Llydia

Bisys felt the best response to the Captain was a silent nod. She took extra care for it to be slow and deliberate so there was no misunderstanding of the movement.

As briefly as possible, Bisys sent Jade an updated message on their private channel about Durlan being taken into the custody of the guards.

In spite of her newfound knowledge and resolve, the leader's freshly spilled blood was adversely affecting the satyr. Then there were the urgently orange lights of the range runner. And a dozen other thoughts trying to demand attention. Bisys attempted to shuffle them into a queue, but it was like trying to herd school children during summer vacation. Finally she gave up that futile exercise, holding the distracting thoughts at bay the same way she dealt with the Voices by focusing on one task to the exclusion of all else. In this case, Lady Ainderuda.

She dismissed the pair of remaining guards from her mind as she refocused on pleading with the forest for energy to heal Ainderuda. If the forest did not respond soon, or its provided energy was not enough, Bisys would look to alternative sources of energy. Getting Ainderuda conscious and whole was her top priority.

Bisys had not been fully aware of Jade's outburst until he stormed past, so deeply had she been focused on the critically injured leader. Jade's instruction caused her the halt beside him in the range runner, dumbfounded.

Well, he certainly didn't do things by halves. For the longest time Jade had resisted her abilities. Now in a 180 he expected her to heal an injured while also keeping an Outsider-phobic, one who may have been responsible for the injury, pacified at the same time.

Abruptly the solution became so evident, that had Bisys the features and nature to do her face would have split into a Cheshire cat's grin. "Yes, Jade," came her deceptively mild confirmation.

However she hardly uttered this when new factors in the form of the elfin captain and his guards arrived, demanding answers. Plan B, then. Pity, Plan A was going to have solved a lot of problems all at once.

It was also puzzling how Jade was thwarted at every turn. When he had finally decided what he wanted for himself was to save the Hetrar from the Harvester oppression, a dozen other things had happened, almost simultaneously, to detour him. That his most recent goal to investigate the drums was again being delayed was almost to be expected at this point. It was baffling why karma would flow so erratically for him, when he was doing everything in his power to be good, noble, and helpful.

Part of her recognized she herself had been more a problem than solution in helping Jade focus on his goals. Bisys would try all the harder to help Jade accomplish his objectives. That was her first priority over her own concerns as long as he was her Master. More, as long as he was her friend, and she his.

So most of the magic spells were readied with a thought, but put on hold before actually executing. Much like the five arrows aimed towards the occupants of the range runner.

Calmly Bisys addressed the captain, speaking as if making introduction over crumpets. Her double tone of rustling spring leaves overlayed by an echoing bell was competent and soothing, even slightly hypnotic. The effect might have been slightly spoiled with her uneven movements, but she was still as regal as any queen. This was a side of the satyr not seen before. Especially the points of information she could not have directly know.

"It is good to see you, sirrah. Your promptness demonstrates a great sense of duty and respect for those that are charged to your care.

"This is Durlan. He erroneously has accused us of harming this forest which seeks to shelter us as we it. He is here to be kept under observation as he belittled Lady Aineruda right before she was attacked. All the 'Outsiders', as he calls those of our group, were accounted for. Thus he is held as a prime suspect until Lady Aineruda recovers and can judge him.

"This is Jade. He seeks to protect all he comes across, and even those he only suspects are in danger. He saw a threat to the Lady Aineruda and sought to fortify her in the nearest safe hold. That safe hold is here, in the same range runner that shot down the Hunter Killer which threatened this forest abode. It is thanks to Jade working with Akat to arrange to have this protection here. So great is its potential, the Heart Tree itself has mimicked the range runner to protect the forest and all within, residents and 'Outsiders' alike.

"Lady Aineruda," she straightened the elfin leader to be more comfortable, "was attacked and injured so badly she was rendered unconscious. Yet she awoke momentarily, so great above herself was her love and concern for those she leads. Her last words were directions to investigate and stop an encroaching mutation in the forest plants, claiming it more important than herself.

"There is disagreement over this, naturally. Lady Aineruda is a uniquely qualified leader and irreplaceable. So we split. One of us, called Paxtera, has followed the path of mutation trying to find its origin but we have not yet heard back from her. Others have equally scattered, trying to head off other forces that directly and indirectly threaten this forest Lady Aineruda holds so dear.

"Jade is one of those. He will now head to investigate the drums. Once more he seeks to save others as he has saved you. He will return soon to share knowledge of what, if any, threat he finds.

"In you Jade, as Lady Aineruda did, trusts to take charge of Lady Aineruda's orders to investigate the forest mutation of the thorn trail to find out where it goes and what is at the end of it. Your best weapons, including not splitting up and coming back when you find something to report to Lady Aineruda, are needed to assess this threat.

