Patches (Open RP)

"I'll see what I can do." Jade told Trisys with a confident-looking smirk. He wasn't entirely sure just how to make moonlight happen, but he figured that if this planet had at least one moon, all he'd have to do was wait until night, then fly up above the clouds to find out. If there was, he could just take her there as well then. If not...well, that was the purpose of the smile.

"Four days that way, huh?" he then looked in the direction Scar indicated, returned the wave Ildela gave them with (what else?) the sharp metal tip of his silver-gray tail, and then commanded his optics to zoom as far as they could into the distance. Yeah, fat chance. The zoom lenses weren't that good. Oh well. Once the others got here he'd ask about that teleportation anyway...
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The artillery reacted to Paxtera's transformation with the near-instantaneous nature of the programmed machine. Not a millisecond after the 'human' vanished and the 'Kurukt' appeared, all the cannons that had been firing at her responded with the very same action, most likely greatly surprising the Kheldian.

They stopped.

Just stopped, from one instant to another. Then their barrels swayed away from their former target and returned to standby positions, coming to rest in a radially proportioned pattern about the 'city'. It was almost as if she'd gone invisible, disappeared entirely off their sensors.

In a way, this was true. In the form of a Kurukt, they no longer acknowledged her. That being was not on their list of hostile entities, and therefore not something their programming said should be fired upon. If she attacked now (or returned to human form), that would of course change, but for now the artillery simply ignored her...

Paxtera, whether or not she would ignore the now apathetic artillery, now had something else to worry about. One moment, everything was fine - as fine as it could get, considering she had just been bombarded moments before. And now, it appeared she was going to be blasted again, albeit by a different source...

A massive dark-gray object was whistling through the air in an exageratted arc, heading right for her position, heading toward her from West of the desert. In mere moments, it impacted the ground a mile ahead of her. It then carved a gigantic swath through the landscape, throwing up dirt and rock as it went at insane speeds...Until it began to slow down, and eventually stopped its journey at a comfortable distance of twenty feet away from Paxtera's position. The object was around twenty feet in diameter, shaped like an egg, was constructed of an entirely seamless metalic material, and bore no distinguishing symbols. The mobile sentires of the nearby plate, since they were watching, would detect no humanoid presence within.

The pod - there was nothing else to call it, really - suddenly vented a heavy but clear gas that caused the air to waver from several unseen openings. The entire front of the pod, which had appeared seamless, suddenly cracked open and pulled itself back, revealing a much rougher interior, which essentially amounted to a much more contained version of the double-layered blast doors Paragon City science labs were so fond of using. For now, said blast doors remained sealed, although additional vents began to release more of the heavy gas, and several lights began to blink on in a patterned sequence, one by one...

Ok, so they hated humans. Again, for no apparent reason and with no warnings given. But still, fine. She'd just stay in Dwarf form. At least that way she might be able to get in and then get some kind of answer for why they hated humans so much. Though at this point she wouldn't be entirely surprised to find there was no reason. Or that there was no one left alive, or that the occupants were in fact human and she'd been shot at for not being part of whatever faction ruled the city. Humans were like that, she'd found. At times she was ashamed of herself just for being part of the species.

Still, she proceeded forward. There weren't any answers out here, after all. Even if there weren't any in there it wasn't like she'd be any worse o- Oh, now what? She looked around at the approaching object, making no move to avoid it even though it seemed to be heading right for her. And sure enough, it stopped just short of her. In another place, another situation she may have gone and had words with whatever was driving it about the sizable swath of countryside it'd just pulverised, but right now she had other things to do. "One thing at a time...", she muttered to herself, resuming her path towards the city and leaving the metallic egg and whatever was in it on its own. If it was still there when she finished looking around the city she'd take a look at it, if not.... well, time saved.

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Ildela grinned as Jade waved at her with his tail, not quite able to suppress a laugh at the somewhat comical appearance of the gesture. She continued onward, humming quietly to herself until she stopped some few paces from the Gre'shil. "Just so I'm sure... you lot aren't gonna try to kill me again?", she asked, her stance unthreatening but in the sort of voice that suggested terribly things if they did attack again.

Kethara meanwhile started lazily circling in the air above. It was quite apparent that the girl was rather fond of being able to fly.

((Gonna wait to see if Dogma's egg does something before I post wrt Paxtera.))

