Patches (Open RP)

Many things could distract, but few things could deter the fey from her task. Having Jade contemplate her with hungry eyes was one of them.

With an "Eep!", her palm-sized bluish glow darted behind the spirit wolf. Or, if he disappeared in the interim, behind the much less desirable hiding spot of the Marbles.

"I'll just wait here," wary eyes peeked out from her concealed position. "Don't take too long," she admonished, looking skyward for no discernible reason.

At

The invisible energy pulses came flying into the chambers, battering Vetdjat to the floor. Several pulses slammed into the floor around Negative Rise, causing him to focus for a moment, as he embraced the darkness that seemed to blot out the light around him. A murky cloud shot upwards from his feet as a blackened shield of obsidian erupted from nowhere, encircling his carnal body.

He shifted his feet, crouching a bit as he placed himself into a combat stance, and unleashed his claws. He frantically scanned the chamber, trying to see if the only other Khelari he knew in this place was here. "TAMRAT! Vetdjat is fallen!" he shouted out as he continued to scan the room, taking note of the attackers' equipment and weapons.

The continued blasts from their pulse rifles seemed to continue to slam into the floor - the result of near-hits instead of near-misses. -'Whoever the HELLS these guys are - their aim isn't half bad...'- the demon let the thought pass as he moved over to the fallen Khelari, but not bothering to check the creature's vitals. If Vetdjat had died, he might possibly be able to detect the being's spirit leaving the body...so long as some of his hellish powers still remained. Keeping his eyes locked on one of the mysterious attackers, Nev'oroxis shoved his fist forward at the armored clad warrior, turning it over as he opened his palm towards himself. Then, he waved his fingers, motioning for the gunman to come in closer ... "Your trinkets have no chance of hitting me!" he shouted at the one he had been staring at. As he called out, a glimmer of light reflected off his pure, black eyes. His claws were about to get bloodied yet again...

__________________________________________________ ___________________________

Ag'xis Time-Loop

Jerval's chanting had picked up speed, yet his pronunciation and recital was perfect. Dashing a few more components into an already chaotic mixture of other ingredients, the time was nearing that his spell would be complete.

'All in due time...' the chronomage jokingly reflected as his chants continued. Mystic energies had been gathering for a while now ... coalescing at the center of a now hidden, woven web of time at the center of the circle of protection Jerval stood in.

__________________________________________________ ___________________________

Back on Patches...

Graxitica kept speeding forward, noticing several falling objects moments before...

His path was leading him straight for the Khelaris patch of this planet.

Elven Forest

"I..."Jade started, not entirely sure what to say, Kethara's words coming somewhat close to his own inexperience. He'd seen pancakes before, sure. Knowing what they tasted like, however...

Yeah, that pretty much made up his mind. He'd ask for pancakes as well. And if they weren't available...well, he was just about okay with anything so long as he could taste it.

"You sure?" he inquired of the little fae, "You're not hungry...?"
__________________

At

Vetdjat's spirit wasn't going anywhere, this Negative Rise could easily discern. In fact, just a glance at the Khelari's angry eyes would've given any onlooker more than clear indication he was still alive.

He just couldn't move. Oh, how he hated shockers.

Tamrat was nowhere to be found, at least not in the general vicinity. The attackers' equipment, on the other hand, was a good bit easier to make out - powered armor, hermetically sealed and clearly though enough to survive the environment of Khelaris (temporarily at least, but the demon didn't know that), and weapons that resembled Steyr AUGs, at least in the most basic definitions of form. Judging that they fired disabling blasts of energy, they very clearly weren't from Earth.

In addition, the attached magazines gave a fairly clear indication that shocker blasts wasn't all these things could fire, and by the looks of the long cylinders these guys carried on their backs, they likely packed some additional firepower they hadn't pulled out yet. The word bazookas came to mind.

However, the most subtle element of their armament - though it may well have been the most noticeable to the demon - were several discrete patterns etched into their suits themselves. While alien in nature, it wasn't too far-fetched that he just might recognize the purpose of the bulk of them.

Binding runes.