"I, Bisys, will stay here to put my efforts into healing Lady Aineruda. I will also keep Durlan here in the safest spot known until the larger threats are gone and his accusations can be given proper trial by Lady Aineruda. A couple of your guardsmen would be greatly welcomed to help in this second task." The latter, of course, an opening for the captain to rest his fears by leaving behind some who could give a first-hand account of what happened while he followed orders elsewhere.

With a slow, respectful bow, Bisys put actions to words. She knelt down by Lady Aineruda and renewed her internal pleas with the Heart Tree on behalf of the wounded. Her efforts were made doubly effective now that she was in close proximity.

"Go," Bisys encouraged Jade on their private channel. "Either way they respond I can work on healing Lady Aineruda. Her recovery to vouch for us is key to their support and trust. Give them one less target to focus their suspicions on. I will ask the range runner to close if there becomes too much danger."

Not that Bisys was relying on the captain's sudden support. Should things trigger into a firefight, her readied spells would execute. All the Voices kept in check by Bisys would be released into various states of corporal: Three given a temporary invulnerable form to last several minutes would circle Durlan, keeping both him safe and immobile. Another silent phantom would guard her back, drawing fire and acting as a shield for the two locking in a healing state. The rest would for a wall cutting the three living within from the soldiers without. They would be the most unnerving, half faces frozen in silent complaint and half moans of those who dead whose resentment over an unfulfilled life, to freeze in fear all wishing battle.

The trump, however, would be if Durlan sought to personally interfere with more than words. Any hostile action on his part would justify Bisys in slowing his actions by siphoning his energy to heal Lady Aineruda. That, as far as Bisys was concerned, would be the best possibility because it would virtually immobilize Durlan while allowing such a boost that Lady Aineruda could be expected to make a full recovery instantly.

She had almost died? But she had just felt that she needed rest. Just rest. Had she really almost died?

A stunned Bisys was pulled along by Jade, trailing from his hand. Her thoughts were in such turmoil they rivaled the Voices for threatening to overwhelm. At Jade's direct question there was an extra surge of red static, her version of jumping from being startled.

"I will try to remove the bullet. I can stay with her until she says she is okay." There was the faintest hint of strain in her voice, but now was not the time for either of them to explore its cause. Truth be told, Bisys was grateful for the opportunity to do something active rather than focus on the turmoil caused by Paxtera's statement.

"Shall I tell you when she is okay? Or if being far away is bad?" Bisys silently inquired on their private channel. How an electrical signal reached Jade's organic ears, and his ears only, well... such was a paradox of the techno-magic that was Bisys.

As Jade got the assurances he needed to be off on his separate errand, Bisys approached Lady Aineruda. She had her command from Jade, and the Lady being unconscious gave permission by default.

Stopping a couple yards away, Bisys held her arms out palm down while focusing, then repositioned her hands together in a close approximation of a shallow bowl. Without a word the magic was unleashed, aiming to relocate the bullet directly to her hands without passing through the intervening space. Some would call the process a teleport, though it wasn't quite such. Semantics aside, the bullet, and any bullet slivers broken off inside Aineruda, would be removed unless Aineruda managed to become conscious prior and actively will it not to happen.

Should the attempt be successful, Bisys would immediately close her hands around the shard and redirect energies as she lowered herself to a kneeling position. There wouldn't be much potential energy left in the spent bullet, but what there was would be redirected into a general healing aura.

That source would be quickly exhausted, and Bisys would go into communion with the forest and Heart Tree. Once more the satyr would plead for energy she might redirect to heal the elfin leader, another who wished the success of the Heart Tree's new seed ships.

It would have been more effective to be positioned next to Aineruda while she worked as she had with Akat. But even Bisys was able to recognize that convincing the gathered assembled to let her assist directly would risk refusal and take too much time, when time was critical. Her metaloid form was too much the embodiment of everything feared and Outsider, even though the Heart Tree had accepted her into its sheltering care. It was a 'better to beg forgiveness than ask permission' situation.

As soon as Paxtera brought Bisys back the ghostly faces faded away from view and the red static sputtered more normally, possibly before Jade had even seen them - busy as he was picking himself up and all. Had Paxtera still been watching the fate thread she would have seen the fraying almost completely repaired once rejoined with Jade and the borrowed Token, as had happened in the past. It was more disorientation from Paxtera's particular method of travel than lingering illness that kept her unresponsive a minute longer.

Thus it was a bit of a surprise for Bisys to find herself once more supine in Jade's arm rather than recouping on the couch she had been aiming for. "Oh! Hi, Jade. Did you come too after all?" Her head turned to look past his attentive face to see the forest beyond. "No, I guess we came back. Uhm, I can stand..."

Still in his arms or placed upright, Bisys again cantering her head at a painful-looking angle until she could see Paxtera, hopeful expectation evident in her echoing voice, "Did you find it? Can you help me get my Token?"

