[EF] Fist-Borne (12/2019-2/2020)

[Judas D'arc]

Summary: The Emerald Fist persuades Renthar and the would-be Time Lord to set aside their dispute and fulfill their promises to restore Chanticleer’s existence. But even with this temporary truce, their manipulation of time and space is a complicated thing, requiring significant sacrifice, without any guarantee of a successful outcome. And some changes are forever.

********

12/17/2019:

With Renthar’s Pathway uncovered, and the abandoned abbey banished for the would-be Time Lord, the Emerald Empress told the Emerald Fist it was time to proceed with their plan to save Chanticleer. She suggested that they seek out the sorcerer first, since he was the easiest of the two to find. The group then journeyed to Yew to speak with him, and Ezekial entered their cabin without knocking, interrupting as he and Jolicia enjoyed an intimate moment. After they shared the reason for their visit, Renthar agreed to do as asked, eager to test the unobstructed limits of his power. He was also skeptical that the would-be Time Lord would render his promised aid.

Next, the sorcerer guided Jolicia and the Fist to the Church of the Black Sun in Felucca, where he used his ruby amulet to summon Chanticleer back to their world. But instead of the Chanticleer they sought, his counterpart from another shard-world appeared. This Chanticleer was native to the same Britannia as Faeryl, Jolicia, and Renthar, and they all recognized each other. He was also dressed as a farmer, reflecting his prior decision to retire to his cousin Larenya’s farm.

After a brief discussion, this other Chanticleer expressed a desire to return home, arguing that Larenya and her imbecilic children needed him. The sorcerer asked if the group wanted to keep him, stating that with some training, they might not notice the difference. However, his offer was rejected, and farmer Chanticleer was sent back to his native shard-world.



Based on the results of his summoning efforts, Renthar realized that to successfully recover the correct Chanticleer, he and the would-be Time Lord must simultaneously wield their respective artifacts, employing magics of time and space in unison. The sorcerer also requested that they hurry, while he and Jolicia were willing to remain, other business eventually awaited them.

12/23/2019:

Story: Remedy

12/23/2019:

The Empress informed the Emerald Fist that Governor Haxley had sent her a letter requesting a meeting at his office in Castle Britannia. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by Haxley’s client, the white-robed, would-be Time Lord. He carried the Sextant of the Ancients, which emitted a powerful white light, and as it faded, so did the would-be Time Lord. In his place stood Haxley, revealing that the two beings were one and the same. Except, it was slightly more complicated than that, as the Governor soon explained:

Years ago, Lord Haxley was a man of stunted height and physical deformities, a follower of Lord Blackthorn’s chaos philosophy and the last in line of a Britain noble family that could trace its origins to before the Shattering of Mondain’s Gem of Immortality. Over time, he grew obsessed with the notion that Britannia’s reality and continuity were breaking down; eventually he chose to end his own life with poison, but not before giving a book of his theories to the bard Judas. But Haxley survived through the dormant power of a centuries-old family heirloom, a ruby necklace. Reborn in another world as an idealized version of himself, his necklace enabled him to become that strange land’s guardian, and he ascended to the throne of its most powerful kingdom.

Unfortunately, others conspired against him, and Haxley lost both his throne and his amulet, and he barely escaped to his native Britannia with his life. But after witnessing how the being known as the Time Lord had abandoned his duties, Haxley rose from despair once again with his new mission -- he would become the next Time Lord. To that end, he gathered time-related magics, with the Sextant of the Ancients his ultimate objective. This artifact, which was able to navigate the stars-between-the-stars, enabling him to control time itself. Additionally, Haxley took steps against “the Destroyer” responsible for his defeat in that other world, including forcing Judas to commit certain acts that eliminated this individual from the timeline. This Destroyer, of course, was Chanticleer, making Haxley the one who caused his current predicament. However, once he possessed the Sextant of the Ancients, and with it, certain knowledge that he did not previously have, Haxley realized that Chanticleer was not to blame, and that his ultimate foe was actually Renthar. To make amends for this grievous mistake, he struck a bargain with the Emerald Empress. In exchange for using his power to save Chanticleer, she would remain neutral in the ongoing conflict between Haxley and Renthar.

