In a certain little room in a certain dusty motel, tucked away as average as could be amongst the many such establishments in the state of New York, the investigation had already concluded, the detectives departed.
But not everyone had.
One remained. Of course, this one was not a detective. It wasn't even alive.
A splinter of the door fractured as a smooth, invisible foot stepped on the wood, the pressure causing it to fall apart into its component fibers.
The intruder quickly took note, making sure not to do so again as it moved.
A cold shimmer of crimson light faintly illuminated the dark room, the intruder's 'eyes' having no need for the light humans required. It could produce its own. But even if there had been need, what it was looking for could not be seen in the visible spectrum.
The intruder was looking lower, in the infrared, meticulously tracing out what had transpired by the latent signatures left behind.
Not twenty seconds had it spent in the room, then it had found all it could possibly wish to relay back to its 'employers'.
The trail itself, however, led on - and the intruder was obliged to follow.
Where would the path take it...?
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
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In the sewers, the trio moved quietly, still feeling the presence of something lying dormant in the city beneath them, and something hunting. Until now they never got the impression that it was them it was hunting, but down the tunnels they went until they had left the bustle of the city behind and the presence did not leave them.
Shield handed the bundle of humanity over to Cold Heart, go further, priest, activate the portal. I shall stay behind and delay anything following.
Shield summoned up his strength and smashed several water pipes in the narrow tunnel they were in. Water sprayed out like a curtain, and Shield took as much advantage of the limited cover as he could within sight of the water. Cold Heart pressed on toward the portal.
Shield mumbled to himself. I shall wait here until I hear the portal, and no longer.
Shield didn't have to wait long. Whatever was pursuing them had made good time, apparently capable of a much more brisk pace then they.
At first, the only sign had been faint taps upon the walkways of the sewer lines, but the water spray that now curtained the entire pipe they'd come through until now changed all this very quickly.
The droplets suddenly hit an area of seemingly solid air as an invisible form began to move through the spray, not bothering to slow down from its previous pace. A faint outline formed, of something wide but not very tall, and quickly intensified into defined proportions.
The proportions of a battle drone.
The drops of water, falling like rain, ran quickly and clearly over the entire form, and sure enough what was pursuing them carried the tell-tale form of a rather short mechanoid.
Water, however, didn't seem to greatly bother its apparently well-insulated electrical circuits - that was, if the thing ran on electricity at all, and not something else entirely.
The drone simply kept walking, the outline of the 'head' pointing straight ahead, towards Shield. No, not right at him, but a few arc seconds away, towards the path the others had taken.
It was tracking some sort of trail in the air...
((M'kay, now that ya know what it is, I think I'll wait for Zeta or Harrier. 
))
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
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((Well, since Zeta and Harrier arent here
and I am
))
Shield moved to interpose, his powers pushed up to the top in anticipation of a battle. Hed saved his strength for battle, eager to prove himself, but was unsatisfied with the minor skirmish of earlier. Other than that brief encounter, hed only found temporary amusement with the door of the hotel room.
Now he sought to break something that was going to try to not get broken. Shield opened with a right hook and a powerful claw from his left to follow.
((Hmm, I see them over in Whitmoore...do they need to be poked with the attention stick? ))
The Lacerta's sudden lurch fulfilled its purpose well, though it wasn't entirely sure if the machine had truly been caught off-guard or it simply had orders to the contrary.
The right hook threw the mechanoid off-balance, the follow-up strike knocking it back and against the floor. The forceful contact almost immediately dispelled the active camouflage the machine had been using to hide itself, the contours now turning into a very definite form.
It followed the standard design of a battle drone alright, though the material gave off a blue-gray sheen even in the dim light of the sewers. In addition, there didn't seem to be any wires or lines running about in the joints. Either they were sealed tight or the machine didn't have any to begin with.
Even as the machine sprang back up, its red-glowing lenses seemed to focus both on and through Shield, as if it was verifying something. The metallic-looking material of its form didn't seem to have reacted much to the impacts at all, barely a scratch visible...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
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((ouch - that attention stick is sharp!))
Cold Heart focused in on the portal. The final touch, and it hummed to life. "It is time," he said, as he turned his attention to the robot.
He concentrated on the ground beneath the robot, and it slicked up.
"The portal is open," he announced loudly.
Sensing the change in temperature around him, Shield pressed the attack. Thats pretty much all he was, a damage machine. He smashed with his hands at the construct, attempting to bend it apart with his blows. Over his should he called. Get the eye out, Ill take care of this thing.