And with their shockers having no effect, the armored troopers seemed rather intent on putting them to use, specifically the ones that graced their knuckles.

And their feet.

And their elbows.

And their knees.

The difference in styles courtesy of two forms being worlds apart couldn't much mask the martial motions of the challenged alien in the powered armor as the gun formerly in hand was let loose to dangle from its shoulder strap. It wasn't the same. But it was close.

Muay Thai.

And as the others stopped firing, the challengee approached...

One arm waved Jade away from her safe retreat. "Go on, go on. Just get back soon!" the fey emphasized, saying whatever else was needed to see him off. The sooner he was gone, the sooner he would hopefully return, and the sooner they could get the prophecy spell completed.

((*pokes Rotten* Hello? Anybody there?))

((Mkay then, since Rotten and Kyzock seem to have gone MIA...))

Jade breathed a smiling, deeply satisfied sigh as he departed the eatery after he'd finished...well, just about everything that had gotten anywhere near his reach. That had been necessary. He loved being able to eat again.

Heading to the little fae's retreat with relaxed, yet still just a tidbit cautious step, he gave a nod to the fairy to convey that he was ready. If there was nothing else she meant to do first, he'd take her straight to the elf's workshop, and with that to the 'remains' of Bisys...

(( Sorry been distracted.))

"So those were pancakes. Who would have thought fried bread patties would be so good." Cere said as he followed Jade. "Well on to business my Lab is this way." He then led them out of the village and to the cliff side where his home was. The place had a telescope on the top, a few storage areas with half finished projects.

Inside seemed to be a mix of Alchemist's, Mad scientist's, and Wizard's lab. "The remains of the poor girl is in here" he said as he entered a room where the remains he found were placed out on a table.

The spirit wolf rose up and brushes the Fairy with his tail. "Come on Little one it's time to get to work." With that he headed for Cerelesson's lab.

((Just giving others a chance to post. Didn't want to blitz the thread.))

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeviousMe At In addition, the attached magazines gave a fairly clear indication that shocker blasts wasn't all these things could fire, and by the looks of the long cylinders these guys carried on their backs, they likely packed some additional firepower they hadn't pulled out yet. The word bazookas came to mind. However, the most subtle element of their armament - though it may well have been the most noticeable to the demon - were several discrete patterns etched into their suits themselves. While alien in nature, it wasn't too far-fetched that he just might recognize the purpose of the bulk of them. Binding runes. And with their shockers having no effect, the armored troopers seemed rather intent on putting them to use, specifically the ones that graced their knuckles. And their feet. And their elbows. And their knees. The difference in styles courtesy of two forms being worlds apart couldn't much mask the martial motions of the challenged alien in the powered armor as the gun formerly in hand was let loose to dangle from its shoulder strap. It wasn't the same. But it was close. Muay Thai. And as the others stopped firing, the challengee approached...

At - Chambers within the Khelari Structure

Negative Rise noted the alien armor and weaponry, and the runes definitely stuck out as sore thumbs.

Then he watched his taunted 'victim' moving forward...-'How...quaint.' he thought to himself, his claws still fully extended, awaiting their next taste of blood. 'Runic armor, martial fighting style...good thing I didn't just charge right in...these guys definitely seem to know what they're doing.'-

He brought his right hand up, licking the claws as the challenged alien approached. "So I see you're in no rush to die. A pity, really, because you'll be of no challenge whatsoever, and will certainly die here today!"

__________________________________________________ ___________________________

Ag'xis Time-Loop

Jerval was almost done with his chants. The ingredients were all combined now. The chronomage estimated about 2 more minutes of chanting, which would put him at about a half-hour away from his meeting with the Ascended Generals in this time-loop.

__________________________________________________ ___________________________

Patches - Khelaris Patch, near At

Graxitica was closing in on the volcanic caldera. He had definitely noticed some of the oddities falling around this area. His new body was straining under the gravitational pull of this patch, and the sulfuric and generally dangerous atmosphere of this patch seemed to be causing some unexpected side-effects.

The incarnate beast stopped dead in his tracks, chanting a few words yet again. He was not about to let a toxic environment kill this new shell.