It was fairly evident that so fixated she was on this hope that Bisys had not realized how dangerous her separation had been, nor processed Paxtera, Jade, and Kethara concern.

The experience at Paxtera's examination room was for the satyr akin to having been handed her personal medical file where she understood that the identity was hers, but lacked the training to translate the six-syllable Latin names and technical jargon into layman terms. Bisys may have located the silver thread, but beyond recognizing it as her own knew nothing about what it had revealed to Paxtera.

Bisys had not realized that Paxtera's help would involve her leaving Jade. It took some encouragement, but she did accept Paxtera's hand to vanish into the golden portal.

Paxtera's particular form of travel once again left Bisys badly disoriented. Images flickered at the edges of her vision. To one side, her with her beloved first Master smiling and laughing in a hundred different poses. Scattered throughout were some dozen copies of her and Jade, also ennobled by her memories. Each happy image shadowed by an unhappier parade of abusive Masters.

On the other peripheral was a different kind of image. Hooves stood firm and stately. Flowing mane promised calm. A single spiraled horn pierced with truth. It was the eyes that begged to be viewed fully, though the image vanished whenever Bisys turned her head to look fully. Those eyes were filled with wisdom, which looked with gentle compassion at the satyr. Bisys felt a pang of daunted longing. The potential was so much more than she. Surely it would take eons to become that beautiful creature, if such a thing were even possible!

The images dissipated as Paxtera gathered the ebbs and flows into intertwining threads. Bisys reeled as the last after-effects of their golden transportation faded. Regaining some equilibrium, she watched with interest as Paxtera studied the collection.

"May I?" She asked, getting a go-ahead nod from the host. She came forward on four legs. Sort of. It was a bit awkward given that she only had two hooves, compounded by her basic lack of control. Regardless she managed, wings and tail extra active to help with balance. Her head now on level where fanned the threads fanned out. Careful to keep it clear of Paxtera's hands, she hovered her horns a hairs-breadth over the mass.

A thread responded, moonlight silver shimmering until noticeably brighter than the rest. Bisys slowly lifted her horns away and stepped clear. The thread followed as if drawn by static electricity. It drew free of most of the others by an inch to hover expectantly.

Depending on Paxtera's natural perception and effort in examination, a large amount could be discerned. The thread that was Prosopopoeiasys had quite the tale to tell, even at a quick glance. The nearer part being the recent past had a steel grey thread, that of the borrowed Token, was as tightly twisting around the silver core as a binder weed. Half way along their joined length, where flesh Trisys became metaloid Bisys, a red color began to infect both. The discoloration grew from that first inception of a faint line into a broad stain in the present. The two were a Triad with another, even more complex thread. Jade. He bound them together and also keep the steel thread from choking the life from Bisys.

Back further again to where the steel thread and Jade's thread departed, or rather where they first bonded with Trisys, there was a momentary gap when the silver thread was alone. The rest of its past were more sets. This time the Token thread was translucent like an optical fiber. The two balanced harmoniously, separated to instantly rejoin with each new Master. Most all of the Master lifethreads terminated from karma backlash after breaking off the bond from the silver and clear threads.

If tracing the Token's translucent thread forward again, the moment it was sundered from Prosopopoeiasys clearly was the side effect of being pulled from the Rogue Isles when Patches dislocated Paragon. That last Master's thread went to its fate. The Token's thread, well, just stopped. It hadn't ended. The knowledge was there that the Token still existed, yet was masked or hidden.

A more alarming fact was clearly evident. In the brief gap between being torn from her original Token to being re-entwined with the borrowed Token and Jade, Prosopopoeiasys's life thread was frayed. It appeared that the new bond Trisys had formed then had repaired the fray, though not as strong. A similar fray was beginning to appear at the 'present' point, where the borrowed Token and Jade's threads were nearby yet separate, threatening to completely unravel the silver thread.

"I... I do not feel good." Bisys looked like she was slowly slumping. Her red static aura was weakly sputtering, while new ghostly half-formed faces began to fog around her. In a corner of her vision error messages began to scroll as one after another communication lines failed. When the private channel to Jade went down, Bisys had a detached knowledge that was bad but felt nothing.

Growing lethargic, she tried to head to the couch.

Today's batch at Wentworths...


Enhancements:
Enhancement - (26) Nightmare: Accuracy/Fear/Recharge
Enhancement - (43) Mocking Beratement: Recharge

Recipes:
Recipe - Temporary Power: Revolver
Recipe - Temporary Power: St. Louis Slammer
Recipe - (49) Executioner's Contract: Disorient Bonus
Recipe - (49) Positron's Blast: Chance for energy damage
Recipe - (49) Sovereign Right: Acc/Dam/End

The Marbles were clearly affronted by Jade's accusations. "Even stiff elf Lady knows. No harm! We never harm!" It wasn't their fault that most people had no sense of humor.