((From your description, I'm taking Shield as some manner of SS/Inv. If I'm wrong, do please inform me. 
))
As the Lacerta came charging again, the mechanoid seemed to be fed up with it. The right hand clicked and clacked with rapid pace, the drone's gun-arm switching to the weapon it had selected from its inventory.
It took aim with uncanny speed...
...and promptly tumbled over backwards as its left foot slipped on a suddenly appeared ice slick.
The weapon sounded viciously, a series of echoes that somewhat resembled a hiss mixed with a crack of thunder blasting through the sewers.
The shots themselves weren't visible to the naked eye, an innate characteristic of the paralyzer bolts the machine had loosed at its opponent.
The bolts went wide, however, strafing along the walls and ceiling as the drone fell backwards. Shield was missed entirely.
The pack of rats scampering away over a pipe, however, was not, the solid metal seeming to be no hindrance to the paralyzer bolts. The rodents tumbled from their place as if they'd been struck by lightning, their bodies frozen in their last moment of motion.
Paralyzers were meant to disable, not kill - and disable they did extremely well. A single bolt could strike down most living creatures into a state of complete motoric paralysis for a period of several hours. Even the massive Shied would have to take care here.
The Lacerta's blows sent the drone skidding back over the ice slick, and there were now very visible dents in the thing's main armor. Still, it seemed quite resilient, twisting back upright in a manner in which only a machine could, and loosed another trio of paralyzer bolts...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
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Shield made no attempt to dodge. All three rounds hit him square in the chest. He stopped pressing forward at normal pace and seemed almost to be walking forward. Ignoring things that paralyze, mesmerize, lock him in place, these were things that he did. Nonetheless, the bolts were powerful, and he couldnt shrug off the entire effect. However, he wasnt trying to take the droid one on one. He was trying to maneuver it, just so. A little left
will have to be good enough.
Sword struck from a crevice, where he could not be seen. Being cold blooded, he didnt give off any heat signature at all, and his skin was capable of blending into any background. If you werent looking really, really hard for Sword, you usually could not find him.
He wound up, focused all his Chi and drove his blade toward what he imagined to be the power core of the creature. When youre a Lacerta, little things like being electrocuted or irradiated dont bother you as much.
Cold Heart threw one of his ice shards at the droid. He didnt expect to do much damage to it; if the solid blows of Shield did not damage it, his icicles would not do much more.
He was really just stalling until Sword made his move.
If that didnt work, Cold Heart was ready to stall it by sealing it in solid ice until Sword and Shield regrouped.
The icicle seemed to give Sword just the distraction he needed, his blade cleaving into the compound plating of the mechanoid's back.
Apparently, he'd been successful, as the machine sounded a low-pitched whine, a characteristic alert, followed by crumpling then and there, the crimson glow of the mechanical lenses replaced with only a matte black.
It had completely powered down.
Electric shock or radiation leak, however, there was none. Sword's suspicions had been right on the mark - the robot had been designed in a 'common sense' manner, which also tended to include failsafes that shut down potentially volatile components when damaged, before they could do harm to the rest of the machine...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
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Cold Heart looked curiously at the machine. "Should we take it with us?" the priest said. "Professor Eviella might be able to take some of its pieces to improve her own robots."
It is durable. Shield was thinking of how powerful the blows were that struck it. We could use it.
I would advise against it. Knowing what I know about humans and their technology, it could be dangerous. Take a piece of it. Sword and Shield spent some time getting a couple of shavings of metal and a component from the disabled droid before moving on. They noted how tough the machine was, and Sword never stopped watching it the entire time.
It was before they entered the gate that Shield offered to take the eye back. He hefted the human over his shoulder and stepped through the portal. Sword briefly looked back at the powered down droid. He wondered if it would realize that, even though it had been damaged, its overall mass had not changed. Even if it does, it will just give us more information. He closed the pouch on his leg that now held only four human made tracking devices.
Once through, they navigated Orenbrega with ease. On their own plane, they had several facilities to memorize, and this was at the top of their list. Several times they entered and exited seawater, which made it more difficult to track them. As well they also flew across areas and used portals. In the end, when they felt that they were well inside the Circle of Thorns held territory, and the bodies of Thorn sentries had begun to pile up to where they could hear the shouts of coordinated hunts echoing down the halls, they clustered together and called for the old one to bring them back.
Deep in the heart of the Temple of Mu, the old ones eye opened. The water sloshed as body parts of humans bobbed near its massive, grey and black head. It concentrated and reached out to the three priests and pulled them to him. On the grate above, four arrived in the temple.
