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In Ildela's mind, leaving wasn't an option. She'd come here for a reason and wasn't gonna leave until she got something meaningful done. However, staying out here getting shot at wasn't an option either, because she couldn't keep evading these turrets forever. And let's face it, no one likes being shot at. So the remaining option was to go down, into the city where neither the turrets nor the hunters could follow.| Another option was of course the route her mother had taken - into the plate instead of atop it. The turrets and hunter-killers couldn't go there simply due to being immobile and large, respectively. Of course, there may have been other things down there that were just as deadly. However, there were also the disguised doors Paxtera hadn't made it past... |
Her course through the sky, previously mostly undirected, abruptly changed. She was still flying decidedly erratically, but now she had a clear direction. She was going down, looking for an entrance small enough that the hunters couldn't fly in after her.
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| Directly in front of her was a wall of trees, all tightly packed together to form an impenetrable barrier. But lo and behold, right in front of her was an opening in the wall that the trail of mutated plants went through. Beyond there was a grove, likely entirely isolated by the tree-wall, but she couldn't see into it too well. The entire place was filled with green mist, similar to the kind found within the deepest areas of Perez Park. Her sense of smell was immediately blasted once this was revealed - The whole place had the scent of a chemical lab. |
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was wondering if the mutation had started at the Heart Tree and spread here, or started here and spread to the Heart Tree. Somehow, the latter seemed more likely to her.
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
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A little above Tafari the blood countess floated. She had asked the would-be god a question... a proposal even for more sacrifices. And she was ignored! Elizabeth didn't like being ignored... didn't like it at ALL! She was extremely pissed and all that had stayed her hand was her need for more information. Information that this creature didn't have... or could provide. Then her eyes started to grow blood-red and her patience ended.|
Originally Posted by Paradigm_Shift
"I am a god." He said simply as he approached. "I don't mind all that much if you don't think much of me and don't worship me. Frankly, I'm too young to have a following yet, so this came as a bit of a surprise. But make no mistake, insect." He glared at the soldier. "You were sacrificed to me. I have complete control over your mass. All I need to do to *prove* I am a god is make your limbs vanish one by one. Unless you want to go down that road, don't you DARE disrespect or deride me."
"Honestly, I'd think its rather simple. The machines only like to kill humans. Us." The man who had questioned Rotton said gloomily. He was trying very hard not to look at Tafari. He honestly didn't think the man was a god - He probably had some kind of sufficiently advanced technology on his person somewhere, but he didn't dare voice this opinion. "These lizards are, quite frankly, idiots. To them, a machine like the kind that have been hunting us WOULD seem like gods. If you'd like to know more about the machines themselves, this man here would know more than me." He nodded at the soldier. |
"YOU!", She cried out to Tafari... "You are no god to me! Do you have the means to get us back home? Answer me!"
Already Rachel, Theo and the Shopkeeper circled around to get a better attack position. While Elizabeth herself seemed to build up some dark energy.
- The Italian Job: The Godfather Returns #1151
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Average - A new race of aliens arrives on Earth. And Vanguard has you investigate them!
- The Court of the Blood Countess: The Rise of the Blood Countess #3805
Advanced - Go back in time and witness the birth of a vampire. Follow her to key moments in her life in order to stop her! A story of intrigue, drama and horror! Blood & Violence... not recommend to solo!
Gre'shil Plans
The Gre'shil responded by picking up spears and started circling the two. Tila reacted not to the pack but to Akat. "I no believe you are that strong or skilled. Even if you are, I am not. If you are think, these are my people, my friends, my family how many you need kill to prove you strong?"
"You either fool or young, I hope young. Foolish to hunt a herd to fill one belly. You want to stop Gre'shil from attacking pointy ears fine. I will do that not by killing many but by killing one." Why was Tila acting so was complex. She came with Akat meant she will be attacked as well. However these are her people her family even if she was outcast. The desire to protect her own was strong. She would have been driven off before if she approached the Gre'shil being an outcast, but now she would be killed because she came with Akat and Akat challenged them all. For Tala there was only one option.
She was also a mother and her instincts are kicking in to protect Akat. Moving in front of Akat she hissed. "I CHALLENGE HIGH MOTHER RANA!" Then she started bobbing her head up and down. The Gre'shil society was based on strength for someone to turn down a challenge showed weakness. However Tila was an Outcast and things were slightly different.
"I no accept!" The voice of the High mother called out as she made her way through the ranks. Following her were other females. Social order of the Gre'shil were set up on family groups A family would have a head mother and lesser mating females under her the number is random up to the Head Mother to choose. The next level was Clans groups of 6 to 10 families form up making a Clan. In all there are only 5 Clans and from the Clan Mothers one is chosen to be Head mother. Most often the one that beats the others into submission.
"I Am Mated Female I have right!" Tila hissed still in the challenge pose. "High Mother Grew fat! Weak." In anger the High Mother Rushed forward but stopped such would be accepting the challenge. "You are Kaja! Head Mother did not accept you as Mating female!" Tila hissed "Mother You are a fool! Round ears not animals smart like Gre'shil Pointy ears smart like Gre'shil. That why you beat them make them work. By doing that we learned much but still foolish."
Akat might notice something. A slight change in view in the way Tila and even her son Scar thought. It was minor in one way but major in another. Having a bottle neck in population and having lived on Patches for a thousand years the Gre'shil were evolving.
In ways the challenge was one on one in another it was the old way vs the new. The other female leaders the CLAN leaders looked at each other. "I Gwina Clan Mother of blood claw say accept challenge." "I ko'var Clan Mother of Thunder herd clan say Accept." "I Tag'na Clan mother of Black bones Clan Say No" "I Fraja Clan Mother of Broken Fang say Accept." There was no choice now for Rana if she refused it would be seen she was a coward.
Rana turned to look at the clan Mothers then at Tila. Stepping forward she hissed "You were always disappointment. Should have killed you when young daughter." Unfortunately the bait worked and Tila rushed leaping at Rana. Just as Rana planned for Tila ended up getting a bite right in her leg as she connected. Tila moved and struck Rana with her tail. Then both circled each other as the Gre'shil forces had formed a circle. Many were looking at Akat with curiosity and threats.
Akat did threatened to attack them all but none of the Gre'shil took it seriously after all One against nearly a thousand. More like the looks were of someone looking at a loon not sure what the madman would do. So there was a nice pocket where no one approached the strange Green skinned Gre'shil.