Jade's eyelids dropped halfway across his oculae at the sudden flare-up of aggression, a very dissatisfied look coming over his face as a result. The grunt from his nostrils only gave it the final touch, and with a groaned sigh, he set Trisys' feet gently back upon the ground before taking a few steps toward the altercation.

"Hey, hey, hey, we're not killing anybody else here." he declared with an outstretched arm, the clawed fingers of its silver-gray hand spread in a gesture of desistence, glancing at Lazardarus a moment as well, "That goes for everyone. And if you have a problem with meat-eating animals, leave. Because I used to be one too, and if I could, I'd go back to it just like that."

The metal Dragon clapped his hands together in a glancing fashion to emphasize just how much he wanted to be his former self again, then turned to mostly address Kethara and Ildela, "Hey, uh, can I ask you guys for a favor?"

"There's a place where these guys want to hunt about..." he told them the distance his system had calculated based on the estimated velocity of a Gre'shil over four days, pointing in the direction the reptilians had indicated, "...that way. Can you teleport us all there? Or do the thing you use to appear places if it's not a teleport? Please? It would really help us out a lot..."

(It doesn't.)

The spurt of fighting had its immediate effect on Trisys. She was almost grateful that Master set her aside. Her vulnerability to malice, hate, aggression, and all other war-centric emotions was directly proportional. Trisys sat huddled on the ground, biting her lip. It was taking all her effort to keep her external and internal trembling from becoming a distraction.

Master knew now her weaknesses and her training to use his shadow as a retreat from becoming a distraction. As well as knowing about the phantoms, which were all eager for battle to be engaged so they could once more emerge as guardians.

She did have enough coherency to hear Jade's question to Kethara and Ildela about teleporting. Through the token Jade could know that it was well within Trisys's abilities to provide such. Not in one go, but as a series of teleports. In fact, it would was one of the easiest things, and would be a relief to have reprieve from the Gre'shil.

Trisys would be better to wait for Master to command and let him decide since her judgment was shot under the emotional barrage.

'Grandville Lite' may have been the words that came to Paxtera's mind as she got closer to the 'city', the bluish-gray, metallic-looking material that composed the bulk of it arranged in much the same manner, though without the many pipes, pylons, bridges, platforms, and of course webbing and Arachnos insignia of which Recluse's fortress harbored so much.

In fact, the architecture bore a faint resemblance to what Crey might have built given enough free hand, though the dead plant life that would've signaled an assault by the Devouring Earth in such a case seemed strangely...in place. Like it belonged here. It was almost as if the tall, still somewhat reflective buildings and their once-lush overgrowth had come into existence together, at roughly the same time - not one after the other, as was usual for abandoned human cities on Earth.

As Paxtera closed the final few kilometers, the radius of curvature of the 'plate's' rim gradually straightened (or at least seemed to as it took more and more viewfield), until eventually the Peacebringer stood before a still mostly smooth metallic wall that rose up before and toward her at an angle of about thirty-five degrees from the vertical. There were no doors in sight (they existed, but had been buried in over a hundred years' worth of dust and debris accumulation), and there weren't any stairs or ladders either. Whoever had built this thing had apparently had no need for climbing aids.

Once she made it to the upper edge of the 'plate', however, the seeming lifelessness of the place dispersed in mere instants. Though the house-sized artillery batteries sat quiet and motionless, their many red-glowing lenses brimmed with activity. They scanned the areas that they should defend constantly, always analyzing, always updating, always reporting.

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anyone to report to. No people walked the passages between the buildings (they couldn't really be called streets, though some were wide enough), nothing moved upon the many perch-like platforms attached to the towers, and the dried remains of the overgrowth lay still and calm as everything else. Only the ongoing, barely noticeable hum of powered machines lay in the air...
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"Um...don't they have phones where you come from?" Jade asked of Kethara with a confused blink, "Or some other way of reaching her?"

For a moment, it may have appeared that he'd not perceived the token's information. In fact, it was quite the contrary. The pizza incident was still very fresh in his mind, and the metal Dragon had no intent to not carefully consider that he should be careful what he wished for.

For all he knew, Trisys could be putting herself in danger yet again. He'd learned a long time ago that just because people said something was no problem, or one shouldn't worry about them, or other such statements to the like, that wasn't necessarily the case. In short, he didn't entirely trust the token's information - and beside that, he wanted to go there with the Gre'shil, not suddenly find them elsewhere after the relocation had been completed.