The eye was draped over Shields shoulder as he stepped out onto the stone floor. The Avatar appeared in the room to see if they had fulfilled their quest, but before Cold Heart could even bow and report, the Eye of Mu flared to life. His body spun out of Shields grasp and burst into flames. Shield cried out with a gurgled scream as he was also engulfed in flames so hot that they melted the stones beneath him.
Fools! Treat it with care! The Avatar pulled free his wand and pointed it toward the Eye as it spun slowly, enshrouded in flames. Darkness washed over it, and the flames subsided.
Shield pulled himself free from his stone encasement, but the stone did not leave him. The eye had fused his powers to the element around him, forever changing his magic and forcing him to start all over in learning to use his powers to the benefit of the Dark God. As he stood there, enshrouded in stone armor, Shield stared at the manifestation of his new power oblivious to the scene around him. A sharp rap by Swords blade on his stone encrusted leg brought him back to the moment, and he kneeled in the depression his transformation had caused.
The Eye, now shrouded in darkness, was floating behind the Avatar as he flew out of the room. See to your new powers, Shield, we will need your services. Sword, you are needed by the Technocracy. Cold Heart, we begin the ritual.
Hours later, the Eye is tied to a circular run in the summoning chamber. Several priests are gathered. We must harness the Eyes power to bring forth a Champion onto this plane. A champion who can crush the trespassers once and for all. Let it begin.
The three captives tied to stone blocks were killed by the priests, and as their blood flowed into the center of the summoning circle, the Eye ignited and came conscious.
A low hum sounded as the mechanoid reactivated, the cold crimson glare returning to its lenses.
It was still where it had been. The probability scenario had not completed. They hadn't taken it with them.
Well, that's bothersome. Hm, at least I got a reading off that portal of theirs. Shouldnt be hard to figure out where...oh, what's this?
A routine diagnostic run had revealed something - a power receiver from the weapon arm was missing.
The loss wasn't overly worrisome. Integrated repair functions were already constructing another while they mended the damage the sword had done to one of the microreactors that served as the main power source of the unit.
The receiver's purpose was just that: to receive energy by wireless transmission, and then conduct it to the weapon assembly. Nothing special about that. The only odd thing that might come up to anyone analyzing it might be the extremely tiny size.
In a way, however, this was good. The part was traceable. Combined with the data from the portal, it wouldn't be hard to find...
--------------------
The missing metal shavings went unnoticed by the diagnostic, the miniscule reduction in mass not enough to set off any maintenance procedures. If analyzed, however, the shavings would present the Lacerta with several findings, depending on their repertoire of knowledge about other civilizations of this galaxy.
Either they wouldn't have a clue what material this was.
Or they'd recognize it as a terconium alloy of exceptionally high quality - just about one of the most coveted material to build starship hulls in the galaxy. It wasn't especially hard to manufacture, and indeed in widespread use, but whoever had forged this particular alloy had gone to great lengths to ensure it was the very best it could be, down to a subatomic scale.
But no matter which observation was reached, both led to only one conclusion.
This robot had not been manufactured by humans...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
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The coffee was cold on the table. It sat in its cup, unused, neglected and cold as the two men talked. On any other given day, the coffee would be gone, or still hot. Today, the coffee was cold.
A light rain had begun to fall, tapping at the window when the wind felt like giving it the extra budge it needed to angle in under the gutters. The voices of the two men talking werent enough to fill the old house that had been converted to a sheriffs office. The wood rafters were mostly quiet, with spiders building webs and that damnable mouse deputy Wall had been trying to catch for near on a month now scurrying along, planning his next heist. Under the floorboards a cat named Jeeter was exploring and trying to pick up where deputy Wall had left off.
The two desks that were used had papers and pens on them. The four desks that werent used were clear, except for the one corner where Darren had been stacking up boxes of evidence and other case files to deal with the recent homicide. The shotguns, all six, were in the case in the back of the room, well out of reach of the makeshift cage that fit as the centerpiece to the room. At the sheriffs desk, just to the right of the cage, the two men continued to talk as the grandfather clock by the door ticked away the day.
You heard what I said, you heard every word of it. Now Im leaving town and Im not coming back. You do what you will, it wont matter anyway. Leaf Ellison stood up and headed for the door.
Youre not going to help, youre just going to come in here and give me this story and show me these books and then leave? Tanner sat back in his chair for the first time since the conversation began.
What about this is giving you trouble, sheriff? There isnt a way to stop it. Unless youve got statesman in your pocket, this whole town is going to be washed away with the tide. Ive seen the signs. The older man stood his ground.