The fight was still going Tila was limping she was already recovering from wounds and Rana was healthy. But oddly Tila had a slight edge the reason was simple Rana being High Mother didn't have to hunt where Tila for the last 15 years were on her own. So Rana made a mistake it was a minor one but in a life and death fight it was all Tila needed to come in and bite Rana on the neck severing the vein. Rana backed up her blood flowing and with one last look at Tila she collapsed to the ground. Tila came over and lowered her head nudging Rana tears on her face. "Good bye Mother..."
((Um... wow over did it there I do another post after I eat dinner for the other characters))
At
Khelari were indeed adept at detecting deception, having great need of such when hunting prey that employed guile and misdirection to try and throw them off. Unfortunately, even the most finely honed hunter's instincts weren't of much use when a baseline was unavailable - and the scaleless reptilian had never seen a demon before.
Or heard one.
"Uhhh..." he returned, looking rather estranged, "Pardon me, but I don't think I got even half of that. What's a High General? Why were so many of you fighting? How were you the only survivor? Did the transmission go unstable? What does corrupted mean? What's evil...?"
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'Twin City'
The interior hadn't changed from before. It was still the cold, creepy, downright sterile maze of metal and machinery it had been when Paxtera had been here earlier. An unchanging machine.
Well, not quite.
One thing had changed: several camera lenses had resumed active operation, following Ildela's path as best they could. For now, nothing but the mechanical eyes assailed her, though whether or not it would remain this way was anyone's guess...
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The Desert
The old soldier gave a wheezing, half-hearted chuckle, the reaction general, but also somewhat directed at Tafari. He didn't say anything in response though, instead suggesting quietly toward Rotten Luck, "I think we better get out of here before they turn up the gravy. Already almost died once today, and I don't know about you, but I like being alive. C'mon, kid."
The last was of course directed toward the other Hetrar Tafari had left behind, but whether or not he and/or the zombie responded, the old coot tried to make himself scarce.
At roughly the same time, the scene entered the distance of Jade's view, the Dragon approaching at low altitude to keep an edge over the normally high-flying machines, just in case. He couldn't quite make out anything yet, but the energies up there sure felt familiar.
Oh great. Him again...
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Gre'shil Plains
Akat blinked, standing stiff. Had Tila really just killed Rana? She didn't know. The whole situation was just too strange to tell. Not that no one had ever been killed in a challenge, but this was just...were these people really so fragile?
Without a word, the Khelari darted from her position and over to the two Gre'shi, speedily examining Rana for any signs of life...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
The other Hetrar followed the old soldier away from the scene. The crazy flying lady conjuring dark hazzy fluff, in conjunction with the undead warrior who couldn't die and the self-proclaimed god who had previously slung around energy detonations like they were going out of style, decided that the scene was a bit too hot for him.
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Tafari half-turned towards Elizabeth, not even bothering to look directly at her, only vaguely addressing her.| "YOU!", She cried out to Tafari... "You are no god to me! Do you have the means to get us back home? Answer me!" |
"Lemme see. A: I'm a god, like it or not. Reality does not conform to your opinion. B: Possibly and C: Settle down before I have to put you down, ya little harpy." He grinned a vicious, toothy and smug smile to himself, taking the time to wipe dust off of his arms.
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|
Immediately, Paxtera was on the alert. Trees simply didn't grow that close to one another, without someone encouraging them to do so. Meaning inside was presumably the source of these mutating plants. She went closer, but stopped at the entrance, coughing as the smell of the place assaulted her. Then a burst of energy and she transformed back into Dwarf form, thanking the powers that be that said form had no sense of smell. Thus freed from having to smell this foul mess, she proceeded in past the wall of trees. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was wondering if the mutation had started at the Heart Tree and spread here, or started here and spread to the Heart Tree. Somehow, the latter seemed more likely to her. |
Nothing happened. The plantlife squirmed and the tar oozed.
At Elven Forest
Edward was a tad bored...everyone had rushed off every which way and was doing things.
"Steve, mount up, it's about time I got myself some proper action, I doubt these people need my scientific help..."
He let out a short, sharp whistle as Mr Fluffers moved beside him, hoisting himself into the Howdah, Steve climbing aboard.
Edward sighed as he felt a squelch underneath his feet, the food rations those funny little tricksters had given him had been all but smooshed thanks to Mr Fluffers tree climbing antics. He used the water to clean off the howdah before settling down.
"Alright Mr Fluffers...we head onwards, in search of scientific discovery...and probable death...hmm probably should follow the direction the beating drums came from...I feel in the need to initmidate the primitive locals..."
So began his journey...hopefully in the right direction...but then if there's one thing a scientist doesn't tend to use...it's sense of direction...
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At|
Originally Posted by DeviousMe
At
Khelari were indeed adept at detecting deception, having great need of such when hunting prey that employed guile and misdirection to try and throw them off. Unfortunately, even the most finely honed hunter's instincts weren't of much use when a baseline was unavailable - and the scaleless reptilian had never seen a demon before. Or heard one. "Uhhh..." he returned, looking rather estranged, "Pardon me, but I don't think I got even half of that. What's a High General? Why were so many of you fighting? How were you the only survivor? Did the transmission go unstable? What does corrupted mean? What's evil...?" __________________ |
Neagtive Rise couldn't believe his luck. This creature was asking HIM! the meaning of corruption and evil! If the demon was capable of smiling at all in any point of his damned existence, this moment, here and now, would've been the time to do so. Yet, the moment was fleeting - so many questions to answer and a new question to seek an answer to.
"Ah, of course," Nev'oroxis replied, "Obviously you wouldn't be familiar with my people. Would your race happen to be divided into clans or packs? A social order of any sort? A 'High General' is a military rank among my people. A way of distinguishing achievement among my people. So many of us were fighting against because we were defending our territory, I'm sure you would know about that, right?"
Nev'oroxis then seemed to shift himself. That light had disturbed him earlier, but he couldn't let this creature notice that anything was bothering him. He maintained his imposing, regal stature atop the rim of the volcano before he continued.
"As to the meaning of corruption and evil - think of these more as disturbances, really. Good, evil - they are concepts developed by intelligence; a means to define one's purpose to existence. The natural order of things, as my people would see it, is to exist in harmony with our natural surroundings, while striving to achieve new goals, such as creating beautiful artworks and amazing inventions of technology. There are those who would oppose our advances in anything at all, those that come into our lands as thieves in the night to steal our belongings and kill us, man, woman and child alike. There are those that would enslave us to do their bidding."
Nev'oroxis paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "Now, you said something about an "unstable transmission"? Forgive me, for all our achievements, it would seem that you now have me at a loss..."
