Isla said, pointing to her surroundings. "Every time a new Discordian appears, The House changes. It's a small change, but it's noticeable. Every new Discordian brings something with them, and when they die, that something disappears."
"Like what?"
Mal spoke up, "You changed the curtains. We didn't have curtains before."
Tyler looked around and only then noticed the windows covered with thick red curtains, "I didn't mean to."
Isla laughed, "You don't have to. It's random. Shall we play?"
Nods in agreement answered her question until she met Tyler's eyes. Tyler nodded, and she began passing cards out to each player, "poker tonight, I think.
"Anyone want to share their latest findings for the newbie?" Mikail asked, looking over his cards and folding. Tyler looked at his cards, two aces.
"So this one's new, then?" Mal asked, and Isla nodded.
"I'm his sponsor," she said, giving him a smile, "He's stubborn. I expected that given he's Morrigan Heron's other half."
An uproar suddenly rose from the table, a mix of cheers, sneers, congratulations, and condolences. "Morrigan isn't popular here either?"
Atalanta threw her cards at Isla, "Quite the contrary. We love Morrigan. She's so easy to predict."
"That's good?" Tyler asked, and Atalanta cocked her head.
"He's barely learned to harness luck." Isla said, matching Dima's bet. Tyler did the same.
Mal's eyes went wide as she folded, "Brand new, I see."
Tyler nodded, "Still wrapping my head around it."
"That's the trick of it," Isla said as she threw down two aces and a five. Tyler placed a bet, which both Isla and Dima called.
"Just Wait," Mal said, "When I started, I focused my studies on the finer points of chaotic systems and started getting weird patterns.”
“Like what?” Tyler asked.
“Mostly numbers. I would set up a number generator or play a roulette wheel and get a string of numbers. Sometimes it was a phone number that when called…” she stopped and shuddered, “I'd rather not."
Tyler nodded as Isla set a king and a four on the table. Again he bet, forcing Dima to fold. Isla and Tyler revealed their cards, and Tyler laughed. When he flipped the cards, his cards were a five and a ten. He looked to Isla, who flipped two aces, the same aces he had before.
"Now, hold on," he said, narrowing his eyes.
She raised an Eyebrow, "I didn't do it."
Mikail patted Tyler on the back, "The House always wins."
"The better the hand, the more likely you should fold." Isla added.
He was about to reply, but then felt a pain in his chest. He blinked, and found himself back at Oxford.
When Tyler opened his eyes, something told him not to move. The moment he tried, he barely lifted himself up from the pillow before the pain forced him slowly back down. He groaned, then tried again, managing to stand from the bed.
He saw Morrigan sitting in a leather chair by a series of bookshelves. "Morning," he said.
Morrigan's head turned, "Morning."
"Are you okay?"
Morrigan sighed, then shook her head, "I had a bit of a shock last night. Still getting over it."
"What happened?"
She crossed her arms, "I'm still; not entirely sure. I had a vision, of sorts. I'll be leaving soon. Sadly, you can't follow."
"What? Why?"
She stood up, walked to the desk on the far side of their room, and picked up his copy of the Simplex Arcana. It creaked when she opened it. She felt along the back cover, giving him a look when she found the cut away leather.
"You've been sneaky," she said.
Tyler scoffed, "I've been sneaky?"
Morrigan gave a laugh, "Don't blame me. The scarlet arts are dangerous. I guess it doesn't matter now." she paused, then spoke to the book, "The Wetworks."
The pages flipped. The images formed in the ink depicting red oceans of blood, a red sky, and a beach of black sand. She handed Tyler the book, gently rubbing his shoulders as he sat and read the page.
"The Wetworks is a metaphysical plane, the domain of blood and extremes. That doesn't sound like a fun trip. You're going there?"
Morrigan nodded, "The Fiery Lock has a strict hierarchy. Gemma is at the top. To become a matron, you have to take a pilgrimage to where The Red Maiden dwells."
"Why are you taking it?"
"I was a Lady in Waiting. The cult grooms several women to become the matron in case the one chosen fails. The ladies in waiting take turns until someone succeeds. Gemma decided to go first, despite what tradition required, and I never got the chance. She broke the rules, so I will do the same. I sought to create a schism, and I know there are those who will still follow, especially if I succeed in the pilgrimage."
"How do you prove it? How do you know they will follow?"
"There has never been two matrons, for starters. The proof comes from what I bring back. There are many gifts bestowed to the matron, powers and skills no one else could have."
"Good thing your immortal then. It's almost guaranteed."
"No," she replied, her voice breaking. She pressed her lips together, then finally forced the words out, "Metaphysical planes don't work like that. If I go there, I go as a mortal woman.
"So you could die?"
"Yes."
"Well shit. Do you have to?"
Morrigan nodded, "Yes. It's been a long time coming. I can't protect you, and the only way to get that contract taken care of is to kill the one who placed it.
"What do I do in the meantime."