Tanner put his hand to his chin. In all this ancient knowledge that youve dug up, you couldnt find one way to stop them?
You stop them just like you stop anything, you kill it. Only thing is, theyve been around for thousands of years longer than us, maybe millions. Im too old to tangle with the devil, sheriff, in any of his many manifestations. Leaf held a hand out in front of him and shook his head as he closed his eyes in resignation.
The sheriff nodded his understanding, but as Leaf turned to go, he noticed the old mans satchel still on his desk. Arent you going to take these books with you?
Mr. Ellison stopped in the doorway and put his hand on the door jam to steady himself. He suddenly looked very tired. Im going to tell you, Sheriff, dont read those books. If you read those books, theyll lead you to more books. If you read those
you wont be any use to the people of this town. The fact is, youd be better off sabotaging the water purification plant and forcing everyone off this rock. The old man gave a meaningful glance back, to be met with the look of horror on the sheriffs face at the thought of hurting a town hes sworn to protect. Yeah, I didnt think so. Good luck to you sheriff. Good luck to all of you.
With that, Mr. Ellison stepped off the porch and down the path until he was in his car and on his way off of the island.
Sheriff Tanner slid a leather bound book out of the satchel and placed it on his desk in front of him. He was running his fingers over the cover, wondering what kind of leather it was bound in when his deputy came in.
Any word yet on the forensics we sent off, sheriff? Darren took off his hat and put it on the hat rack, then took off his jacket.
Oh, hell, we wont see anything for a while. Big city like Paragon, they have a ton of crimes. The sheriff picked up his coffee cup and realized that it had been sitting there for an hour as he put it to his lips. Augh. Cold coffee. I cannot stand, cold coffee.
As Tanner got up and headed toward the sink and coffee maker, Darren walked over to his desk and spun the book around to try to read the title. The worshipers of the ancient gods?
Oh, yeah, Leaf Ellison came by all spooked about some cult and how he thinks theyre going to try to destroy the island. He left those books. He also warned me not to read them. The sheriff dumped out his coffee in the sink, ran the water then refilled his cup.
Sounds like god. Darren commented running his finger along the cover of the book.
Im sorry? Tanner took a sip.
The story you told about old man Ellison. God told Adam and Eve that there were terrible things in the world, and provided them with the tree of knowledge, but warned them not to eat from it. They both mused for a moment over the parallel the deputy drew. What kind of leather do you suppose this is?
I dont have a clue. Its definitely not man made, Id like to get a bigger piece to study. Now the component is just high tech. Nothing spectacular, a power receiver coupling from a weapon or shield generator. Great craftsmanship, but certainly not Rikti tech. Id say Malta if I had to guess. Professor Eviella had run it through her most complicated machines, as had Overstrike, but with little results. Thats when Force Tech took over.
By all rights he should have been an Archon. Far more intelligent than many that preceded him, he was cursed with a huge frame, capable of withstanding incredible conditions. There was a certain density to his muscular structure that allowed him to absorb more radiation and damage than even the hulking Shield could.
He took the samples and put them in the Lacerta built analyzer. It atomized the metal, with some difficulty. The part disappeared instantly. He poured over the subatomic infrastructure and noted key elements lurking between the protons to give a cohesiveness under high gravitational fields that reacts much like strange attractors with photons.
Then he noticed a strange residue and molecular destabilization in the pattern on the power coupling. His final report on the objects read: alloy, non terrestrial, non Rikti in origin. Component manufactured to appear to be human, but with advanced manufacturing techniques.
In the main summoning chamber the screaming had finally stopped. Dragon Emperor knelt patiently waiting for the Avatar to give him instructions. From the center of the summoning circle, the Avatar emerged with the green and black pulsating gem. It was as big as a football and weighed sixty pounds, with the black forming bubbles inside the green, aligning and moving, and occasionally forming the slit iris of a reptilian eye before disbursing. He handed the gem to Dragon Emperor.
Take this to the site. You have until the eye is fully formed to complete the ritual. Only if you succeed will we receive our champion. There will be many lost children there. Recover as many as you can. If the rest must be slain, so be it. The Dragon Emperor did not look up, he simply took the gem and stood, backing away until he was out of the room. He did not need to be threatened, nor did he need to intimate that he knew how important the task was that he had been given.
When the Avatar later read the report he gave orders that Red Diamond Six be dispatched to track down the parts. The droid was activated and given its orders. It complied, and began moving through Orenbrega for the portal that lead to New York.