But if there was one thing that offends a prankster more than being wrongly charged with maliciousness, it is being ignored. Both Jade and Bisys were agape at the Heart Tree's creations. They seemed to have completely forgotten the Marbles from one second to another. They harrumphed at being upstaged, tromping off to a nearby tree. Any fey that gave pursuit would circle the tree in vain, for the Marbles disappeared into its trunk as tracelessly as they had earlier with the birthday cake.

Bisys nodded at the plant man's stated purpose. What was said made perfect sense to her. It should. The plant men were the Heart Tree implementing the satyr's own design.

"May you know fulfillment of purpose," Bisys encouraged. Their success would greatly boost her hope for her own success someday. For that she would need her seed, for without it she was not whole.

This thought reminded her of the Marbles, and Bisys looked about. They were gone! Her best chance was gone! 'Wait! Please come back!' she tried to call, but was cut off before she began as panic shot through her like a ice spear. Her red static sputtered beyond Jade's sheltering wing and her arms twitched against her chest. Bisys had tried to hold herself against the cold and not quite positioned her arms right.

It took her several moments to calm down enough that the darkness receded and she could see her surroundings again. Getting emotional would not help. She would have to wait. Either there was enough time to meet the Marbles again before the borrowed Token poisoned her, or there wasn't. Becoming trapped in the Cold Place would only make things worse, eating up critical time.

"Safe journeys," Bisys continued instead to the plant man. Odds were with the attention on the botanical miracle no one had noticed her lapse, or if they had had passed it off as more learning curve to control the metaloid form.

Maybe the Marbles would again appear once away from the fey if Paxtera was unable to help. Bisys had heard the cautions, but that was nothing when weighted against the chance to reclaim her Token. Seeing Paxtera look her way, Bisys meekly requested, "Can you please find my Token, so like these of the Heart Tree I may fulfill my purpose?"

The Marbles, wherever they were, were confident of being the only solution and thinking much the same strategy for a reunion.

Welcome, DarkGob!

Your 1 inf listings will be interesting competition... I mean, companionable influx. ;->

FYI, in the intro post I mentioned that all my 1 inf listings are for Wentworths blue side unless specified otherwise. Thank you for reminding that it has been a while since I confirmed such.

Happy market & badge hunting!

((Yay! Glad you have some access occasionally!))

Bisys shook her head, which translated to it bobbling about. "I was torn from my Token when EarthMother, Paragon, was pulled to Patches. That one is borrowed. Its Bond is dead, which is why I can use it as a temporary placeholder. I need my Token.

"How? How can you get my token?" Bisys asked the Marbles.

The twinkle in its eye, and the eyes of several more Marbles which had emerged nearby, was easy to see. It reached its right hand into its pouch that was where a left hand normally terminated the arm. When withdrawn from its depths instead of a namesake marble it held out a small collection for display on its palm: one of her torn feathers, a lock of hair, and a shaved sliver off a hoof. "Get Token with spell. Call Token using parts of pretty pony. Swap fake Token for real Token."

She jerked upright at the sight, the closest she could come to a gasp of disbelief. "Those are from before Jade's Wish. When did you...? At the gate! You got them while hanging flowers on me." Bisys reached for the remains of her flesh form.

The Marbles twitched it out of range, ah-ah-ah-ing. "We get Token for pretty pony, yes?"

Bisys looked to Jade, "If they really can..." Hope made her voice sound more like a soft gong than an empty hall.

They local fey, however, were less optimistic. Many of the smaller fairies whirled around Bisys, their tiny cries warning how Marbles were pranksters through and through. They could not be trusted! Other elementals harried the Marbles, trying to scatter them off.

Some samples for today...


Enhancements:
Enhancement - (26) Nightmare: Accuracy/Fear/Recharge
Enhancement - (25) Befuddling Aura: Accuracy/Confuse/Recharge
Enhancement - (43) Mocking Beratement: Recharge

Recipes:
Recipe - (43) Soaring: Fly/Endurance
Recipe - Temporary Power: Revolver
Recipe - Temporary Power: St. Louis Slammer

((Safe journeys, DeviousMe, and hope that you are able to return unexpectedly early!))

Bisys hesitantly tapped Lady Aineruda trying to get her attention. She was figuring out that what was happening to the Heart Tree was not understood by the elfin folk, but still she had questions. "Please, forgive me. You might want to know: It is trying to fulfill its goal of propagating beyond the magical boarders. I think it is lonely. These are experiments of new ideas after talking - well not really 'talking' talking but I don't know what other word to use - to the range runner and myself. The Heart Tree is trying to create a key seed that will let it succeed, even as I am trying to find my Token..."