His mind, at the edge of dreams, takes a hold his surroundings. He blinks, once, twice, then a few more times. The frost covered snout sniffs, twichting to life and shaking some ice off it. His eyes focus finally and he looks down at the corpse in front of him. He turns his head, looking for the bloody knife. He finds it, coated with red lifeforce, right next to him. A pair of eyes lay beside it, and he sighs. His massive frame heaves up and he releases a wave of air, calming and clearing his mind.

In the closed shed, aptly named the "Meathouse, something rattles. The door opens, and he steps out, wiping his hands on his heavy pants. The white coat of fur nearly disappears in the background of the same white. He pulls up a scarf like facemask as the winds howl. Dunes of snow shift and move constantly, the wind scouring the tundra. The slits in the facemask let him see, but the winds don't harm the eyes, and don't freeze his lungs. A voice rises up behind him..

"Sleet! Hey, SLEET!" An obvious female voice calls out. He turns and looks in the direction of the voice, his long ears twitching under the mask. "Sheer? Sheer, the mark's done, I took the pieces!" He calls back, looking for Sheer. Another set of blinks and he finds her. Her form, slowly adapating to the cold, stands out as he locates the voice. Her orange and black markings of her bengal heritage peek from under her heavy clothing. He makes a note to patch up her clothes when they find shelter. He waves her over.

"Sheer, where are the others? Me and Shiver need to speak, quickly. Something's amiss, I can feel it. He does too, I bet. " Sleet huffs as Sheer nears. Her voice, nearly a whisper over the howling wind despite her yelling, answer the heavy wolf. "He found a cave, come on, we got shelter!" Without another moment's thought, she grabs his paw and begins to lead him to the cave.

Seems the Patches have interegrated some piece of another world.

Jade and company returned to find the little fey in the middle of another tirade. "... and I know it's my fault it happened in the first place, but enough is enough! Being diminished over time after I commit to a plan of action to keep me on track does no good when the ones I'm sent to help who wander off and causes the delay, not I!

"And if it wasn't you, Marbles, then it was the K'hdriddyl, the Avions, the Crazed, or some other jokers who wanted dibs on my treasures. I'm of a mind to charge you grievance fees for the trouble security measures with the Universe have cost, if I could figure out how. What is so wrong about just wanting to keep my garden and myself to myself, anyway?"

Spotting Jade, she broke off, her mouth hanging open a few seconds. "You... you actually came back. Well, well! There is a first for everything. To think, I almost made a deal with the Marbles in order to get out of here." She made a show of hovering in the air to dust herself off while Cerelassion announced the next location. It might be a trick of the light, but the fairy, like her temper, appeared even shorter than before. She was closer to three-and-a-half inches tall instead of the previous four.

The spirit wolf rose up and brushes the Fairy with his tail. "Come on Little One; it's time to get to work."

"Eeeeep!" her screech marked her path in an arc ending on Jade's shoulder. She grabbed on to the perch, shaking in equal parts rage and terror.

"Fairies like flying through the air. Though we far preferred our own choice of route and destination," she chided. Anyone else would have gotten an hour's earful, but she personally had a respect boarding paranoia of undomesticated canine from an incident ages ago. The first messed-up mission for the Universe she had just been lamenting, as a matter of fact. Though it had been a very different breed of wolf involved, the fear remained.

Her trembling had faded by the time they entered Cerelassion's lab. Still, she looked like she had a nervous twitch as she fluttered from Jade's shoulder to the remains on the table. Hmming and Uh-huhing, the fey lifted up several of the scale fragments a third as big as her to reflect the in the growing daylight and scrambled all over the humanoid skull.

"Well, some more good news and bad news," she proclaimed, lounging daintily atop the bleached dome. "Good news first. This," she patted the skull beneath her, "holds the Positronic Matrix needed for the spell. Bad news: I hope your not attached to it, because the Prophecy is and it will need to go back in time too.