In one of the lowest points of Oranbega, something began to boil.
The floor.
It didn't take but a few seconds, a thermal spike of great magnitude liquefying dirt and stone, forming a lake of magma where there had once been solid floor.
In an inevitable secondary effect, superheated air rushed away from the chamber, mixing with cooler air and creating very noticeable winds throughout any area near the large chamber.
Then again, this was no covert operation.
A vessel burst from the magma akin to a submarine surfacing, the streamlined hull coated in layers of liquid rock that only slowly followed the pull of gravity back into the magma pool.
In proportion of the average dropship, capable of fielding a tank-sized vehicle or two, there could be no doubt the thing was a type of landing craft, though perhaps a somewhat unconventional one - the 'nose' opened wide, extending a short ramp to the edge of the now quickly-cooling magma pool.
The geo ship scanned about with various means. Was anyone there...?
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
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Miliekah turned toward the group of misfits that had been assembled before him. Hurt Machine, Pain Clutch and Gentle Fist of Steel were more like cybernetic freaks than hired help. The tunnels are filled with creatures specifically designed to fight magic. Youre not magical, so you shouldnt have any problem. Keep those bracelets I gave you on and the spirit guardians wont rip your souls out. Go kill anything in your path, take the map, READ the map and report regularly. If you have any questions Ill kill you for being too stupid. He paused. Any questions?
Pain started to raise his hand, but Hurt Machine intervened and gave him a subtle shake of the head. Miliekah sighed, his blue robes rising and falling with the effort. With a dismissive wave of his hand, the three mercenaries were off to check out the tunnels.
Hurt took the lead, with a huge flashlight bolted to his right shoulder, which was as cybernetic as most of him. He was mostly machine, aside from parts of his head and torso. His skeletal frame could crush most things and pound on others for days. Pain was entirely encased in a protective suit. Where his legs and arms ended, the machine parts took over. A visor stretched across his eyes, one of the few things about him that were truly human anymore. Bringing up the rear with her complicated sensory equipment was Gentle fist. She was mostly human, aside from one leg and one arm. She had some dermal plating work done too, for the work.
They wandered through the uncharted territories making noises at each other. Occasionally they would encounter a snake or rockman or coral beastie, but they missed their intended targets. Until they came across a huge chamber with some sort of molten pool and a strange looking island in the center of it. They were standing there only a moment before the first wave of hot air hit them.
It seems we found something. Hurt said into the pin he was given, not knowing if or how it was supposed to sent information back to the Circle of Thorns mage.
Im not getting much of a reading from here, maybe we should get closer. Gentle fist started to move down to the floor.
Oh, surely no harm will befall us if we get closer to the unknown object in the lava. Thats a wonderful idea. Pain Clutch jibed from the top of the steps.
Hurt looked briefly over his shoulder. Good, usually we have to convince you.
Pain stood at the top of the steps for several seconds watching them descend before throwing his hands up and following. I was
never mind.
As they began to get closer, it was apparent that it wasn't an island at all.
"That's a ship of some sort." Hurt looked back at the others while taking cover behind a boulder. "Did you guys lose a magma burrowing ship?"
At the other end of the pin, Miliekah laid his head on his book and began to gently weep. His assistant Velum patted him on the shoulder.
Whatever torture had been initiated on Dennis while he'd been senseless, it brought all his senses back, and more.
In his mind, he hung suspended in nothingness that pulled at him. For a second it felt as if he hung inverted over a sucking pity; but no, his inner orientation showed him where up ought to be, and it was the up that drew at him slowly like a giant inhaling him.
This was happening in his mind, he deduced, because he had thought about it for a second and suddenly he could see his own body, floating unsupported there in a dull void. His form was whole and healthy, old scars gone, his fingernails perfectly trimmed to exactly the length he preferred. He wore clothes he was sure he'd not taken with him from the apartment, his favorite clothes, expensive jeans and a nice cotton shirt which had months ago become torn from wear and were now rags under his old kitchen sink.
That and the red tentacles that formed from the void inches from his chest and dove down into it, pulsing with power and light.
The tentacles wove together a few feet from him, winding slowly into being and stretching toward an indistinct sphere a few yards upward, toward what now appeared to be a swirling vortex into which the inhalation was drawn.
You are awake, Vessel, the familiar but until recently, silent, voice said.
"Damn right I am," Dennis responded, "What is going on?"
My people are calling me, I am leaving you, the Eye of Mu said flatly.
Dennis' simulacrum gulp and gawped. "The hell! What's going to happen to me?!" He demanded.