Haxley was also responsible for various events that had occurred in recent years. He recruited Faeryl and her friends in the Emerald Trading Company from their native Sosaria to slay Renthar and prevent the sorcerer's theft of his necklace, but this failed and led to Faeryl coming here. He tried to obstruct Renthar by preserving the life of his counterpart of this world, the ranger Michael Mitre, but Jolicia succeeded in having Sergio kill him. Haxley was responsible for Bacchus’ rescue from the Bowels of Lithos so he could destroy his father’s keep and deny its power to Renthar, and he also transported Piper forward in time to prevent Relthor from murdering her. It was always Haxley’s intention to help Chanticleer, and he viewed both the Holy and Emerald Fists as necessary to protect the lands from Technocrats, Renthar, and other dangers. With the Sextant of the Ancients, he created a “divergent” of himself, a version whose personal timeline split prior to his ascension as a would-be Time Lord. This divergent was the Governor of Trinsic who now addressed them, and at every turn, he tried to assist the group.

All of his secrecy was necessary for his own safety, and Haxley believed Renthar was the one who sent Sarain’s time shade to kill him. This was eventually reversed due to the Sextant, but it explained why the Governor’s own time shade once made an appearance. He also defended a number of his actions -- he bargained on behalf of the Technocrats so that they would leave for good, he pushed the King to intervene with Nujel’m to prevent the Vizier from sending assassins after the Fist, and he did not know Chanticleer’s bell would crack until right before it occurred.

Once Haxley was done, he turned to the matter of restoring Chanticleer’s existence ...

[Judas D'arc]

12/23/2019 (Continued):

After disclosing his own complicated history to the Emerald Fist, Governor Haxley explained that saving Chanticleer required both the Sextant of the Ancients, which manipulated time, and Renthar’s stolen Ruby, which controlled space. If the attempt had been made before Chanticleer’s disappearance, they would have merely needed to stabilize his existence, despite its inherent paradoxes. But now, altering the timeline on a scale needed to restore his original history posed too great a risk to reality. Instead, the Governor proposed using the Sextant and Ruby to create a divergent, similar to his own forked nature, that was better suited to this world’s narrative. This divergent Chanticleer could then be implanted into the timeline, with effort made to ensure that he was largely the same individual, despite these narrative changes. In order to guarantee that he became their Chanticleer, the group needed to gather four elements that were integral to their objective.

These elements were Disposition: his basic personality; Narrative: a foundational story that allowed him to exist within this world’s narrative; Memory: the recollections of his life that was; and Mortality: the prospects for the success or failure of their efforts.

Haxley next elaborated upon the Disposition element. Britannia’s virtue system was particularly significant in their world and held great power. Any of these eight virtues, or their corresponding anti-virtue, could serve as the core characteristic of this divergent Chanticleer’s personality. The ongoing attacks against the virtue shrines by the organization known as the Fellowship provided the Fist with an opportunity; the original Time Lord rewarded those defending the shrines with a tabard connected to one of the virtues. After obtaining the one best suited to Chanticleer’s personality, the group needed to enhance it with a special mixture, the very same Talisman of Principle that the Governor had suggested Mylar Tymirtore use on her son William to purify his evil heritage. Or, if the Fist determined that one of the anti-virtues was more appropriate for Chanticleer, they would instead treat the tabard with the opposing Talisman of Anti-Principle.

Once they completed this task, Haxley promised to offer further guidance on the other elements, but he mentioned that Kalanna’s previous work for him might help with Narrative, and that Memory would require a sacrifice. The Fist returned to Emerald Town to update the Empress. Like Adegas and Piper, she was troubled by the Governor’s proposal, and the possibility of making an entirely different Chanticleer. However, without a viable alternative, the group was determined to proceed.

12/26/2019:

Judas began overseeing the collection of the ingredients for the Talisman of Principle needed to enhance the tabard. As revealed when the Talismans were previously discussed, the person providing an ingredient must remain ignorant of its true purpose so that it was sincerely given. In total, there were nine of these ingredients:

Talisman of Principle: The Talisman of Principle is created by gathering the Water of Truth, the Wine of Love, and the Blood of Courage, and mixing them together.

Water of Truth: A vial of water exposed to or mixed with the following:
- Truth nobody would tell
- Confession of guilt
- Duel fought over truth

Wine of Love: A bottle of wine exposed to or mixed with the following:
- Virgin’s kiss, given freely out of compassion
- Blood drawn from the guilty
- Tears shed over a loved one out of concern

Blood of Courage: A vial of blood exposed or mixed with the following:
- Blood drawn from an enemy in battle
- A Chip of stone from a hero’s monument
- Sweat off a worker’s brow while they labor in charity

The first of these ingredients, the Virgin's Kiss, was gathered at the Garden of Everthorne, when the legendary (and virgin) ranger Tserim Arryth was persuaded to kiss Piper, freely and out of compassion.