Negative Rise knew far too well what a transmission was - he wasn't about to let this creature know the exact extent of his formidable knowledge. Still puzzled about this AND the disturbing, evil light, he would just have to take things one at a time...and right now finding more information on these lizard-like creatures would suit his purpose. Try all he might, he didn't recall any such creatures residing in the depths of Hell. -'Perhaps that's yet another side-effect of my being in corporeal form too long! First my abilities, then my memory...whatever. I will have to make do with what I have now!'-
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Graxitica didn't notice anything of importance as he looked around. More of the same wherever he looked: Large, open plains, more mountain ranges, the volcanic mass, and the forest. He dashed forward again, his destination within sight thanks to the stark contrast of the tall trees against the open plains. During his time, forests such as these held immense power, thanks mostly in part of the elves that inhabited them, and empowerments supplied by numerous other fey races. Just standing within the confines of the forest would be enough to give a significant boost to his diminished powers.
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The stress of the strange abduction and the even stranger surroundings where starting to effect Elizabeth her usual cool judgement. She screamed it out of anger on the insult. Then her voice slowed down and her raging eyes focused upon the would-be god. Her darkness started to build and grow while she muttered an ancient incantation under her breath. Slowly she lifted her arms draining the man's soul... his essence... and added that life to fill the ground around him in a large area.|
Originally Posted by Paradigm_Shift
"Lemme see. A: I'm a god, like it or not. Reality does not conform to your opinion. B: Possibly and C: Settle down before I have to put you down, ya little harpy."
|
With each word the ground started to move a little more... at first it looked like a small earthquake... or worms coming up after a heavy rain. Then the horrible effect became visible as every dead body... every buried Hetrar... every dead animal... every dead insect... rose up from the ground attacking (Howling Twilight).
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Advanced - Go back in time and witness the birth of a vampire. Follow her to key moments in her life in order to stop her! A story of intrigue, drama and horror! Blood & Violence... not recommend to solo!
Edward and Graxitica would see the plans were filled with animals that could be from the Jerasic era of Earth. At the very least descendants of such creatures. Flocks/herds of Duckbills, The Mighty Thunder Beats that were clearly some kind of Long neck dinos.
Graxtica might also see the Gre'shil village in the distance. Round dome houses set up in circle patterns. Beside it would be what could count as a Human settlement style buildings all just shacks made out of roven grass, clay or mud bricks, and sticks. The human part was in an enclose of earthen walls. Above it were Gre'shil with throwing spears standing guard over the "Slaves".
At the camp Tila lifted up her head and let out a beastly scream. Then taking a deep breath "I am Tila and I clam rank of Clan Mother of Death Scream Clan!"
The other Clan mothers looked at each other then nodded one by one "We Clan Mothers accept Tila as one of us."
Rana was dead it seemed that most of the Gre'shil didn't even care. Life and death battles among them were common. Tila turned and looked at Akat "Now Understand what you were expected to do when challenging Gre'shil? We no fight to submit we fight to kill. Do you still want to challenge us all?"
Tila then looked at the Clan Mothers "High Mother is dead we should stop attack on Pointy ears be foolish to try when leadership in question. At least New Head Mother needs to be chosen before we continue."
"We sleep then talk." Another of the clan mothers turned then the others followed. It seemed just like that they were going to sleep. However at the same time two human slaves were sent to retrieve Rana's body and wrap it up in leathers. The Slaves had clear whip marks on there bodies and showed other signs of mistreatment.
Elven Forest
The Captain looked at Bisys then to his troops. "Two of you stand guard over Lady Ainderuda and the other two take Durlan to a holding cell."
Durlan gasp "you can't take these outsiders seriously! Everyone knows you despise them!"
The Captain looked at him "I Hate Outsiders. I hate how we changed, I hate how my daughter was ***** by one of the Human refugees. But I am Captain of the guardsmen and I will Obey the law and follow my code of Honor."
"I seen these Outsiders destroy a Hunter killer and damaged a Harvester. If they attacked Ainderuda they would have done much more damage." He turned to the guards "Take him away. I go check out the site of the attack."
He looked at Bisys "Do what you can I don't trust Durlan but that don't mean he's wrong. If you people are responsible..." He just left it at that and headed to the Heart tree.
The Desert
Rotten luck looked up at Elizabeth went into aggressive pose. "This wouldn't be good. Hmm Get everyone clear this fight might get..." That was when the ground started rumbling as the dead rose to Elizabeth's command. "Very very messy."
The Gre'shil Plains
Graxitica wasn't interested in any of the lumbering beasts and other scategorized creatures of the plains - although some of the mighty beasts might make for good replacement shells should the need arise. All he had to do was reach the forest...
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At
Nev'oroxis awaited the response as to the "unstable transmission"...when he realized - -'Oh yes, why was I the sole survivor!'-
((This can be answered after the Khelarian responds or before, doesn't really matter to me - totally forgot and don't want to edit the last post.))
"My men fought bravely and died heroic deaths. The foul beast that led the opposing army lost all his men to mine, and in a fit of rage - desecrated ALL the bodies! Whatever blessings were bestowed upon me by our priests before the battle - held up, giving me a great triumph over that creature! Now I find myself here, wherever here is," satisified that he could provide this creature with appropriate answers, Negative Rise stood firm awaiting response.
Unfortunately Edwards sense of direction, or complete lack thereof, had kicked in and he'd ended up wandering in the completely wrong direction and towards the arguing super powered people (Elizabeth, Tafari etc.). Looking through the scope of his rifle he could see Lizzy, who was dressed different than her usual fare...rather odd for her...she was a vampiric creature of habit if nothing else. He could also see she appeared to be in trouble of some kind.
"Hmm if Lizbeth is going all out like that, that other fellow dusting himself off could be the cause, I can feel the smug vibes from here...well best make myself known and do Lizbeth a favour at the same time..."
He rested the high powered morphing rifle onto a wooden beam of the Howdah, taking into account the sway of movement from Mr Fluffers and slowing down his own breathing until he had a steady shot on Tafari's noggin.
Then he pulled the trigger and the big dog barked once more.
The Desert
A chilling spasm shot down Jade's spine at the sudden sound of thunder, from the base of his skull to the very tip of his tail. The wavelike twitch even spread into the skins of his wings, causing a shudder, and a slight dip in altitude before he managed to recover. His nostrils snorted out a mass of air, even as his hearts still pounded. He had to find a way around this gunshot-phobia, and he had to find it soon. Otherwise...
Wait, gunshot? Who was up ahead there with a gun?
Jade narrowed his eyes and descended even lower, trying to peer ahead. Yep, there was the electro-pomp guy alright (not that he needed his eyes to confirm that), but there were also several more. In fact, make that a lot more, and a good few of them gave him the...wait just a damn second here, why the hell was he still feeling so twitchy? That couldn't have been just the gunshot. No, something else was going on here. Something that was kicking some sense of his that he'd forgotten about in all that time as a robot, and by the feel of it, that sense was geared to pick up something very, very nasty.