The speech was nervous, jittery. Bisys was not used to speaking out, doubly so to someone not her Master.

Her discomfort was interrupted when she was tapped. Bisys didn't feel it, but the metallic ting was clearly audible. She looked left, right, up, down, finally spotting the short Marbles patiently tapping Bisys as she had Lady Aineruda. Once it could see it had the metaloid's attention, it calmly stated, "We can get your Token."

Bisys was dumbfounded. She looked from Jade to Lady Aineruda to other gathered nearby. Had she heard the Marbles right? It seemed too good to be true.

In an Arena Gladiator match now. I, too, am experiencing the same thing as Desum.

I cannot get pets to react to anything. They only auto-follow my movements. Even when I stand in the midst of the enemy and selecting an enemy gladiator target (or the enemy targets one of my gladiators), all gladiators (both mine and enemy) lounge toe-to-toe with each other without reacting. This in spite of the unchangeable default set to "Aggressive/Attack My Target".

Neither "/petcom all attack" (without quotes, or any other similar MM slash commands), clicking the icons above the pet names in the pet window, dragging said icons to power bar and clicking them there, NOR right-clicking pet and selecting actions from submenu get results. All generate the same Error: "Pet command failed, you cannot command pets in your current state".

Every combination of arena settings I can imagine has been tried. Even changed my Gladiator line up a couple times in case it was pet-specific. The same error happens universally.

Neither the opponent nor I can take any action beyond moving and watching our pets mindlessly follow. The only way to exit the match is by time running out (when challenge is timed), exiting the map from the Score window (forcing a default win), or logging out.


In the end could only send a /bug report and left the arena. Will be back once the problem is fixed.

Something for everyone. Yep, still only 1 inf each at Wentworths...


Enhancements:
Enhancement - (49) Shield of Hermes
Enhancement - (50) Kinetic Crash: Knockback/Accuracy
Enhancement - (26) Rooting Grasp: Immobilize/Range
Enhancement - (50) Nightmare: Accuracy/Recharge
Enhancement - (50) Nightmare: Accuracy/Fear/Recharge
Enhancement - (50) Multi-Strike: Accuracy/Damage
Enhancement - (26) Lethargic Repose: Sleep/Range
Enhancement - (49) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control: To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance Reduction
Enhancement - (30) Invention: Defense Debuff
Enhancement - (25) Invention: Range Increase
Enhancement - (30) Invention: Range Increase
Enhancement - (25) Invention: Sleep Duration

Recipes:
Recipe - (29) Razzle Dazzle: End/Stun
Recipe - (49) Siphon Insight: To Hit Debuff/End/Rech
Recipe - (27) Ghost Widow's Embrace: Acc/Rech
Recipe - Temporary Power: Revolver
Recipe - Temporary Power: Plasmatic Taser (Qty 2)
*** Recipe - (32) Blood Mandate: Acc/End

Salvage:
Data Drive
Titanium Shard (Qty 3)
Temporal Tracer (Qty 2)

Bisys, of course, followed Jade. As she exited the range runner, she gently place a palm against its side even though through that contact all she could feel was a bit of pressure. She send it a feeling of being impressed by its targeting accuracy, then humility at the privileged to be aboard.

Lady Aineruda's comments confused her, for Bisys did not yet understand that while appearing fey, the elfin folk were more human in that they did not know the will of the Heart Tree. For now Bisys kept quiet, waiting for an opportunity to ask Aineruda in case it was meant to be a secret.

Bisys began to shake her head, well flop her head, in negative response. Then she paused. While beyond her ability as an EarthChild, a new communications window had formed in her vision as an ability of the metaloid shell. "I... I'm not sure. I'll try."

The options were varied more than she would have expected from the basic programming Toy Dispenser had unlocked. Vocal, text, direct, area, subsonic, telepathic?? There wasn't time to dig through help files to figure out where the options had come from, how they worked, or other details for finesse. Instead she tried them all as quickly as possible. In five seconds flat the message spammed over a dozen channels:

Warning! Incoming friendly fire. Please vacate from Hunter-Killer proximity immediately.

When vocal, the tone was a monotone mechanical completely unrecognizable as coming from Bisys. Those present inside the range runner would be subjected to it at least three times in increasing volume. The Heart Tree, fey, and others probably heard it on the telepathic frequency. The range runner and Toy likely had the message scroll across their displays. And it crackled across radios, eardrums, and/or message devices as far Paragon, maybe farther. Though what they would make of it would be anyone's guess.

As Bisys had not known the frequency that the Hunter-Killer communicated on, the message had not been sent directly to it or its kind. Though if it had the capacity to intercept general transmissions, the universal translation feature of Patches would allow it to know the message as well.