Once they departed the Garden, the Fist collected the next ingredient, the Chip of Stone from a Hero’s Monument, by breaking off the tip of the arrow from the statue of Tserim located outside the Winery in Yew.

12/27/2019:

After deciding that the virtue of Valor was the most suitable core characteristic for Chanticleer’s Disposition element, the Fist, Haxley, and their allies journeyed to the Shrine of Valor to defend it from a Fellowship assault. Many of the Fellowship soldiers were slain, and the original Time Lord rewarded the group with the desired Tabard of Valor.

Later, many of the battle’s participants gathered at the Salty Dog, where one of the ingredients for the Talisman of Principle, the Confession of Guilt, was collected from the ranger Lennox “Lux” Mitchell. During a talk that left her quite enraged with Judas, she admitted to committing multiple murders while under the dark influence of the necromancer Thalmain Shaste.

[Judas D'arc]

1/5/2020:

After Kalanna mentioned her past as a follower of a mad cultist and participant in the murders of innocents, Judas and Tabitha persuaded Erollisi to shoot her in the arm with an arrow, drawing her blood and collecting another ingredient for the Talisman, the Blood Drawn from the Guilty.

1/6/2020:

The next day, in Britain, two more ingredients for the Talisman were gathered. Fighting against vagrants cursed by the necromancer Thalmain Shaste, Ezekial’s blade became covered in the Blood Drawn from an Enemy in Battle, and he gave it to Judas. Afterwards, Adegas battled the orc known as the Gentleman, challenging his claim that she was unwilling to help against the Shaste threat. Their Duel Fought over Truth provided another ingredient.

1/9/2020:

At Emerald Town, Miriam informed the Fist that her granddaughter Stevie wept after learning of Chanticleer’s “death”, and she gave them a scarf covered in her Tears Shed Over a Loved One Out of Concern for the Talisman. Because Kalanna was present, and Haxley had indicated that held information relevant to the Narrative element, the Empress sent the group back to Britain to speak with him. There, the Governor encouraged Kalanna to share everything she had learned while investigating a peculiar magical ruby on behalf of his client, the would-be Time Lord. As she recounted the tale, he interjected to fill in some of the missing details:

More than 75 years ago, the legendary Braknar of the Library of Scars was hired by a merchant and gem collector named Delancy to lead a band of mercenaries to retrieve a peculiar ruby from the Isle of Fire. Decades later, while moving his estate from Vesper to Britain, his caravan was robbed by bandits, who stole the ruby, among other things. This raid was arranged by Cubbins, a Covian criminal, and one of his best known clients was Lord Randall Reich of Magincia. The Reich family fortune was based on gems, and Delancy was one of their fiercest competitors. A month after the caravan was attacked, Randall’s younger sister Nella arrived in Skara Brae and the city’s customs records indicated that she declared a collection of exotic gems. A few weeks later, Nella and a local farmer named Milton were found dead on the mainland. Their killer was never caught, and her gems were stolen from the farmhouse where they dwelled. At the time of her death, Nella was several months pregnant.

One year ago, Kalanna had uncovered these details by speaking to the time shades of Braknar and one of Delancy’s guards. She also met with the still-living Larenya, Milton’s niece, in Skara Brae, but their conversation was never finished. According to Haxley, while the ruby’s eventual fate remained unknown, he believed that Nella and Milton’s tale might provide a basis for the Narrative element, since the former was the sister of Chanticleer’s great-grandfather, Randall. He then suggested they visit Larenya for additional details. Finally, the Governor told them that a bard of more than average skill was needed to weave together the Narrative, though whoever assumed this role could face potentially dire consequences for doing so.

The group found Larenya at her farm on mainland Skara Brae, and she repeated all the details she had provided Kalanna, who she knew as “Neve” from her previous visit. Larenya was only a child when her aunt and uncle were murdered shortly after their wedding, so her own memory of the incident was limited. She knew that no one was ever arrested for the crime, and Nella’s gem collection was missing from their home. Her parents had also informed her that her aunt’s brother did not approve of Nella and Milton’s relationship, which had commenced a year before their deaths while she was visiting Skara Brae. Larenya also mentioned that a few months ago, a couple of sailors briefly visited her farm to ask about Nella. Both were human, one male and one female, and they seemed interested in what she might recall about her aunt.