"I'll be here for another day or so, we're going to work on getting you a catalyst, and teaching you. Once I leave, you'll keep learning with Isla until I return."
"Okay, " Tyler said, grabbing her hand. He turned to the book, "Catalysts." The pages quickly flipped to the appropriate section. He pondered what he could use.
Morrigan stood, and walked her way out of the room, "I'll leave you to it," she said with a laugh. A catalyst was an enchanted item, one specifically designed to focus and channel arcane effects. You could use anything to make one. It wasn't until he sat in an empty common room, and noticed the row of pool cues that he found an answer.
"That'll do." He smiled, retrieving the cue and snapping it in half.
When showing it off, Isla laughed, "It's crude, but it will work. Why a pool cue?"
He smiled, "I met Morrigan at a bar."
"That's a lot of emotion. Be careful. Staff or club?"
"A club, I think." he replied, rushing out of the room. He was excited, already attached to it.
He entered the room set aside for him and Morrigan. Morrigan jolted out of the leather chair near the window, a book in her hand.
"I figured it out," he said.
She shook her head, laughed, and sat back down as he set the broken stick on the desk, "What is it."
"A pool cue. I'm thinking of converting it to a club." He replied.
He heard the book shut, and turned. She stared at him with a look of confusion.
"A broken pool cue? That…" she stammered, took a breath and then nodded, "It's a little blunt, but I understand your reasoning. That's sweet. A club would produce wilder and crude effects, though. We're talking massive bursts of force. This could be exhausting but powerful. Is that something you'd want?"
"I think so, yeah. I've always been a weak one. I didn't do sports in school, and got my ass kicked a few times," He paused when he felt her hand on his shoulder.
"So it's a symbol of your ambitions?" She asked.
"No," he replied, "It's a ruse. While it doesn't really scream 'me,' I remembered that the physical exhaustion is dependent on the mental exhaustion. My mind is much stronger than my body."
He picked up the club, the pride in Morrigan’s expression being enough of a cue to begin. He scanned The Simplex Arcana, reading and committing every detail to his memory. He followed closely, pushing the book further to the side to give him space.
"I don't have a source," he said. The book stated that a catalyst requires a source, a solidified essence of metaphysical power. He had no clue what that meant.
She thought about it, resting her chin on her hand. "Let me worry about that," she said, parting him on the shoulder. She walked to her side of the bed and opened her luggage. She gave him several sheets of sandpaper, a pencil, and a sharp knife that seemed more like a chisel.
"Do the formulas, I'll be back." She said before walking out of the room.
He went to work, sanding off the finish of the club and copying the sigils and runes from the text, linking them with thick lines that connected their effects. He wrote the words in English, each effect spelled out clearly. One would strengthen the structure of the club, forcing the wood to be denser. Another sigil allowed for the club to reflect sudden bursts of energy, allowing it to not only take a hit for defense, but reflect the force of the blocked attack back. He added his own sigil, one that the book didn't call for, but he felt it could be useful. The sigil would refuse to allow the wood to burn, collecting the heat in the tip of the club. Once he felt he had enough, he began carving, embedding the formulas into the wood.
Morrigan strolled in, "How's it going?"
"I think it's going well." Tyler replied, handing the club to her.
She traced the formulas with her fingers, "Fine job, perfectly recreated from the page."
"Any tips you can offer?" Tyler asked.
"One thing: you're doing more work than what's needed. You have a finite amount of space here. It pays to make sure it is used efficiently." She paused and brushed his finger on several sigils, "these three formulas can be condensed; simplified into one sigil that can do the work of all three without taking up the space." Tyler left and retrieved another pool cue, trying to figure how he'd accomplish the task.
Morrigan set a wooden box on the desk. "Here," she said, "a gift from Damon." She opened the box and revealed a series of radiant gems set in felt, each a different color. The gems were tiny, no more than a few millimeters.
Tyler Asked, "What are they?"
"Do you remember the condensed essence you used during your rite?" she replied, and Tyler nodded, "same thing, only contained and stable. In solid form, they can't radiate their essence, but instead, must have that essence extracted by a caster."
"How do I pick?"
"The color is cosmetic. Pick the one you like most."
Tyler reached for the red gem, and she presented a metal frame for setting the gem that screwed into the base of the club. Once set, Tyler thanked them, made a note to thank Damon later, and continued working on the formulas.
When he finished, the broken cue looked nothing like it did before. The arcane shapes that covered the newly finished wood glowed. The gem that sat at the base flickered every time Tyler touched it. The club was two feet long, and when swung, seemed to sing as it traveled through the air.
Morrigan brushed her fingers along the surface, feeling the cuts made in the wood and checking for mistakes.
"Fantastic," She said, beaming, "it's done perfectly. Go to bed," she paused to give him a kiss. "I'll wake you when it's time to prove you can use it."