In the midst it all at least one iteration was directly sent to Paxtera, in addition to all the general announcements. There was a chance Paxtera still didn't hear all the racket if she was too focused on what she was doing. Or, like with trying to teleport Toy Dispenser, Paxtera might choose to ignore the request even if she did hear it.

A pause after the flooding, Bisys spoke a small, "Oh!" once more in her normal double-tone. "Is that what those do?"

((OOC - It would be the same as in-game posting the message to every chat channel, including: Local, Broadcast, Team, Super Group, Request, Friends, Coalition, AE, Arena, a /tell to Paxtera, Leveling Pact, the Help channel, several Global Channels, and possibly as a Hero Zone Event Message. It is dependent on Rebel_Scum if Paxtera had the equivalent of her chat window open and was reading it to hear the message.))

Fresh for you...


Enhancements:
Enhancement - (42) Jaunt: Range
Enhancement - (51) Power of Grey
Enhancement - (49) Extension of Joule
Enhancement - (35) Invention: Range Increase (Qty 2)
Enhancement - (35) Invention: Hold Duration (Qty 2)

Recipes:
Recipe - (50) Celerity: Run Speed
Recipe - (32) Blood Mandate: Acc/End

Still available...


Enhancements:
Enhancement - (28) Undermined Defenses: Defense Debuff/Endurance Reduction
Enhancement - (28) Brilliant Leadership: Damage
Enhancement - (45) Essence of Curare: Endurance/Hold
Enhancement - (50) Extension of Joule



Newly added...


Enhancements:
Enhancement - (53) Argon Experiment
Enhancement - (53) Boron Exposure
Enhancement - (49) Power of Grey
Enhancement - (49) Fury of Joule
Enhancement - (45) Invention: Damage
Enhancement - (52) Jaunt: Range
Enhancement - (15) Invention: Range Increase
Enhancement - (15) Hibernation: Sleep/Range

Recipes:
Recipe - (19) Call to Arms: Dam/End
Recipe - (30) Call to Arms: Acc/Dam/Rech
Recipe - Temporary Power: Power Analyzer Mk III

Loot to share from four raids and a TF...


Enhancements:
Enhancement - (28) Undermined Defenses: Defense Debuff/Endurance Reduction
Enhancement - (28) Brilliant Leadership: Damage
Enhancement - (45) Essence of Curare: Endurance/Hold
Enhancement - (53) Alpha Particle Exposure (Qty 2)
Enhancement - (50) Extension of Joule
Enhancement - (50) Renewing of Hermes (Qty 3)
Enhancement - (53) Boron Exposure
Enhancement - (50) Invention: Flight Speed
Enhancement - (50) Invention: Hold Duration
Enhancement - (50) Invention: To Hit DeBuff

Recipes:
Recipe - (48) Ghost Widow's Embrace: Hold/Range
Recipe - (50) Perfect Zinger: Taunt/Rech/Range

Bisys docilely followed Jade following Akat reverently into the range runner. To her it was holy ground deserving of respect and humility.

As Akat manipulated the controls like an orchestra conductor, Bisys did her best to gape quietly. Not hard since her static features could not reflect the internal astoundment. To her the technological/biological wonder was akin to a child's first visit to a planetarium. Everything was big an amazing, no less so for having touched the intelligence behind it.

Everything seemed self-explanatory, yet Bisys carefully kept her hands, hooves, and rest of herself away from all controls. There was little she felt she could do to assist in the tactical evaluation. Instead she turned most of her attention inward, mourning with the Heart Tree at its loss. How many iterations, would they be called siblings?, had similarly seen destruction before she, Prosopopoeiasys, had successfully been created? Was that the real origin of the stone Token, and the reason its flaws were slowly poisoning her - because it was a previous attempt? Originally she had thought it was from another world Patches had pulled. No way for her to know for certain unless she could commune with EarthMother. While Akat's connection allowed her access to the entire cosmos, Bisys's more primitive form required a physical touch between EarthChild and EarthMother for an exchange of thoughts. Regardless, Bisys conveyed the Heart Tree she would ponder any alternatives to help its need for propagation.

At the least she could put the Token's function to answer Jade's question about what happened on hold until he declared the present tasks complete. Speaking of which... the window prompt shunted to the side of her vision was answered 'No' and disappeared, discontinuing the pending transformation.

Any clever suggestions to go in the tagline here? ...


Enhancements:
Enhancement - (30) Invention: Range Increase
Enhancement - (30) Invention: Confusion Duration
Enhancement - (45) Invention: Damage
Enhancement - (45) Essence of Curare: Endurance/Hold
Enhancement - (28) Undermined Defenses: Defense Debuff/Endurance Reduction

Recipes:
Recipe - (48) Ghost Widow's Embrace: Hold/Range
Recipe - (49) Lockdown: End/Rech/Hold

Some more to munch on...