You have served your purpose. You have brought me to where I must be. Now I shall reform, my power transfered to another shape.
There were a few seconds of silence in the non-place
Something new and tattered was boiling inside Dennis Corvus.
"THE [censored] HELL YOU ARE! What am I, some piece of garbage to be discarded like an old skin? NO [censored] WAY YOU [censored] PIECE OF [censored]!" As his anger boiled, no longer fettered by the years of quiet anonymity of a typical science worker, scrubbed clean of many conventions by what had occurred, Dennis was taking stock of things with very little time left and everything to lose.
He was a new creature, was Dennis, and his new self was about to be hollowed out and dumped.
"I WON'T ALLOW IT," this odd fusion of nebbish and titan declared.
You have nothing to say about-
From within the Dennis simulacrum's chest, the tendrils of red energy suddenly jerked.
From his imaginary head, his eyes suddenly blazed like red beacons. Stark shadows were thrown across the unfinished form opposite him, he and it connected by the leeching tendrils, the power of the Eye leaving him. The sphere he recognized from the disposal suite, trying to reform itself and make him a useless husk. Dennis' false body clenched; the stalks of power thrashed in the air. He was pulling back against the drain.
Although his eyes could not transmit the deadly force of his repeating death at the Eye, the psychic might that had broadcast this had left an echo upon him. He took that echo and filled it now with his own hate, his own fear, his own need to survive. He had not come all this way, endured what he had, to simply be snuffed.
The floating Eye emitted a scream. So did Dennis, the sounds so simultaneous that they became a single discordant tone. The tentacles which connected the two in this netherworld thrashed like hooked trout. The color began draining from the Eye's new form, globs of it flowing back into Dennis as his own body gyrated like a demon-possessed girl under the ministrations of an exorcist, gurgling and shrieking likewise.
NO!
No!
NO!
The spiral vortex above this duel suddenly lit; as if it were butter and his mind a slice of bread, the events of the triple sacrifice outside of him suddenly were displayed to Dennis' mind's eye, all at once, from every angle. For a microsecond he felt what the Eye felt: the welling of power, the ecstasy, the call from the will of fervent supplicants.
Dennis, unused to this, grabbed at it like a lover grabs at his first willing sex partner at his first climax.
NO
The death-energy of three victims hit the strands connecting Dennis and the Eye dead center. There is no telling where the flow of each went.
Dennis and the Eye merged once more. An empty husk was ejected into the physical world, but it was not Dennis.
In the summoning chamber, the long-limp form of the Vessel of the Eye of Mu unexpectedly sat up, the bonds touching its flesh gone as dust. His eyelids rose, and lambent red light flooded the chamber.
A voice now came from inside the ship, a commanding yet requesting tone in a language no one in the room had ever heard of.
Not long after, a duo of what appeared to be protector bot contractions emerged from the craft, mechanically stomping down the ramp and across to the ledge of solid rock it had set its end on.
They took up position on either side of the ramp, then just stood there, apparently doing nothing useful whatsoever.
The source of the voice was quick to reveal itself, coming down the ramp after the mechanoids. The being was clearly a reptilian, but definitely not a Lacerta. Instead of a massive, broad frame the creature's somewhat slim form stood a little more than two meters tall, walking upright in a somewhat humanoid appearance.
However, the non-digitigrade legs and number of fingers seemed to be all it really had in common with a human, aside from the number of arms and legs, that was. The head had the skull of a dinosaur, a carnivore at that, the fine rows of sharp teeth that could be seen when the creature spoke making this all too evident.
A deep-green hide that carried the texture of some manner of leather served as skin, covering the creature from head to the tip of its long, whiplike tail, which swayed to and fro in a frustrated manner. These motions coincided with the tone of its speech - apparently, it was arguing with someone else. Someone who either wasn't responding or simply couldn't be heard for any number of reasons.
Clad in night-black cargo pants, heavy boots of the same shade, and an open jacket with white T-shirt underneath to complete the ensemble, the being drummed the clawed fingers of its right hand upon the body ridges above its eyes, a gesture suggesting it was trying to find some manner of winning whatever argument it had been involved in.
Apparently, it hadn't noticed the trio of techno-mercs, though the trio of weapon holsters on its back, carrying long, rifle-like armaments suggested it hadn't come here for a vacation...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Cold Heart focused his single eye on the newly merged creature. That is not what is written in the description, the priest murmured softly as he poured over the priestly prophetic tome.