Better be extra careful.
With a twist of his wings, the Dragon redirected his lift ahead. Not a few seconds later, his feet hit land. Carefully folding the wingskins against his back again, Jade proceeded on the ground from there, darting between the cragged rocks of the Desert for what modicum of cover they provided, always careful to keep an eye on what lay ahead lest he be...
And then he saw Dr. Mechano.
...surprised.
Jade blinked, head sticking out over some rocky form of dune. Well, he'd wondered where the guy and his spider had gone...and the blob too. Made more than enough sense to run into them out here. But why was he holding that rifle like so? He'd been the source of the gunshot? Was he shooting...?!
"Hey!" he yelled with a wave whilst he jumped the 'dune' and ran over toward the shapeshifted scientist, "I really don't think that's such a good idea...!"
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At
The Khelari shook his head to the questions of Negative Rise several times. Clans or packs? No. Social order? No. Defending territory? What was territory? What was a thief? What was stealing? What were belongings? Khelari had no concept of possession, of ownership, and thus the young hunter was only further confused by the demon's lies. Of course, he would've been just as confused by the truth, but that didn't much matter right now.
What did matter was that his interest didn't wane. On the contrary. It grew. This creature standing before him was from a place where everything was...different. He'd heard of those places from his elders, sure, but he'd never imagined the people there could be so different that he didn't even understand half the words they used to describe their culture. This was so exciting! He wanted to know more. Wanted to understand. But first, he had to relate it to something he knew. Something like...
"Prey!" he suddenly exclaimed with a beaming smile, "I get it now! You're one of those people Master Vetdjat told me about. You use your knowledge to be the predator and do your thing, but if you're not careful, then we hunt you, and..."
His words were cut short when his nose suddenly reported the absence of the demon's scent. True, Negative Rise had suspended that a short while ago, but in an atmosphere this thick, it had taken a little time to traverse the distance. The Khelari looked rather shocked.
"Oh no, please don't!" the scaleless reptilian stood upright with speed, both hands stretched forward to the demon, "You smell so goo...I mean...I mean I didn't mean...I'm not hunting you, I promise!"
Only then did he notice the spear still in his right hand, and quickly dropped the thing, fearing this interesting being was making preparations to flee and not leave a trail to follow, "See? It's okay. You don't need to hide your scent. I...I guess we're probably evil in your culture, but that doesn't mean we're always out to kill you. Besides, we have a rule: food that talks is not food. Please don't leave..."
__________________
Gre'shil Village
"Not really, no." Akat answered Tila's question in regard to challenging them all, still looking at Rana in a downtrodden manner, "I couldn't even eat two of you, much less everybody. And we're not supposed to kill what we don't eat."
This may have sounded rather morbid to the Gre'shil, but the scaleless reptilian was quite sincere. Even now, she was wondering whether Rana'd body would be shared, whether Tila would eat her alone, or whether this culture did something else with their dead...at which the thought of every challenge ending with a death created a feeling of emptiness and waste in the Khelari.
And then came the humans.
"Hey, wait." she snapped to attention, her mind only now truly taking notice of the scent in the air, coming from behind the walled enclosure (though Akat couldn't tell so just yet; it was just in the air). She looked after Tila even as she approached the slaves in an attempt to examine them, "What're they doing here? Why do they look so bad? What's the purpose of this...?"
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
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-'Ah, yes, predator and prey indeed,'- the demon gleefully thought to himself. -'NOW we're getting somewhere!'- All pleasantries aside, Nev'oroxis assuredly would enjoy getting to know more of these creatures, this one mentioned something about an unstable transmission, and still hadn't responded. -'Very well then, let's see how much more prodding it will take.'-|
Originally Posted by DeviousMe
At The Khelari shook his head to the questions of Negative Rise several times. Clans or packs? No. Social order? No. Defending territory? What was territory? What was a thief? What was stealing? What were belongings? Khelari had no concept of possession, of ownership, and thus the young hunter was only further confused by the demon's lies. Of course, he would've been just as confused by the truth, but that didn't much matter right now. What did matter was that his interest didn't wane. On the contrary. It grew. This creature standing before him was from a place where everything was...different. He'd heard of those places from his elders, sure, but he'd never imagined the people there could be so different that he didn't even understand half the words they used to describe their culture. This was so exciting! He wanted to know more. Wanted to understand. But first, he had to relate it to something he knew. Something like... "Prey!" he suddenly exclaimed with a beaming smile, "I get it now! You're one of those people Master Vetdjat told me about. You use your knowledge to be the predator and do your thing, but if you're not careful, then we hunt you, and..." His words were cut short when his nose suddenly reported the absence of the demon's scent. True, Negative Rise had suspended that a short while ago, but in an atmosphere this thick, it had taken a little time to traverse the distance. The Khelari looked rather shocked. "Oh no, please don't!" the scaleless reptilian stood upright with speed, both hands stretched forward to the demon, "You smell so goo...I mean...I mean I didn't mean...I'm not hunting you, I promise!" Only then did he notice the spear still in his right hand, and quickly dropped the thing, fearing this interesting being was making preparations to flee and not leave a trail to follow, "See? It's okay. You don't need to hide your scent. I...I guess we're probably evil in your culture, but that doesn't mean we're always out to kill you. Besides, we have a rule: food that talks is not food. Please don't leave..." __________________ |
"Yes, there are those on my planet that would indeed prey upon others," he replied. "Not to mention the countless evil beasts, there are even those among my people that - well, hunt their own." Then he shifted his feet. "By the way, that's twice you've mentioned something about 'scent'?" the query was accompanied by an arched eyebrow. "I "smell good"? That's definitely a new one...perhaps this 'smell' came from somewhere else? More to my own dilemma - you said something about an 'unstable transmission' as well?"
Negative Rise reassured himself he would make no future attempts to sniff anything while in the presence of these creatures, especially this one, if he was to maintain this charade. For now he decided it was to his benefit to let the creature live. This one's enthusiasm did seem a bit ... excessive, as well. -'More the reason to take it's life!'- an even darker voice, buried deep within his mind, echoed the thought through his skull.
"You mentioned a 'Master Vetdjat'? So what's your name?" he asked, extending his right hand out, with his wrist bent, palm forward, digits pointing to the right. A tradition of the very same people he was mocking, other than his appearance, he would've easily passed as a citizen of the planet Ag'xis.