Enhancements:
Enhancement - (18) Brilliant Leadership: Accuracy
Enhancement - (20) Invention: Sleep Duration
Enhancement - (20) Invention: Confusion Duration

Recipes:
Recipe - (49) Trap of the Hunter: Immob/Acc
Recipe - (44) Dampened Spirits: To Hit DeBuff/Rech
Recipe - (49) Touch of the Nictus: Acc/Heal
Recipe - (48) Glimpse of the Abyss: Acc/End
Recipe - Temporary Power: Hand Grenades

Outside, Bisys seized up like she had when trapped in her own mind. Amber darkened to crimson, swaying lion tail stilled, red static sputtered into nothing, double forehead horns faded, and the metal shell went rigid, cold. To those who had not been part of the ensemble at the hot springs it might appear as if the robotic systems froze or stalled.

If Jade had the slightest desire to know what was going on, he would be able to observe what Bisys experienced. That was a function of the Token, and not impeded by his command for Bisys only fulfill spoken Wishes.

Inside the cosmic communion space Bisys emerged as her true form, that of a pearly horned pegasus. She was a small thing looking only to be a yearly filly, in contrast to the more mature personification presented by her metaloid form. Further, her proper identity was that of Prosopopoeiasys, the name containing the meaning of a pennate representative acting for the deceased. Though Prosopopoeiasys was occupied by much more than her true identity revealed.

Life blood. Life pulse. Life energy. Life ardor. Life cycle. It was the same jaw-drop-to-the-floor overwhelming wow that happened when first introduced to mind-boggling possibilities like black holes, dark matter, anti-matter, or anti-time. Bisys learned it and more. All that the Khelari connected. All the Forest's longing and loss. All, but it would take much contemplation before comprehending its full impact. Maybe more than her lifetime.

There was a rightness about it all. The thoughts from Prosopopoeiasys to those two mega-consciousness were of humble awe. "How... beautiful. It feels like something I was meant to understand. I suppose I was to learn these things from EarthMother as I grew, except we were sundered." She paused, allowing herself to be swallowed up by it all for an unmeasured length of time. When she felt she could, Prosopopoeiasys made an offering in turn.

"Here. This is who I am." Prosopopoeiasys presented her story with new understanding. Here in purer theory space her history was further clear of the self-doubt clutter that had tinged the version Toy Dispenser witnessed.

Primal Earth had in recent years known a great increase in deaths of combatants and innocents during the series of internal and interdimensional wars. Those caught in limbo for not being at peace with their death had also increased to the point that they began to undermine the living. Denizens of Croatoa and Dark Astoria were most immediately aware of this threat.

To Earth, central in this unbalanced in the life cycle, it was a growing plague. It could not force a resolution through force. Its abilities were of a more subtle evolution: Start small and make weak things strong. Growth its purpose and plan. Like the Heart Tree it experimented. Though instead of trying to combine mobility and anchor into one, it made two. Prosopopoeiasys was the single successful result: A crystal acorn seed Token to be become a grand tree where lost spirits could be sheltered until at peace, and the horned pegasus Bond to be its planter, guardian, and gather the wandering spirits unto the refuge. Both to grow into glory and restore the lifecycle balance. The ground of Paragon, nexus of the imbalance, was the soil from which this creation was formed and thus became EarthMother to Prosopopoeiasys.

A little bit of each part of the pair was in the other. That is why even when Trisys, the Bond half of Prosopopoeiasys, was wrenched away from her crystal Token by Patches, she could use the borrowed stone Token to help keep the restless Spirits in line. That was a temporary solution at best. Trisys, now Bisys, would be lost until whenever and wherever reunited with her crystal Token. It was the key to fulfilling the measure of her creation, and she its.

Part of her creation entailed a devastating susceptibility to spilled blood. Many would consider that a fatal weakness. She herself had felt it shameful. New perspective from Akat's communion showed she had had an overly strong psychological reaction to all blood. Now she recognized it correctly as a beacon unto a disrespectful end to life. Going forward she would only be held immobilized by blood lost in malice, hate, cruelty, and other symptoms that would leave the spirit dissatisfied in death. In other words, to be drawn towards those spirits meant for her care. This was a part of her, and could not be removed without undoing her creation. She would not want to, anymore than a Kheldian would want to stop bonding with hosts to avoid the deadliness of quantum wavelengths.

Prosopopoeiasys began to withdraw from the bridge forged by Akat. The experience was wearing on her like trying to stare at the sun. Too long, and she would become blind to normal sight. Her concepts of life and self had been expanded, but not enough to remain thus enthralled. Not yet. Maybe not ever, for it was many magnitudes beyond her evolution. But while she could not remain connected to every facet of the universe as Akat did, she now could recognize this closest range runner as an entity. Similarly the Heart Tree was identified. Both could 'speak' to Bisys directly, now that she knew how to listen to them properly.