Following this, the Fist returned to the Empress and shared what they had learned, and how the unborn child of Nella and Milton was a possible new Narrative for Chanticleer. While she was deeply troubled by the notion, she drafted Judas to serve as the bard crafting this story, due to his extensive experience with the Reich family. He agreed to do so, stating that he would visit Larenya for additional information. The group also discussed the stolen ruby sought by Haxley’s client, and how it was somehow tied to their own objective, which was convenient for the Governor and the would-be Time Lord.

[Judas D'arc]

1/13/2020:

The Fist soon visited Haxley to inquire about the Memory element of his plan, and the Governor reiterated how it required a sacrifice. Multiple sacrifices. He gave them a small crystal, similar in nature to the Stowers’ soul gems, but created instead to absorb memories. Those closest to Chanticleer needed to permanently surrender to the gem, a singular memory they had shared with their lost friend. One among them, however, must willingly sacrifice all of their memories of him. Their offerings would remain with them until the divergent Chanticleer was implanted into the timeline and provided with the crystal, which would transfer the memories to him. The more memories they were able to collect, the more likely he would return intact.

Back at Emerald Town, the group discussed potential candidates for the greater sacrifice, with the Empress insisting Piper could not do it, and Ezekial arguing it must be either him, Adegas, or Bacchus, who were all members of the original Emerald Fist. Some gathered then offered up their memories to the crystal, as follows:

Kalanna: A moment they shared after the Fist rescued her from a madman who sought revenge against her in the Yew Crypts, when Chanticleer reassured her of their friendship, telling her that the evils of her past were not who she was now.

Gauf: His first encounter with the Fist, when they chose not to kill him, despite the efforts of the shape-changing demon impersonating Deraj.

Sergio: A promise by Chanticleer to help him seek justice for his brother Rhys’ death.

Piper: An intimate night of conversation, when they grew closer under the influence of alcohol.

Sasha Shaff: The time Chanticleer called her acceptable, welcomed her among the group, and told her to cease concealing her true appearance.

Ezekial also elicited another of the Talisman’s ingredients from Sasha, the Truth Nobody Would Tell. She confessed to the group how she truly viewed herself, her appearance, and her fears.

1/16/2020:

The Fist acquired the Talisman’s final ingredient, Sweat Off A Worker’s Brow While They Labor in Charity, from the kind chef Mithaecus as he baked cookies for orphans.

1/20/2020:

With the Talisman completed, Judas presented the Narrative to the Empress and the Fist:

Chanticleer’s Tale by Judas

More than thirty six years ago, Nella Reich, a noblewoman of Magincia, fell in love with Milton, a farmer of Skara Brae; they met while she was visiting the mainland on family business. Despite the objections of her family, who were proud of their noble blood and traditions, Nella decided to follow her heart. She fled Magincia with a collection of rare gems that belonged to the head of the family, her eldest brother Randall Reich.

Nella and Milton were married shortly after her arrival, living on his family farm, and soon after, she found herself with child. Due to complications she experienced during the early part of her pregnancy, they left Spiritwood and traveled to Britain for a couple of weeks, where Nella was treated by a skilled healer who stabilized her condition. This proved to be a blessing for another reason; while absent, their farm was violently ransacked, her hidden rare gem collection stolen.

Their son Chanticleer was born healthy, and they gave him an upbringing that was happy, if not humble. When he was still a child, Nella finally reconciled with her brother Randall, who lost his own wife and children tragically as a result of his rather nefarious affairs. He eventually took an interest in his young nephew, providing his sister and her husband (whom he still disapproved of) with funds for the boy’s education. Chanticleer and his mother occasionally visited the family estate in Magincia together, and he developed an affinity for the City of Pride.

Unfortunately, Nella and her brother became estranged again once he began a vendetta against a group of Trinsic adventurers known as the Emerald Empire, especially after Randall arranged the death of their niece, Avolin Reich. This scheme eventually led to Randall’s own demise, but not before his own children, Randall and Julia, mysteriously returned from the dead.

But Nella and her family remained on their farm, avoiding their Magincia relatives, a well as the many fantastical conspiracies and epic conflicts that engulfed much of the world. The news of Magincia’s destruction by demons upset her, but by that time, it was no longer her home, and they mourned it like one would a long lost friend or distant relative.