Okay. Sorry, this took a bit longer than expected to get to, but I have a few main things to note about this chapter that didn't really make sense to me and made it feel a little bit odd. Plus, the occasional other comment. Firstly, what is the significance of the curtains? I get why they'd be red, main due to the story connection of blood and the like. While I presume that what is altered is mostly random, from a more meta standpoint whatever change Tyler brings should probably be of some metaphorical significance. I don't (yet) see how curtains tie into this. I did like the scene in the House, especially the idea of introducing other characters and each having a different type of Discordian luck. I am a bit curious about your level of description of each person in the House of Cards, especially since it varied and you only generally described each. Also, you seem to be fixated on red hair. Is it intentional that most of the female characters have had red hair? Tyler's chest pain goes away way too easily. You basically suggest it wakes him up and that it hinders him from standing, but then it instantly disappears again. Considering the amount of focus that you'd put on it in both the previous chapter and this chapter, it should probably be a little bit more of a hindrance to Tyler attempting to do things after he gets up. Then, there's Tyler asking Morrigan if she's okay despite the fact you mention nothing that would suggest she isn't. While the reader is aware that she's going to be leaving before long, Tyler would be unaware of this and Morrigan sitting in a chair by a bookshelf wouldn't be that odd. While I could infer that she had a strange look on her face or some other thing was off, you should probably specify what was. The line "A catalyst was an enchanted item...he found an answer" is a bit odd. Firstly, it's a whole new idea from the previous section of the paragraph so it should be separated out. Secondly, when did Tyler move to a common room and why? You kind of just say that it wasn't until he sat in a common room that it came to him without suggesting he'd been looking for something or even moving around. It kind of confused me as I was lost as to everything that happened during the line. Morrigan and Tyler met in a bar? That's something random that you dropped on a reader that I feel like should have been mentioned in just brief dialogue before(unless I forgot it). It's not super important that it comes out of nowhere since Tyler lost his memories, but if he's going to use this memory specifically maybe you should inform the reader of it in advance? It just feels like something important enough either Morrigan or Tyler would have brought it up at some point or it would have been mentioned when Tyler was reading his notebook of forgotten memories. Speaking of memories, I can't recall. Did he regain the ones he forgot of Morrigan or did he just learn what had happened from the notebook he'd stored them in? Though I can't remember if this is on me or you, but that needs to be mentioned(which, again, you may have already mentioned and I just forgot) Moving onto a whole bunch of things in one that confused me: the catalyst itself. Why a cue if you're just going to break it in half and why make it into a club. (Also, why was he showing it off to Isla? Wouldn't she be busy elsewhere and shouldn't Tyler go to Morrigan first since she's helping him with forming a catalyst?) While I can rationalize the use of a cue if you want to establish them as having met in a bar, I frankly don't understand why he'd pick a cue only to break it in half. If that's really what you want to go with, I suppose I could draw the conclusion that it's meant to be symbolic of how Tyler feels he and Morrigan are connected and that turning it into a club could demonstrate how he feels about Morrigan. However, I feel that there would be better ways to represent this without having to use the catalyst(though, again, it might fit here as Morrigan introduced him to the arcane arts). The bigger question is why a club; crude and powerful don't really seem to be character traits for Tyler. He seems more curious and refined, especially in his approach to using the arcane arts. Also, the fact that his catalyst is a literal weapon doesn't really seem to align with the other catalysts we've seen so far as they seemed to be more like their original item (I think). Beyond that, the whole sequence of crafting the catalyst slightly broke your style and confused me a bit. Hmm. Sorry. That was a lot and some of it is definitely just me being weird. I wasn't really able to focus on the latter half of the chapter, and I don't know if that was me or just the content of it but it wasn't as engaging as some other parts of your work. But, hopefully, this at least gives you a push in what kind of direction to take your edits. I still liked most of it, it just didn't really fit in to me. Again, sorry it's kind of a mess.
Heh heh. About the red hair... hmmm... I can't tell you.... YET. But i'm glad youre paying attention. Tyler's chest pain, yes. i shall fix it and make it a bigger deal. I may do more set up on the bar thing. Its mentioned back in the begining when she tells him about it, and how he was drunkenly trying to impress the blind girls with his skill at billiards. but isnt mentioned again till here. I shall fix. This also explains why a pool cue, but not a club. I'll fix this. He mentions how the club is a ruse, misinformation and how he's not the crude and stong type, but i could easily make that better. Something that's hinted at is a discordian thinks very differently. That's starting to happen here but i believe after this i should probably set up a bit more for it. cant all be winners XD no worries at all. This chapter had a TON of edits.
As long as it's intentional and not just something you coincidentally did while writing. I shall wait to find out! Ahh. So it is mentioned in the beginning. I guess I forgot about that bit. I think the main reason I thought it was odd was because I was unsure if Tyler would remember something like that. That makes sense, I guess my mind just didn't make that connection properly. It is a good way to think of it, though I still find his choice odd; granted, now I understand the lack of logic is what makes it work. Setting up Tyler's turning into a Discordian and this odd line of thinking more wouldn't hurt at all. Good luck fixing all of these things!
Sure thing! and thank you very much good sir!