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Ildela highly doubted it would, given the reaction earlier. But given that back out there was death and staying here was boring... Only one way to go. She gave one of the cameras a friendly wave before proceeding further into the complex.| One thing had changed: several camera lenses had resumed active operation, following Ildela's path as best they could. For now, nothing but the mechanical eyes assailed her, though whether or not it would remain this way was anyone's guess... |
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The closer Paxtera got to the pool of tar in the center of the grove, the stronger the sensation that she was being watched felt. However, so long as she merely examined and explored the grove... Nothing happened. The plantlife squirmed and the tar oozed. |
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| Then leaped up jumping from branch to branch then over to her delivering a slicing blow before he came down landing with a jarring thud. |
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
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"How adorably ineffectual." Tafari stated dryly as his lightning like field of divine energy sprung into being, instantly obliterating the smaller animated creatures. The newly risen Hetrar were having a little trouble digging themselves out of the ground, but soon they would be able to assail Tafari, and a few tendrils of Divine energy were not going to deter them. The self-proclaimed god began to step forward, but immediately noted that his movements had been marginally slowed. The lightning reflexes his energy form afforded him had largely negected the slowing effects of Elizabeth's attack, but not entirely. The energy from his conduit devoted to repairing his energy form had slowed considerably - Not that he exactly relied on such lack-luster regeneration in the first place. All in all though, the move had not disadvantaged him too much. | With each word the ground started to move a little more... at first it looked like a small earthquake... or worms coming up after a heavy rain. Then the horrible effect became visible as every dead body... every buried Hetrar... every dead animal... every dead insect... rose up from the ground attacking (Howling Twilight). |
'Lemme see. Flying. That eliminates a good 90% of all my attack stratagies.' Tafari thought. 'How to lay this ***** low and look suitably awesome while doing it? Direct conduit blast. Too simple, too quick, negates the flare. But that's the only means I have of reaching her...Wait. Aha. Ahahaha. Oh yes.
Tafari vanished. A slow, frame-by-frame replay of the scene would have revealed that he was there one frame and gone the very next one. No rush of air filling a vacuum, no power-pose, no glow. Just gone.
Several hundred feet up, a massive energy detonation erupted from nowhere, Tafari plummeting out from it and straight down, aiming right for Elizabeth. His plan was simple: Move the conduit high enough up so that the wind would steal away the noise of the inevitable detonation. Descend at terminal velocity, and pull a mass driver manuever on the little tramp below. He would zap her with a power sink to drain her dry of power and then introduce her in a rather agonizing fashion to the ground. Tafari angled his body, piercing througnh the air like a bullet, making almost no noise whatsoever in his descent.
'This will be epic. They NEVER look up - Especially the ones who can fly. They're just so used to looking down.' Tafari thought smugly as the gap between him and Elizabeth rapidly shrunk. 'But just in case... Tafari then built up his power, allowing him to more effectively steer himself, as well as impossibly accelerating him beyond terminal velocity, and increasing his reaction time so that he could more effectively grapple Elizabeth once he was in range.
If she didn't see him coming, it would take a borderline miracle to save her.
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He rested the high powered morphing rifle onto a wooden beam of the Howdah, taking into account the sway of movement from Mr Fluffers and slowing down his own breathing until he had a steady shot on Tafari's noggin. Then he pulled the trigger and the big dog barked once more. |
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The Corrupted Haven
The instant the tip of the staff touched the tar, it seemed to erupt, thick slimy tendrils of the muck rocketing in the direction of the weapon and cork-screwing as they all began to wrap around it in a coordinated action, attempting to rip it right out of Paxtera's hands and yank it into the muck below. If Paxtera released the staff or managed to yank it free, the tendrils would instantly recede into the muck and remain inert.
In other news...
BADGE FOUND!
Maddening Portal
When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you...
((damnit nobody told me there would be exploration badges! Now I've got to go hunt them all for the accolades...ech...damn badge hunting urges...must...resist...))
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Edward was pretty focused, unfortunately he owed Lizbeth, namely for not trying to gut him in his sleep over the past few years. They had quite a bit of history together and they both took joy in tormenting one another. |
Originally Posted by Paradigm_Shift
The very instant Mechano pulled the trigger, Tafari vanished. Unlike Elizabeth though, the good Doctor had a perfect view of the sky above her, and could clearly see what Tafari was planning. He had the rifle - If he was quick and good enough of a shot, he could shoot the self-proclaimed god right out of the sky, turning the awe-inspiring curbstomping into a flop of humiliating proportions. However, he had very little time to do so, and any time wasted on distractions - On Jade, for example - would leave Elizabeth to hopefully dodge the attack from above on her own.
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Seeing the 'hero' disappear he pulled back from the scope for a moment before resighting and readjusting, firing off another shot, the birdie needed his wings clipped, he just hoped that Lizbeth would be keeping it busy if the hero somehow survived.
He wasn't in any state to run, the morphing potion having worn off and he was back to his old self once again. Old Knees do not allow for fast travel.
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Originally Posted by DeviousMe
The Desert
"Hey!" he yelled with a wave whilst he jumped the 'dune' and ran over toward the shapeshifted scientist, "I really don't think that's such a good idea...!" |
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The smug feeling that accompanied Tafari as the air rushed past him was obliterated by the bullet as it pinged into the energy field protecting him, bouncing off with a clear ringing noise that would probably instantly alert Elizabeth to Tafari's presence. Furthermore, since Tafari wasn't grounded and therefore unable to divert all that kinetic energy into earth, he was sent into a flailing, graceless fall.| Seeing the 'hero' disappear he pulled back from the scope for a moment before resighting and readjusting, firing off another shot, the birdie needed his wings clipped, he just hoped that Lizbeth would be keeping it busy if the hero somehow survived. |
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Dr. Mechano's Location
BADGE EARNED!
Wing Clipper
Real Showstopper.
***
Tafari managed to regain some measure of composure before he hit Elizabeth, but there was no way he was going to be able to pull a mass driver on her, and he would be lucky to even collide with her now. His energy shield deflecting the bullet had most likely alerted her, and it would be a simple matter to dodge the now rather enraged self-proclaimed god.
Tafari turned a murderous eyeball to the horizon, and his focused accuracy that also enhanced his perception homed in on Dr. Mechano.
'There are no words for this ********.' Tafari thought, just as he reached the spot where Elizabeth should be.
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The vampire quickly looked around her to find where the man had gone! She didn't expect him to dissappear like that. And she never had seen a teleportation effect before. Was he dissolved or shifted to another dimension?|
Originally Posted by Paradigm_Shift
Tafari vanished. A slow, frame-by-frame replay of the scene would have revealed that he was there one frame and gone the very next one. No rush of air filling a vacuum, no power-pose, no glow. Just gone.