A couple of years ago, Milton passed away from natural causes, and his wife soon followed from the same. It was difficult to mourn them, as they shared a good life together, and everyone suspected they would find each other again in whatever afterlife awaited them.

As for their son, Chanticleer followed his father’s path, making use of the education provided by his uncle to achieve no small amount of success as a farmer. His personal life was not quite so fulfilling; outside of his cousin Larenya and her husband and children, who also worked on the farm, he lacked any real family or friends. It was arguable that he was missing something, as if he had never found his purpose in life, or a place that he truly belonged …

After the Empress deemed his tale to be sufficient, Judas questioned why he needed to play the role of bard in Chanticleer’s restoration, considering the “dire consequences” that Haxley warned for the story’s teller. The Empress reminded him that helping Chanticleer was the reason she released him from the tower where she held him prisoner. It was also his chance to make amends for his role in causing Chanticleer’s predicament. Reluctantly, Judas acquiesced to her demands.

After this, more memories were surrendered to the crystal provided by Haxley:

Bacchus: After his first visit to the abandoned abbey, he discussed his complicated family legacy with Chanticleer at the Salty Dog.

Faeryl: Her recollection of Chanticleer’s mathematical theory disproving the virtue of Humility.

Tabitha: Chanticleer’s appreciation of her raisin-baked bread.

Ariadne: The night she first met Chanticleer, he allowed her to be a scissor guard outside of the healer’s, and she realized she liked him.

Miriam: When Chanticleer executed and decapitated Relthor’s ‘In Quas Xen’ (magical duplicate) of Faeryl, before she was known to be an imposter.

Erollisi: An errant member of the Stower family attempted to restart the purity of their bloodline, and Chanticleer aided her in hunting him down and slaying him.

Jolicia: More than two years ago, Chanticleer and the Holy Fist introduced her to Lord Everett de Hugh of Trinsic, and together, the group fetched the Mark of de Hugh from Hythloth using the information she discovered in the library on Paladin Isle.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Ezekial and Stevie both unilaterally decided to make the greater sacrifice that only one could make, offering up all of their memories of Chanticleer.

[Judas D'arc]

1/23/2020:

Ezekial told the rest of the Fist about his larger memory sacrifice, arguing that of those closest to Chanticleer, he was the only one they could afford to lose. The others were outraged by this, and Piper even assaulted him before departing to inform the Empress of his unilateral action.

1/24/2020:

Although the Fist ultimately decided not to punish or harm Ezekial for what he did, the Empress asked them to speak to Haxley about reversing his offering. The Governor suggested that they could start over with a new crystal, or try to override Ezekial’s memories through the sacrifice of another individual with a deeper connection to Chanticleer. He also advised them that this could exacerbate the negative consequences for anyone who made the greater sacrifice.

The group reported this back to the Empress, and she brought Adegas, Erollisi, Judas, Kalanna, Piper, Sasha, and Sergio to the Cornigan House in Felucca of Trinsic. There, she pleaded with Adegas to surrender a singular memory to the gem, and the latter, who had previously refused, finally relented. Her memory sacrifice was the in-depth conversation that she and Chanticleer first shared in True Magincia upon reuniting after spending fifteen years apart. While Sasha waited outside, the Empress revealed to Erollisi, Kalanna, and Sergio that she was really Emma Reich, Chanticleer’s mother. She also told everyone present that she had decided to make the greater memory sacrifice to override Ezekial’s boner.

1/25/2020:

At the King’s council meeting, Governor Haxley announced that Trinsic was offering a reward for the death or capture of both Renthar and Jolicia, for their role in sending Sarain’s time shade to slay him the previous summer. He stated that this bounty would not go into effect for two weeks because the couple were currently aiding the Emerald Fist in a matter of importance.

1/27/2020:

With the ritual’s Disposition, Narrative, and Memory elements ready, and Mortality impossible to prepare for, the Empress sent the Fist to secure a temporary truce between the white-robed Haxley and Renthar, so that they could proceed with restoring Chanticleer to existence. In Britain, Governor Haxley agreed to the group’s demands, promising that neither he, nor his “other,” would act against Renthar or Jolicia until his vow to the Empress was fulfilled. He implored them to help recover the ruby from the sorcerer, claiming it was too dangerous for him to possess for much longer. If the gem was returned to him, the white-robed Haxley planned to resume his former role as the guardian and protector of Everywhere.