Dennis lurched to his feet on the stone disk. His head rang like a million bells; he grasped it as he slipped in the runnels of blood. he caught himself in mid-air, hovering slightly and uneasily, and settled to the warm stone floor. Although the beacons of his eyes passed around the chamber, no whithering wave of death followed.
Insolent fool! I will unmake you! What have you done with your meddling? The Eye of Mu was raging, circling inside Dennis' psyche like a trapped bird.. no, like a caged leopard seeking for exit.
Dennis' body wouldn't obey him, exactly. One side, the arm and leg, tried getting a better balance as rocks grated under his bare soles, while the other sought to throw him to the ground. He was now fighting for control over his own body, with the living terror inside him.
"I don't know, but it's too [censored] late now, [censored]! Nobody takes me down that easy!"
My followers will feast on your blood and flesh, the Eye roared at him. But then, it realized that it itself would end, if this happened now.
An instant too late, its own caution was suddenly cell-mate to a sly realization that was not its own; Dennis had heard it. He and it were now clearly sharing information, it was no longer a willful valve that gave out only what conversation it chose.
So many calculations flowed in the next few seconds, that Dennis' section of the shared consciousness struggled to keep up, but the Eye's portion acted as an unwilling buffer. memories went whirling away only to be brought back for quick examination. The Eye ripped things from Dennis' grasp; seeing his trapped foe vexed, the human grabbed at others.
He, the human portion, realized his [censored] was deep in trouble right at this moment, from those standing nearby. He blurted out a few sentences to gain himself some time, before a mistake was made, and to try and hoodwink whomever these Lacerta were.
"I am the Vessel of the Eye of Mu! Don't harm my flesh, or I will be undone!" He tried raising a fist in the air, but the Eye yanked it spastically around.
"My body! My body!" He said aloud; his gasp showed he hadn't meant to do so.
"Do not initiate attack! What has been wrought here!" He'd spoken again but the voice was distinctly different here, a deep resonant non-human tone. Perhaps something closer to what had been expected.
"Priest! Examine me!" The red torches oriented on Cold Heart, and a nauseous wave flowed inside those lights, but try as one half might, the other half of the Vessel would not allow its own priest to feel the unfurling of death.
As the body before him gyrated in internal agony, Cold reached out a hand to the damp air in the chamber. As he closed his hand, a shimmering ice sword appeared in his hand. With no pity in his cold reptilian eye, Cold Heart approached the abomination and raised the frozen sword, ready behead the creature.
[ QUOTE ]
"Do not initiate attack! What has been wrought here!" He'd spoken again but the voice was distinctly different here, a deep resonant non-human tone. Perhaps something closer to what had been expected.
"Priest! Examine me!" The red torches oriented on Cold Heart, and a nauseous wave flowed inside those lights, but try as one half might, the other half of the Vessel would not allow its own priest to feel the unfurling of death.
[/ QUOTE ]
Cold Heart felt the power of the Eye buried in the merged being. The nausea struck him, but the priest focused past it. To know the dark lord was to know pain. The human you chose had a stronger spirit than we imagined, my lord, he said with grudging admiration. I believe he has bound you to himself. We may be able to separate you from him, but without a host, you will have to be reborn again as a child. He looked at the Avatar. It will take us years to find the child, and it would be another eighteen years before we could do such a ceremony again. I will have to research this phenomenon.
The Avatar sneered in anger, and his right hand flashed behind him, causing the huge grate lid to rise and slide along the stone floor. If we cannot burn the human out of the vessel, we shall just tear it out. With his left hand he summoned up the dark force of Old Ones and surrounded the Eye with tendrils that lifted it high into the air before throwing it into the open sea sewer and dragging the Eye down into the murky depths. The dark energy spun the Eye through freshly carved tunnels, past Cage Consortium contractors and soon to be striking workers and into a black tunnel, freshly blown in the rock.
As the body of the Eye felt the pressure of the ocean, and the intense cold around it, the glowing eyes lit up the dark water enough to make out the outline of a giant, stone door. Due to impulses of energy given off by the eye, the door opened. Only, beyond the stone was no room or hall, but only the unswerving stare of the Leviathan. The mere sight of the creature in whole or part could drive entire villages mad. Now it leveled all the energy of its gaze on but one target.
The water bubbled when the Avatar pulled the Eye from the water once more.
Now we shall see what survived. The Avatar turned the Eye back round to face him before setting him down on the stone and releasing him.
The next morning, the ferry from the mainland brought three strangers and the plane took the small boys remains and the evidence gathered from the scene. Sheriff Tanner spoke with all the potential witness, which was restricted to Jacob Roth, the first person to find the Venderson boat.