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Then an explosion was heard as if something impacted that had just passed her with great speed. Pulling her out of her mindwandering state.
Suddenly she noted the looks on several of her animated corpses that where looking up to her from the ground... Looks of danger... Looks of fear... But they where looking not at Elizabeth, but past her. A metal sound was heard above her. She turned 180 degrees in mid-air to face whatever it was! But there simply wasn't any time anymore for a spell...
All that she could do was shift her weight slightly dodging the incoming Tafari... "CURSES!", she called out.
- The Italian Job: The Godfather Returns #1151
Beginner - Encounter a renewed age for the Mook and the Family when Emile Marcone escapes from the Zig!
- Along Came a... Bug!? #528482
Average - A new race of aliens arrives on Earth. And Vanguard has you investigate them!
- The Court of the Blood Countess: The Rise of the Blood Countess #3805
Advanced - Go back in time and witness the birth of a vampire. Follow her to key moments in her life in order to stop her! A story of intrigue, drama and horror! Blood & Violence... not recommend to solo!
At
"Tamrat." the Khelari answered Negative Rise, looking greatly relieved, "Call me Tamrat. And yes, he's the patterner teaching me. Used to be a total energy engineer, and he's still really good at it, but he says got tired of that a few hundred years ago. Right now, he's mainly studying the matter transmissions."
"Oh, right." the fact that the demon had asked about that twice already drove a sheepish grin onto the scaleless reptilian's lips, "Sorry. Your fault, though. You keep mentioning other things that are more interesting. Anyway, this planet, Patches it's called, uses a kind of matter transmission to bring pieces of other worlds onto itself. Basically, the target is dematerialized, turned into a higher-dimensional wave, brought here, and then rematerialized. Or at least it's supposed to be. I don't know if a septadim halftrack is anything like regular hyperspace, but I know if a 5-D waveform isn't stable when it arrives, it can rematerialize in any number of ways. Living things usually don't survive being put back together different than they were before."
By the end of that, Tamrat had forgotten all about the question of scent, already focused on the next thing that popped into his head, "You want to go talk to him? He knows a lot more about this than me..."
__________________
'Twin City'
ACTIVATION SIGNAL RECEIVED
ACTIVATION SIGNAL CONFIRMED
BOOT SEQUENCE INITIATED
INITIALIZING_
MAIN POWER RESTORED
SYSTEM CHECK INITIATED
REAVER UNIT VER SA1-446B-VM5-P
MAIN COMPUTER ONLINE
TARGETING COMPUTER ONLINE
ARM CANNON ONLINE
ARMOR REINFORCEMENT ONLINE
ENERGY MODULE DEPLOYED
AMMUNITION MODULE DEPLOYED
VISORS RESPONDING
HUD SUITE RESPONDING
VERIFYING COMPONENT SUBSYSTEMS
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COMPLETE
TARGET INFORMATION RECEIVED
TARGET INFORMATION CONFIRMED
TARGET: HETRAR INTRUDER
REAVER UNIT DEPLOYMENT CONFIRMED_
As Ildela proceeded down into the 'underground', she'd liekly eventually find that the entire area within a radius of roughly sixty meters from a point halfway down the centroidal axis of the substructure had been rendered inaccessible to individuals without the means to bypass the thick blast doors that blocked the way into that section. In fact, they were practically walls to themselves, and if it hadn't been for the colored lines and markings that indicated that they in fact led somewhere, an untrained observer - or just someone who wasn't familiar with the language and symbols - would've taken them as exactly that: walls that made dead ends...
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The Desert
For a few long seconds, Jade just stood there with wide eyes and a fearful frown of teeth, looking very worried. This guy really was insane! Great. What had he gotten himself into now? Well, at least he wasn't shooting at him...for now. The Dragon had a feeling that if things came to it, Dr. Mechano wouldn't hesitate to waste anyone and anything standing in his way.
At least he's not laughing maniacally while he's at it.
One way or another though, he was preventing Sparky over there form doing...well, whatever he was doing now. Jade couldn't even begin to follow there. The guy was nutty as they came, and that combined with his unquestionably great power put a rather large 'stay away' sign around Tafari's neck. Yeah, Jade would rather not mess with him, so even if the distraction was a maniac, he'd take it and worry about the rest later.
"Well, um..." he told Mechano, not entirely sure what to say. He did believe the man, so at least he wouldn't try to kill the woman until they gout out of here, "I guess that's...a way. Uh, I'm going to try and get those people out of there. Cover me if you can, okay?"
He meant of course the pair of Hetrar (and perhaps Rotten Luck) now running from the scene, and started toward them in first a run, then deck-level flight...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
The Desert
"Move it people. When Gods and angry Undead women fight nothing in range is safe!" Yeah he was running and trying to act as cover for the Humans. He then spotted a familiar shape. "THERE Head for the Dragon!"
Coming to a stop he looked at Jade. "Nice running into you Jade. You know how Gods are get them angry and it's fire and brimstone falling from the sky or a Flood." Then he blinked and took a step closer sniffing. "Okay... Who are you the Jade Blackwind I knew is a robot."
Gre'shil Village
Tila looked at Akat "Gre'shil fight to the death in a challenge that the way it always been." Then she looked to the human slaves who were lifting the body onto a cart. "I was already Kaja when land of dust and lighting came. Round ears from there had powerful boom sticks killed many Gre'shil calling us De'mons or taking us as Prey for food."
"Then the Gods of Thunder and lighting came killing the round ears and saving the Gre'shil. We then started worshiping the Gods. Later we learned how to sneak up on them Gre'shil captured many would have killed them or offer them all to the Gods but Rana had an idea."
"Gre'shil would make Round ears teach us new things. Like How to make boom sticks. They never did teach Gre'shil that but we learned much like raising beasts instead of hunting them all the time." "The round ears are beaten when they do wrong things."
The body would wait till the morning when a funeral fire would be lit. "I do not agree with what Rana has done. But I am not High Mother and can't overrule it."
Elven Forest
Paxtera would also note that the Fey weren't anywhere near the Changed parts of the forest. Thought it wasn't that they knew it was there more as if what ever was changing the forest was repelling them.
The Heart tree was starting to react branches swaying the reaction wasn't due to anything in the forest but yet something that was approaching. Graxitica was coming and the Heart tree felt his approach.
The Captain of the guard stood where Aineruda was shot he then looked around. "Alright Who knows what happened? I want answers Now."
Elsewhere the assassin took the punch from Kethara and fell to the ground. He wasn't prepared for such a powerful attack from such a small human. True something far more then human but a child in any case. His arm broken and facing a powerful foe he did the only option he had left.