Next, they found Renthar and Jolicia in Yew, and the couple consented to suspend all hostilities while Chanticleer was still imperiled. The sorcerer also raised the benefits of their ongoing alliance, suggesting that the Sextant of the Ancients and the white-robed Haxley’s goal of becoming a Time Lord was the true threat, and they should join forces against him.

After reporting their success to the Empress, she informed the Fist that the attempt to restore Chanticleer would occur in four nights. Then they briefly discussed Ezekial’s recent actions.

1/31/2020:

The Empress bid a sad farewell to the Fist, and then sent them and their allies to meet with the white-robed Haxley, Renthar, and Judas at the Church of the Black Sun in Felucca. Choosing not to attend herself, she provided Piper with the Disposition tabard and Memory crystal.



With everyone gathered at the Church of the Black Sun, the ritual began. First, the white-robed Haxley and Renthar focused their respective artifacts, the Sextant of the Ancients and the ruby, on the church’s black moongate. Then, Judas recited the narrative.



When done, the bard breathed easy, believing himself safe from the “dire consequences” for the story’s teller that Haxley had warned them about. But a few moments later, his body started to glow brightly and then exploded, seemingly killing Judas. The would-be Time Lord and Renthar urged the group to mourn later; it was imperative that they complete the ritual. The white-robed Haxley and the sorcerer then took turns striking the black portal with magics of time and space, before doing so simultaneously. Only when both were weakened did they cease.

A figure suddenly emerged from the portal, but it was not Chanticleer. Of those present, only Adegas and Ezekial recognized Aria Trulacci, a member of the original Emerald Fist, who had vanished sixteen years prior, when she entered the portal to Pagan with the rest of the group. Except for a pair of sandals, Aria was entirely naked, having been summoned while engaged in some undisclosed carnal act. The would-be Time Lord and Renthar surmised that her body was suffused with time and space magics, which explained her random appearance.



Once the initial confusion subsided, Aria shared an odd vision that she just experienced: her old friend Chanticleer dressed in simple clothes and working on a farm. From her description, the Fist identified his location as Larenya’s farm near mainland Skara Brae. Before they departed, the white-robed Haxley and Renthar reminded the group that this new Chanticleer must don the Disposition tabard and accept the Memory crystal for his restoration to be complete. They also announced that their temporary truce was over, and a reckoning between them would soon occur.

Near Spiritwood, the Fist and their allies encountered Larenya and this other version of Chanticleer. Spawned by Haxley and Renthar’s timeline divergence, his memories and history mirrored Judas' narrative, a farmer who oversaw his family business. He failed to recognize his former friends, but they soon persuaded him to receive the crystal and wear the tabard.



This proved to be sufficient, and Chanticleer eagerly greeted Piper and the others. Though his original memories and personality were returned to him, he still retained those of his divergent history, as well as his affection for his “cousin” Larenya.



With Chanticleer joining them, the group returned to Emerald Town and found Judas waiting for them, somehow alive. He explained how, earlier that day, he was assaulted by a man who was his physical twin and called himself Vincent the Understudy, a mysterious figure that some of the Fist had encountered before. The Understudy claimed that the bard was not allowed to die because “the narrative” still needed him to father Leigh D’arc. Vincent shoved Judas in a barrel, replaced him at the ritual, and perished in his stead. The bard also revealed that the Empress had fallen into a mysterious unconscious state and was now resting upstairs. Chanticleer was finally told the truth about her, that the Empress was his mother, Emma Reich. And because of her sacrifice, they would never reunite, as she no longer possessed any memories of her son.

A few days later, the Empress finally awoke, her mind was permanently broken, and she did not know any of the Fist, except for Judas, her father. The bard also indicated that his time with the Fist was over, but for now, he would remain and care for the ailing Emma. Additionally, Ezekial and Stevie suffered ill effects from their own attempted memory sacrifices. The former lost all of her memories of Chanticleer, while the latter experienced the following dream, every night for the next week:

There is a burst of brilliant white light. When the light fades, you see yourself standing with your fellow Emerald Fist at the Memorial Garden in Emerald Town. Most of these comrades are known to you, although there are one or two faces among them that you do not recognize. Suddenly, they appear: a small army, and at their head is a familiar-looking woman wearing dark robes. Some of her followers wear uniforms similar to hers, while the rest are an assortment of creatures, a bizarre mixture of flesh and machine. They attack, swarming you and your fellows,, brutally and violently, and all of you are slain. Finally, you awaken.

2/2/2020:

Story: Reprise