It was just drifting, you know, in the ocean, and I thought it look like the Venderson boat, but at first I thought it was Tommy Galloways boat, but his boat has the big black cooler in the back, so when I got closer I could tell it wasnt his. We went out on his boat last summer and I remember the cooler. Jacob shifted from one foot to the other.
Thanks, Jacob, now Im going to ask you some questions that we ask of witnesses to crimes. I want you to take your time and think back. I want you to try to remember everything, and I dont want you to answer right away, just think a few seconds to see if you can remember anything. OK? The sheriff was crouched down to Jacobs height out on his front porch, with his mom and dad watching from the front doorway, no more than a foot away from their boy. Phil had taken the day off from work and Janice was virtually pushed out of the local school to go take care of her boy. The principal, Mrs Wells, was a mother of two boys herself and wouldnt stand for her trying to teach class after such an incident.
Jacob grabbed his right wrist with his left hand behind his back and breathed in deeply before giving a big nod. OK, Ill try.
Great. Now did you see anything that looked out of place? The sheriff was keeping it as tame as he could.
Jacob put his right hand to his lips and looked up. Then he pushed himself up on his toes for a second and rocked back down, before shaking his head.
Anything on the bottom of the boat, anything that looked like someone had been in the boat? Were there any pieces of metal, like the ones you were looking for? Did you see anything that looked like a stain? The sheriff increased the tempo of the questions just a bit.
No, the boat was empty. Nope. What kind of stain? Jacobs arms shifted again, ending with his left hand on his head as he tilted it questioningly.
Well, like maybe mud or possibly even blood? The last drew a concerned look from Jacobs mother.
Nope. I would have have bremembered, I mean remembered if I saw that. Jacob shook his head.
Youre sure. Nothing that made you scared? Did you hear anything? Did you hear anything at all? The sheriff leaned in a bit.
Jacob looked away sharply, then down at his shoes. No, I dont want to answer any more questions.
Sheriff? Phil pulled himself upright and off of the doorframe.
Anything you can tell me, Jacob, anything at all might help. Tanner gave a quick glance at Phil, leaning in to put his hand on Jacobs shoulder.
No, no, no. I dont want to. Jacob put his hands over his ears.
Mike, what are you doing? Janice stepped forward.
Janice youve got to let him answer. I think he may have heard something important. He may just be scared. Jacob, its OK to be scared. I was scared too, but you have to tell me what you heard. Tanners plea was heard, and Janice stopped behind Jacob, putting her hand on his head.
Go on, Jacob, tell him what you heard, but Janices words werent getting through to her son, who was nowhere near that porch anymore.
Jacob! Jacob! It hurts so bad! Go get help! Go get my dad! Adams face was forever burned into Jacobs memory. As was the image of his own hands pulling at the spikes that held Adam to the stone. The terror in Adams voice as Jacob just sat in the boat, watching the water rise up around Adam came back to him.
On the porch, he was doing what he had done in the boat, holding his hands over his ears and screaming No! while he watched Adam being devoured. The sheriff backed off as Phil and Janice grabbed their son, and held him. He wouldnt stop screaming. They looked at the sheriff angrily and drug their son inside. Twenty minutes later, the doc arrived and sedated him. Tanner never got an answer to his question, but he got a feeling he should avoid the Roths for the next few weeks. He parted with, Im sorry, I didnt know, but it didnt seem to make a dent.
He could have stayed and tried to explain that their son was taken away from them before he got there, but they wouldnt have listened. Jacob was pretending to be normal, and that probably would have lasted a while. But at some point, he was going to have to face what hed seen, what hed touched, and what he heard.
As he drove back through town, he saw the three strangers, and they saw him. Each one waved and he waved back. The lead was wearing sunglasses and a Japanese shirt. One had a wild look in his eye, and was dressed like a biker. The last was dressed as a rap star, much like a hood rat. All three smiled. He didnt like that. He told himself it was just his paranoia. He told himself, this is what people in small towns do, they smile and wave to the sheriff as he drives through in his hummer. He didnt believe it, but he told himself that.
When he arrived at the office, there was an elderly man sitting on the front porch, waiting with a satchel of books. Tanner recognized him as Leaf Ellison, the library caretaker. He was in last week about some graffiti in the middle of town. Darren had handled the complaint. Darren didnt make much of the incident, so Tanner didnt pay it much mind. Often the younger folk go out of their way to annoy the older folk, its the way of things. The look on Leafs face told a story of something more important than graffiti, though.