"Thank you, Khelari. Thank you, Heart Tree. You have given a great treasure. Greater than I can fully comprehend, though I will try. If I can repay this gift please let me know. Oh, thank you!" Her thoughts faded as she returned to her metaloid shell, feeling much smaller yet also enlarged. To the lingering image of the Khelari crystal trees, morphed into an enormous oak whose transparent composition turned light into an aurora borealis prism, Prosopopoeiasys breathed a promise, "Someday. Someday."

There was another to whom she owed a debt of gratitude. That need pushed her before she had reoriented from the heady experience and settled back into her physical shell.

Bisys turned, stumbling back to collapse against the Drokar-Akonos before remembering that swaying her tail increased her balance. "Have I thanked you, Jade? Thank you for being my Master, which protects my sanity. Thank you for your kind Wishes, they bring peace. Thank you for Friendship, it is teaching trust I had forgotten."

Tonight's treats...


Enhancements:
Enhancement - (18) Brilliant Leadership: Accuracy
Enhancement - (40) Invention: Fear Duration
Enhancement - (40) Invention: Healing
Enhancement - (45) Invention: Disorient Duration
Enhancement - (20) Invention: Sleep Duration
Enhancement - (45) Invention: Hold Duration

Recipes:
Recipe - (48) Positron's Blast: Dam/Range
Recipe - (49) Scirocco's Dervish: Acc/Rech
Recipe - (49) Trap of the Hunter: Immob/Acc
Recipe - (44) Dampened Spirits: To Hit DeBuff/Rech
Recipe - (15) Basilisk's Gaze: Rech/Hold

Currently up for grabs...


Enhancements:
Enhancement - (10) Invention: Fear Duration
Enhancement - (15) Stagger: Accuracy/Endurance
Enhancement - (16) Befuddling Aura: Accuracy/Confuse/Recharge
Enhancement - (16) Unspeakable Terror: Accuracy/Recharge
Enhancement - (16) Horror: Accuracy/Endurance
Enhancement - (18) Brilliant Leadership: Accuracy/Endurance
Enhancement - (33) Springfoot: Endurance

Recipes:
Recipe - (48) Sovereign Right: Dam/End
Recipe - (48) Sting of the Manticore: Dam/End
Recipe - (48) Touch of the Nictus: Acc/End/Heal
Recipe - (48) Ghost Widow's Embrace: Acc/End
Recipe - (48) Trap of the Hunter: Immob/Acc
Recipe - (49) Trap of the Hunter: Immob/Acc
Recipe - (49) Trap of the Hunter: Acc/End
Recipe - (49) Luck of the Gambler: Def/Rech
Recipe - (49) Analyze Weakness: Acc/Rech
Recipe - (49) Executioner's Contract: Dam/Int
Recipe - (49) Touch of Lady Grey: Defense Debuff/Endurance Reduction

((Shapeshifters are fun! Almost as much so as the juggling act between IC and OOC knowledge. Nice looking selection, Dr_Mechano.))

"Oh. I hadn't realized." Bisys felt foolish. Of course there would be a cost to maintain balance. That's how the universe worked.

Jade's go-ahead for attempting blood immunity caused no immediate reaction in Bisys beyond a skewed nod and the red-static flickering as if turned up from 'sporadic' to 'high'.

Hopefully Cerelassion was not too close. For while the Wish crafted between him and Jade had stated Bisys would know if Bisys would be harmed by magical artifacts, it said nothing about her knowing if she would be harmful to magical artifacts. Thus Bisys didn't know to warn Cerelassion that the red static-looking discharge might be destructive to his equipment. The more powerful the artifact, the greater the chance of it being wiped clean like a magnet on the side of a computer.

Akat's interjection paused the process happening in Bisys before a real firework show could flood the clearing. A window asking 'Continue? Yes / No' popped into the center of her vision, which Bisys shunted to the side for now. Some change had already happened to the point where Bisys no longer felt cowed by the range runner. Because this Wish did not affect a function of the robot armor there were no stats running to detail exactly what had changed. From a purely subjective perspective her susceptibility was back to normal levels, ie only living spilled blood would hold the satyr immobilized.

That same metaloid satyr, red static once again gently sparking, hovered unsteadily to the Khelari's side. Receiving confirmation from Jade, Bisys clumsily placed one hand in Akat's free hand.

Blank eyes somehow conveyed a measure of expectancy. Bisys had no idea what Akat had in mind any more than Jade could fathom the mental workings of Bisys. Based on the word 'connection' Bisys guessed Akat would try some kind of reprogramming as Toy Dispenser had done. But since she had been on a run of wrong assumptions recently, Bisys held silent her opinion that Toy had already done everything possible programming-wise. "What do I do?"