"More good news," she hurried on, hoping to distract Jade from any objections he may have, "is that these scales are just flakes of metal. I expect they are the remains of your form she took on. Things like forms and contracts made in life lose their power and authority upon death. She won't have to return as a robot. The scales are utterly harmless and, as far as I'm concerned, utterly useless."

She reconsidered. "Well, if you have a morbid obsession, I suppose you could keep them to use as an ingredient to return to your robotic state someday. I can't imagine why you would want to, as you didn't sound happy to be that way when you told your story. Otherwise throw the scales out. Or melt them into something useful like a flowerpot. We won't need them for the spell, and they'd only be in the way."

Checking things off on her vine-covered fingers, she nodded. "That nearly does it. First stage first. Is your time-traveling acquaintance available?" She didn't want to remind that she had an alternative. It really was one she didn't want to use unless absolutely necessary.

Elven Forest

"Um..." Jade looked for (and if possible, to) Kethara, his face an uncertain mixture of both hope and concern, "I'm not...is she...?"
__________________

At

The challengee stopped momentarily in response to the demon's words, looking almost deflated. A grumbled Slavic tone came through the electronic modulation of the exosuit's speaker system, a gruff female voice complaining with a garbled sigh, "Why do I always get the prattle imps?"

She didn't leave Negative Rise (or anyone else, for that matter) a chance to answer that question - though the look of her comrades seemed to have them at a chuckle. Instead, she simply stepped forward to deliver an uppercut, trying to waylay the demon with a well-placed imaginary freight train to the jaw. She didn't split even a lick off for defense, as if his claws weren't something she had to worry about.

While not the truth, it wasn't far therefrom. While the Cerosian-modified Slavkov armor that protected her from harm didn't grant any true invulnerability, it was pretty damn tough. Slashing weapons in general could do little harm to it, often having as much as 90% of their oomph sucked right out of the impact, and this applies to a whole slew of other physical attacks.

But that wasn't the worst of it. Not if the attacker was a demon. The moment Negative Rise made contact with the Slavkov, he'd find out why.

It burned.

Hand, claw, ten foot pole, it didn't matter. If a demon held it, the inscribed script upon the armor attacked it, trying to absorb and bind the essence that gave the demon life. In short, to take apart and imprison the target within the armor, severely weakening it in the process...
__________________

Somewhere Cold

Hunter-killers weren't bright. But we've covered that before. Still, their programming allowed for a few liberties. One of these was to investigate sudden changes in the landscape, and the appearance of a whole low of snow, certainly applied.

And thus it came to pass that one of the machines roughly the size of a small attack helicopter broke off its usual patrol, slowly swiveling about by virtue of the three powerful, compact, and yet presently almost silent jet engines mounted on a pair of fuselage winglets and in a tail sconce. Though they weren't what kept the machine aloft (an unseen field of energy did that job), they were free to pivot with several degrees of freedom, giving the aircraft the exceptional speed and maneuverability that made these machines such efficient hunter-killers.

Well, aside from their heavy payload, that was. To these things, there was no such thing as overkill - only 'open fire' and 'time to reload'.

Reporting its position with a quick databurst, the flying arsenal picked up speed and crossed the new 'border', heading into the snowscape...

At - Chambers of Combat!

The dark shields that had erupted around Negative Rise moments before were suddenly, viciously and momentarily dirupted as his "victim" threw a sloppy, yet trained uppercut towards him. Even if it did connect, any burning sensation/binding power of her powered and decorated armor would hold no more effect other than being healed instantly and invoking an equally responsive swipe from his claws.

He shook his head at her in a negative motion as she would soon discover a weakening sensation overcoming her. -'That is, if my little trick works as it should, given their armor...' his mental quip clear in his head, but not echoed in his voice:- "Ah, a female opponent. So they send in a woman. Honey," he smirked as he said this, "this ain't no fantasy-land playing out in your head. Which I'm sure by now you realize this..." his smirk became a more twisted, yet still non-smile. "Also...really? A prattling imp, you say?" At this, he lets out a grating, shrill near-laugh, guttural indeed, yet sounding as if someone had just raked their fingernails across a chalkboard very furiously and repeatedly. With a wave of his left hand, a puff of smoke arises behind her...and a prattling imp appears there when the smoke clears.