"FREE THE HUMANS!" Then he drove his sword into his own chest. Perhaps he gave the young flying human something to think about. Truth was the humans were free but if he could shed doubt on Lady Aineruda's Followers he would die satisfied.
At
Negative Rise took in all the information the student offered with far greater interest than he allowed the creature to notice. Being a demon from Hell did provide Nev'oroxis a certain degree of access to information, and all new information provided to one such as Negative Rise would be a great addition to the vaults and libraries that indeed stood in the very depths of the unholy realm. -'This couldn't be any more perfect had I planned it all!'- his inner demonic voice rang, and then -'Wait. What if these creatures want to experiment on me? HAHAHAHHAHA! Now wouldn't that be amusing...attempting to experiment on a demon...'-
Nev'oroxis shifted his extended hand, the motion appearing to be a common human wave gesture, only differing by his digits and hand still turned on their side. Then, lowering his arm, he glanced down, but not directly at, Tamrat. "Good to meet you, Tamrat," he replied to the Khelarian's introduction. Listening to the lizard-being's explanation of how this planet operated, Nev'oroxis just stood there, attempting to give the Khelarian a bewildered look; as if all the techno-babble was downright confusing him. Truth be told his exploits on Earth left him with a vast internal record of teleportation, signal transmission, dimensional shifting and many, many other forms of transmissions. It also turned out to his great fortune that he wasn't any normal living creature, as it could've surely lead to his own early demise. Not that any sort of "death" mattered to him. Then came the creature's offer. -'Oh yes, this will be most informational...'-
"Why yes, meeting your Master Vetdjat would be my pleasure," he answered non-chalantly. "Seeing as how I'm apparently stuck on this 'Patches' as you called it, and the fact that he knows a great deal how all this ... works, would also be of great benefit to myself! As much as it'd be a great boon to my people, I can't very well remain here for the rest of my life!"
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The Elven Forest
As soon as the trees began reacting to the ever approaching arrival of Graxitica, the incarnate soul of the twin entities began drawing upon a slight strand of the magics, energies and supernatural powers that emanated from the depths of the forest.
Graxitica took note that what he was feeding on also happened to be a tainted source of those very same, once pure energies.
As the unimaginably speedy form of Graxitica approached the forest, he noticed the large, imposing wooden gate. Had he any desire to burst through the gate, making any sort of grand, spectacular entrance, he could've easily done so - but instead opted to shift his path to the left.
Judging the height of the walls and trees, he suddenly crouched slightly, then leapt on top of the barrier. ((Two leaps if necessary...)) Nothing would keep him away from a source of this much energy, not even simple trees and wooden walls. 'When are the elves ever gonna learn ... wood so easily burns, and can be dashed to smithereens!'
From atop the wall, he surveyed the expanse of the forest.
((For now I will leave Graxitica atop the wall - any interaction with the forest dwellers and elves I await further input from RottenLuck!))
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Being still in Dwarf form, pulling the staff free was what you might call 'easier than it would have otherwise been'. Unfortunately the fact that the thing sprouted tentacles when touched, while useful to know and thus avoid, didn't really help her that much. She considered flipping the staff around and blasting it out of pure spite, but didn't think she was quite at that point yet. Though precisely what point she was at, she didn't quite know. With nothing else really blatantly obvious to do, she more or less just wandered aimlessly around the grove, occasionally poking something or other to see if it reacted. And if she got no interesting response, the idea of going and requesting assistance from the elves would probably find its way into her mind eventually.| If Paxtera released the staff or managed to yank it free, the tendrils would instantly recede into the muck and remain inert. |
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| An untrained observer - or just someone who wasn't familiar with the language and symbols - would've taken them as exactly that: walls that made dead ends... |
That plus the clearly present markings on the floor that in the real dead ends she'd seen didn't go right to the wall but in these did, fairly blatantly tipped her off that yes maybe these walls are different and worth investigating. Of course, the fact she knew they were doors didn't really help her once it came time to figure out how to get the buggers open. Oh sure, she could pull out the fancy rifle that Rikti guy gave her and start blasting holes in in, but she liked to think she was more sneaky than that.
Sadly she didn't have her friends with her, and no way to get them to her, or she'd bet Cassie could've hacked the door open just like that... mechanical genius and all. But no, instead she had to rely solely on her own talents... actually that just might work, if they weren't quite airtight. She started looking around the door for cracks, gaps of any kind between the door and the walls around it where air might get through.
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| "FREE THE HUMANS!" Then he drove his sword into his own chest. Perhaps he gave the young flying human something to think about. Truth was the humans were free but if he could shed doubt on Lady Aineruda's Followers he would die satisfied. |
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
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.
Tafari panicked. Then he instantly calmed down.
'Don't panic. Don't falter. Think. Even when I get crushed, I gotta keep it cool. Gotta stay smooth, have to make it look like I'm winning even though I've already lost...'
Elizabeth caught a sight of Tafari flashing her a vicious smile and throwing her a wink as he sailed by, her drift just barely causing him to miss. Tafari hit the ground in a graceful pseudo-ninja pose. The fall nearly killed him right there, although this wasn't apparent, since having an energy form meant he didn't need to display his fatigue or exaustion to enemies. An inch from death or at 100%, it didn't matter - He always looked in peak condition. A little feature that had unnerved more than its fair share of opponents. Tafari pulled a massive overflow of energy from his conduit, energizing himself to stabilize his energy form and prevent loss of cohesion. He was only running on a little over half-steam now, but it was better than nothing.
"Looks like your friend decided to give you his fly away free card." Tafari said casually as he got up and dusted himself off, not even sparing Elizabeth a cursorary glance. "How about you settle down? It sounds like we both have something the other wants. And besides..." He finally looked up at Elizabeth, meeting her eyes with a stern glare. "I wouldn't push your luck. You're bound to run out of friends that way."
Inside his head, Tafari was in a state of anxiety once more. His natural talent to be intimidating and cocky in the face of adversity had proven to be as useful as all hell with the Gri'Shil. His position was much too risky for his liking - His plan should have worked, the harpy should have been buried in a crater with energy burns and broken bones, begging for mercy. But there was no reason why, when everything else that day had gone completely wrong, that she would back down.
'No, that would be too EASY, wouldn't it?!? HA!' Tafari thought grimly as he prepped himself for another full-blown fight.