Then he leaps up, curling into a ball at the height of his leap, bringing his claws out, down and in a crossed pattern near landing...with a hellish intent of slicing her in half...

__________________________________________________ ________________________

Near At/Outer Khelaris Patch

Graxitica's spell went off without a hitch, encasing his new shell in a protective barrier, preventing further harm from potentially overcoming the shell. He continued, closing in on the caldera...

__________________________________________________ ________________________

Ag'xis

Jerval's chanting was now complete. The ingredient were properly mixed, the pattern was properly aligned.

The time-loop continued on around him - various chambermaids and other personnel of the Tevron Fortress went about their business, some of them had approached him, yet his protective bubble kept him free of any interference.

Meanwhile - Then he leaps up, curling into a ball at the height of his leap, bringing his claws out, down and in a crossed pattern near landing...with a hellish intent of slicing her in half...

Jerval waved his hand, then retrieved his wand from the table he had been using. With two quick words, a flick of his wrist and a thump of the wand onto the table, the spell was complete -

Time throughout the universe stopped, suddenly, abruptly...and Jerval began working on his next task: chronoporting out of this temporal loop.

The alien flinched back as Negative Rise's slash reduced her suit's mobility, weakening her defense. Well. That was certainly new. Good thing he stopped to talk shortly thereafter, letting enough time pass for the effect to expire. By the time he attacked again, his opponent's defensive abilities were right back where they'd started.

Well...not exactly.

Just why so many people seemed to expect their adversaries to do nothing when they monologued was a good question, but not one for which the woman cared to find an answer. So instead, she did something. Multiple somethings, in fact. As he laughed, she let the Slavkov's sensors perform surveillance on her opponent, analyzing his offense and defense - especially those shields of his to give her a greater chance of getting through them. Furthermore, she used the gathered information to adjust her stance and increase her own defensive capability, making it much harder for the demon's attacks to strike true so long as he remained in melee with her.

Like right about now.

As his fists came down, her hands went up. Palms caught knuckles and fingers deftly found the gaps between the demon's claws, the woman catching and holding fast both arms of Negative Rise in a fashion much comparable to an industrial vise. But even if the crushing pressure didn't break every bone in those hands (which she somewhat expected; after all, nothing they'd done had affected this guy even in the slightest for some unexplained reason), her armor's attempt to outright incinerate him with the 'fire' it produced in reaction to demon contact wasn't something even Baphomet could've just ignored.

Not that she was going to take that chance. Martial combat was called that for a reason, and thus she simultaneously attempted to crack his skull with a headbutt that came like some twisted form of sledgehammer...
__________________

Eleven Forest

"Uh-oh." Jade's lips retreated and curled down to form that same toothed expression of shock as before, the Dragon hesitating not a moment in darting after Ildela, trying to discern Paxtera's status as well...

Somewhere cold..

Sleet blinked as the perky young cat led him by the paw. As they neared the cave, Sleet began to sense his old friend, Shiver. A fire was already going inside the cave, it's light spilling out into the cold before being comsumed by the white outside. Sleet sighs, shaking off the cold and unwrapping his head. "So, you blind mutt, you sense anything wrong lately?

Shiver, his graying coat by the fire, chuckles hoarsely. "Ah, not so young one, I have. I take it you have too? The cold is distrubed, almost angry. Something is most amiss. " He says, stroking a length of fur under his chin. "We must prepare ourselves. We don't know what they bring, whether in peace or war.."

Sheer growls. "We'll be fine. My swords are ready." A heavy paw falls on her shoulder.

"No, young cat. I need you here, with Shiver. He's still got some tricks up his sleeve, but he's still old. I'll finish the prep tonight, rest, then head out. I've lived in this Tundra nearly my whole life. I haven't met anything I can't track, yet."

Sheer huffs then nods. The meal, already being cooked, is delicious. They set up heavy, sleeping bag like things and are fast asleep, as the wind and snow howls in the vast white.

"If it's not one thing, it's another," the fay complained bitterly.

She tried to get closer to see what she could do. After all, the universe never gave her a situation that was more than she or one of the temporary companions could handle. But dispite her tiny size Kethara and Jade crowded too close for her to get a good look.

"A little help, please? Give her room to breath!"

As it turned out, Paxtera was fine. Well, mostly. She was most definitely unconscious, but aside from that she seemed fine. There wasn't even any notable reason for her to be unconscious. But in the time it took for them to notice that, Kethara was already shaking her awake. "Uuuggh... Remind us to not do that again?", she commented, sounding very much like someone who'd just had all nine layers of hell kicked out of her.

Kethara practically collapsed on top of her in relief, hugging her tight. "Don't scare me like that!", she yelled in a mixture of anger and relief.

"Sorry, sweetie. We had to leave in a hurry, didn't have time to put up the usual shields", Paxtera replied, "And you know how rough it is without them."

"Yeah, I know. But... Ahh, nevermind." Kethara let her go and got up, pulling her mother up with her.

The fey's reaction was as emphatic as Paxtera's daughter, if a bit more selfish. The time-traveler seemed to be more or less intact and likely to be available presently. She placed a hand on her chest and sighed in relief as she addressed Paxtera, "Very, very glad you made it!"

So far she had not had to call in the alternative. Even better she had not had to reveal her ace. Every time the little fairy had had to do that she had ended up in a bottle or lamp or some other small cramped container for, well, much longer than she wanted to remember.

Still, a little offering should not arouse too much attention while still speeding things up. "Do you need any help? Perhaps something to recover your energy?" She clasped her hands together then unfolded them to offer what looked like a tiny fluff of cotton candy, pink as the membranes of her fluttering wings.

Jade smiled softly, glad Paxtera was okay. He waited for her to answer...

Throwing a temper tantrum would hardly help her position. Logic said that. Logic versus emotion in a temper shorter than the palm-sized body. Logic lost.

"It is not candy. It is a seed from plant of the universal salve variety. At least I have yet to encounter a situation where it does not benefit a willing recipient.

"Frankly I don't care who you are, nor do I care for you to know me. All I want is to be left alone."

She huffed a moment. Her mutterings were of counting to ten thrice. Calmed down, at least marginally, she grumbled reminders to herself that she wanted assistance rather than antagonism. She backtracked to try speaking again to Paxtera. Her voice was slightly strangled, the tone that was Patches' translation of her chirps still strained.

"Based on your question you have a name. Unlike you, I don't have one. If you must have something to gain my attention, I have been called Rosette Briar." She held up the proffered pink fluff above her vine-and-thorn covered arm to signify where the name arose. "Anyone can call me whatever they wish. If it is done with respect and if I have an inclination to respond, I will. Why does everyone dwell on me having a name, anyway? I really don't understand it. Why would I need one if I am only by myself?

"Ironically," she glared a moment at a non-person point above her, "the best security for seclusion requires unscheduled interruptions of said solitude for, what shall we call it?, case work. The geis of a mortgage payment, if you will. One that traps me until the requirements of the individual case are fulfilled. Then I get my coveted solitude until the next case.

"That's why I'm here. Jade has lost his friend. I have the knowledge of the spell to bring her back as she was meant to be. Thus, the geis picked me, oh! lucky me!, to be the one to do it. All the pieces are assembled to finish off this case. Well, all the pieces but one.

"That's where you come in. I need a time traveler to complete the first half of the spell by placing two items back in time so they fulfill a time loop. That's it. No meddling with the time stream. No 'change the universe so I am emperor of everything' scheme. Not even rewrite history so I can be alone, as tempting as that sounds.

"You can hold the items to transport. In fact, I'd prefer that. The only reason I have to go along at all is to ensure they are placed correctly.

"So you see, I don't want to waste my effort in childish games with you. No offense, I'm sure you are worth tricking, but not by me. Ask the Marbles when we're done; they'd be thrilled for the job.

"All I want is to get this spell over with so I can get out of here. This seed is simply meant to help you recover faster so you can help me help Jade, which will allow me get out of this... this mess!"