***
The Corrupted Haven
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Paxtera may have at this point noticed with complete disinterest that the gap in the trees she had entered through had vanished. The air above was entirely blocked off by a twisted maze of jagged vines and branches, but that didn't really matter much to her, since her teleportation, phasing and temporal abilities made all attempts to strand her futile. To her, it may as well have been another indication of the malicious nature of the corruption.| With nothing else really blatantly obvious to do, she more or less just wandered aimlessly around the grove, occasionally poking something or other to see if it reacted. And if she got no interesting response, the idea of going and requesting assistance from the elves would probably find its way into her mind eventually. |
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The Elven Forest
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As soon as the trees began reacting to the ever approaching arrival of Graxitica, the incarnate soul of the twin entities began drawing upon a slight strand of the magics, energies and supernatural powers that emanated from the depths of the forest. Graxitica took note that what he was feeding on also happened to be a tainted source of those very same, once pure energies. |
The source Graxitica was feeding on started feeding on him, right back through the connection he had formed. He could clearly sense some form of sentience on the other end of the line, and although it was elusive to the extreme, nothing could hide the hostility it was radiating in his direction. It was a clear warning: Back off.
As if that wasn't enough, there was suddenly a deep rumbling throughout the forest. Birds suddenly took flight in the vicinity of the Heart-Tree, and slowly an organic form rose. The mutated heart-tree Range Runner ship rose from the forest, turned in the direction of the gates, and started to slowly drift in that direction, two bioluminescent structures that mimicked the appearance of eyes glaring directly at the intruding Graxitica.
The words of Negative Rise were greatly mirrored in the Khelari. Of course, the reptilian was already very interested, but that was a technical distinction. Crouching there on the rock he'd climbed after scaling the caldera wall, clawed toes against the stone in tandem with the palm of his left hand and the spear held vertically in the right, one end on the ground, his eyes held exactly that: interest.
For a few seconds, he simply remained there, long, whiplike tail gradually swaying to and fro as he studied this strange creature and tried to place it. To no avail, of course. But that didn't stop him from trying. Eventually he gave up however, thinking the best way to approach this was to simply ask.
"You know, you're hard to figure out." he said, "You move fast, but you also wait. You smell great, but you also talk. What are you? Where did you come from...?"
As soon as the words started flowing out of the creature's mouth, Negative Rise's mind was churning with delight. -'Ah, sentience! Somewhat, maybe even average-to-above average, intelligent life!' his almost smiling face did not change the slightest as the creature seemed about to wrap up his questioning. 'Smell good? ME? Wait'll he gets a load of this minor trick...'-
As soon as the lizard's question ended, the lizard would now detect something - odd. Whatever scent Negative Rise was giving off beforehand, was replaced by ... nothingness. The lizard would definitely notice Rise's near-smile, which now seemed to be somewhat of a smirk, but even then it seemed as if the demon was in a perpetual bad mood by facial and body expression alone.
"Greetings, hmmm ... whatever your name is," Negative Rise began slowly. "I arrived here from some other planet. Seems you would obviously already know that. Anyway," before Negative Rise would continue with his own introduction, the demonic thought process constantly running through his mind gave him:
-'Lies, deceit, subterfuge, misdirection and misinformation.'-
Of course Negative Rise already knew he was going to lie to whatever creatures he encountered, but how to do so with one such as this?
Before he spoke again he smacked his forehand with his open palm. "How silly of me. I come from the planet Ag'xis. There, I was leading a force of my men against a great, evil horde of twisted beasts and corrupted men. I fear I was the only one to survive that great battle ... as our battle was rudely interrupted. Chunk of our planet was torn asunder even while the battle raged on, and within what seemed to be mere moments I find myself here. My people know me as Nev'oroxis, High General of the Tevron Reaches." With that he gave a quick, courteous half-bow-more-nod towards the lizard thing. His eyes never left the creature.
Even if the lizard could detect any sort of deception from Negative Rise, whatever the case, no matter what Rise said from that moment forward the planet of Patches will ALWAYS translate his name as "Nev'oroxis". Not even Negative Rise would know of this unless he was able to find himself completely alone to even attempt saying the name he had been known by on Earth. It was also a good thing Negative Rise had actually been to a planet the natives called "Ag'xis" which contained a chunk of land they referred to as the Tevron Reaches. The fact that Negative Rise was responsible for the utter damnation of the High General Nev'oroxis also came in handy. Besides, not ALL of his story was a utter lie. And if the creature asked to see the chunk of land he mentioned earlier, well - the bodies were absorbed through a great and powerful magic spell of the General of the opposing forces, which only effected dead bodies...but it was all for naught as Nev'oroxis dealt that foul leader a swift, timely death blow that also made his body disintegrate.
Obviously all this information was kept locked within Rise's head, dark powers keeping it sealed away from any sort of intrusion. He would reveal it as needed.[this entire thought process occurs while Negative Rise is speaking.]
The other, more immediate problem was - how to tell this lizard that his people did not give off any sort of scent...and that whatever the lizard had smelled must've been from the light that had flashed momentarily through the skies which in turn had been carried by the wind...he awaited the creature's reaction.[This part of his thinking is after he closed his lying mouth, will not distract him from the creature's reaction nor keep him from missing a word of the Khelarian's/lizard thing creature whatever reply.]
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The next day, some other patch of this crazy world:
Shortoth Graxin had been travelling, surprisingly very quickly, towards his forested destination. He had already determined he would simply tell any locals he goes by the name "Graxitica", if he ever encountered any to give such name to.
While he continued his journey, he was amazed at his newfound power - he found himself not walking but instead running, at an incredible pace for such a massive body. That wasn't the end all of these newfound powers, however. Of course a great hunger had filled this body ever since he occupied the shell, so during his journey he took moments to 'hunt'. Whatever wild, plains creatures that may have been left on any of the patches he crossed, were now occupants being digested within the great bulk of his new form. Of course, he didn't possess ALL his former power: [i]'No, that power I could only possess when I am TRULY whole once again...when every last bit of my essence is freed from those dreaded prisoners,' this thought brought about questions that had been running through his mind for 900 centillion: 'Are the other pieces broken? Are the other pieces of me free as I am now? For how long have they been free?' this time disrupted by another track of his thinking rail-road, 'I must seek them out, even if they are already seeking out me.'
What "Graxitica" didn't know was that only two other pieces, each piece a strange, ancient prison in their own right, had been broken open to unleash two other "slivers" of the once almighty and terrible Dark World Emperor Shortoth. Neither of those slivers were on this planet, either (unless the Rogue Isles were also transported here to Patches!). He would've detected their precense immediately upon release.
The forest seemed to be getting closer now. His eyes, as keen as they were and augmented by magics placed upon himself, were just now making out the great height of the trees. Maybe five more miles or so? He couldn't really, truly tell, but that's how it appeared to him. He decided now would be a good time to pause and look around, before he went barreling towards the forest again...