Heh. Of course, spelling out the truth probably won't resolve things so simply. In her experience time travelers tended to gain too much history and too many secrets to take things at face value, even from such a simple creature as herself.

She should have known her luck was over strained when the magical artisan Cerelassion, the one she had expected the most questions and delays from, had been overly helpful just short serving with a silver platter. Of course it wasn't going to be that easy. Gaaaaah!

Bad enough she had to work with Marbles, now she was being treated like one too. Why couldn't people be bothered to know the differences between a helpful fairy and a trickster fae? The suffering she had to endure because of prejudice really wasn't fair.

Paxtera just remained silent as the fairy ranted at her, the proverbial rock standing against the tide. Once it seemed she was done, the peacebringer whistled quietly. "You might want to keep a lid on that cynicism, or you'll accidentally tear a whole in reality with the sheer force of it", she commented. Of course, no such thing was actually possible for most people. But still.

"Anyway, alright. We'll help, but we're going to need more details." She smiled a rather amused smile. "'Take two items and put them in the past' is rather open-ended. Specifics as to which two items, where and when to put them... You know, stuff like that would be useful."

"You might want to keep a lid on that cynicism, or you'll accidentally tear a hole in reality with the sheer force of it," came the reprimand to her little tirade.

The fey's shoulders slumped. "Thistle berries," she bemoaned. She didn't believe that Paxtera thought her powerful enough for such thoughtless destruction, but she did misunderstand the observation as a rejection. She really, really, really had wanted the time traveler already here rather than the other option.

Then Paxtera continued, "Anyway, alright. We'll help, but we're going to need more details." She smiled a rather amused smile. "'Take two items and put them in the past' is rather open-ended. Specifics as to which two items, where and when to put them... You know, stuff like that would be useful."

Oh-ho, that brightened the little fairy considerably. "Now you're talking!"

The seed didn't appear to be needed at the moment, so she tucked it out of sight among the vines covering her arms. Then she zoomed to Jade's nose to again curl around the short horn, wings lazily opening and closing. "This guy here - Jade was it? right, Jade - had a friend who got them both snared by a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy because it was masquerading in a shape similar to a Token she lost. It's a harmless looking thing, like a stone acorn. Jade can tell you all about the fun," she rolled her eyes sarcastically, "they had because of it after we are done placing it in the past for the spell.

"The second item is that skull," she pointed towards Cerelassion's worktable. "It is the remains of his friend at her death, and contains the Positronic Matrix from a metaloid form. For some reason the Prophecy has connected to it and requires it in the past with it. Why? Don't know, don't care. Actually, it works out for the best. There are other pieces Jade has from her natural form that will be used later in the spell to revive her. By putting the Matrix remnant with the Prophecy, it removes the chance of getting mixed up with and/or at odds against with the revival phase, what with her being a magical creature and all. Really, Jade, I don't know what your friend was thinking as she tried to mix magic and technology.

"For where, that would be the location I was pulled into Patches at. It is a bit that-a-way," she waved a hand in the general direction of Paragon, "but reasonably reachable by air.

"And when. Hmm, that I don't know until when we arrive. Have you ever heard of 'Warm Hot Cold'? That's the best I can describe the sensation of when to go. The longer I'm here the farther, or colder, away the when feels. So the Prophecy has to go into the past, not the future. Makes sense, it being a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and all would require it to be put back to when it could be discovered by Jade and his friend.

"Beyond that, I will know when because I feel I'm getting 'warmer' to the destination. Best guess would be whenever the desert was pulled to Patches. Do you know when that was, Jade? Oh, wait, that's right. You were pulled here with Paragon, not the desert; the same as your friend. Anyway, if you," she addressed Paxtera again, "don't know when that was, a handful of jumps should be enough to locate it.

"While we are gone Jade, the Marbles, and whomever else Jade wants involved can go to where his friend died. That's where the second half of the spell will need to take place for the actual revival.

"Any other questions before we go?" For such a tiny body she sure had impressive lung capacity, getting it all out in three-and-a-bit breaths.

Jade shook his head. He didn't understand all the details, but had gotten enough for the gist of it. He just hoped this would work...