"Some kind of signal maybe...?"

"She's not." Jade stated decisively, yet still in a neutral, nonconfrontational tone, "We've got something like a High Mother too, and ours made laws that say killing people is wrong. But they also say that if someone tries to kill you, you're allowed to fight back, and you tried to kill us first. No, I'm not blaming you. I'm just saying what's done is done. So let's not add any more deaths to the ones we've already caused..."
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While the mechanisms about Paxtera were plentiful, her search for a terminal to access them bore no fruit. Though they had once existed throughout the interiors of the structures that sat atop the 'plate', they'd been stripped long ago, their interfaces dismantled and their connector lines shut down and cut off from the system they'd once served.

If she proceeded down into the 'underground' however, she'd 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...

((AP just sent me a PM. RL is getting to her, and she needs to bow out.))

(( So no more Tafari? Aww. Cause he's awesome. ))

"Yeah, I'm not", Ildela agreed. "And I don't. Forgive me for reacting on instinct when faced with charging lizardmen that by all appearances wanted to kill me." She shrugged, as if she didn't think it was really that big of a deal. They challenged her, and they lost. Was as simple as that. She chose not to mention the fact that she could easily have disabled them rather than killing, because she thought that might just aggravate the situation. And/or the dragon, he seemed the type to get all upset over people dying. So she just kept her mouth shut.

Kethara meanwhile was considering the Gre'shil leader's earlier words. "So...", she asked Scar. "If we talked to this High Mother, and convinced her that killing sentients is wrong... The rest of you would just accept it?"

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((Eh, I'll find a way to work him back in if this subplot goes anywhere.))

Paxtera would find the egg relatively unchanged. It had stopped venting that heavy gas, and the sequencing of lights was still going. As a matter of fact, the sequence was composed of seven colors - red, then orange, yellow, white, green, blue and violet, in that order. The sequence was mundane in that it was a simple flash of each color before proceeding to the next. The one oddity about the sequence was that when it reached green, it flashed twice before proceeding to blue.

(( gonna be away over the weekend, probably won't have internet so won't post. ))

Unlike with Paxtera, Trisys had no suspicion that the High Mother under discussion might be the same as her EarthMother. Her progenitor was a respecter of both the sanctity and circle of life. Never would She direct her children to hunt. Rather all are to ask for what is needed. This included respecting life willingly sacrificed that it might be food for another. Sadly, most of Her children had grown deaf to this order. To better balance the injustices caused by wrongful killing was the reason Prosopopoeiasys was created.

But part of that creation did not include missionary work of declaring EarthMother's plan. So the cowering satyr waited, listening on. If Trisys had known how to wish for herself, she would ask for a task that would remove her from the agitations whirling in this confrontation.

The Gre'shil thought very much like Ileda. It was over death to the Gre'shil was final they didn't have rites or passage of those that died. The dead were just that dead. So Scar took what they said and shrugged. They were odd creatures.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebel_Scum Kethara meanwhile was considering the Gre'shil leader's earlier words. "So...", she asked Scar. "If we talked to this High Mother, and convinced her that killing sentients is wrong... The rest of you would just accept it?"

"Yes High Mother say no hunt something and others won't. Few dare risk High mother's anger... those that do what she saids don't end up tied to ground stakes belly cut open and meat eating insects pored on opening. Very slow painful way to die."

One of the others spoke up "Only other females dare risk her displeasure by matting and laying eggs. They don't die they exile or made Kaja... word means lowest of low... Like Scar's mother." With that Scar spun and snapped at the Gre'shil that spoke.

(( So, turns out I have more time on my hands than I anticipated. ))

"That sounds like a good idea, actually." Jade agreed, hedging much the same beliefs as Kethara. Besides, all things considered, what was the worst that could happen? The Gre'shil tribe could try to eat them, and in that case they'd just all fly away. He could carry several people easily, and the Kheldians probably could probably grab one or two as well, so that was that. For a moment, the metal Dragon even caught himself in a smile at the thought of Kethara grabbing Lazardarus, Paxtera doing the same with Ildela, and all four hovering out of Gre'shil reach while the reptilians tried in vain to consume his heavy armor while he facepalmed.

Amusing as that thought was however, he really hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Mh?" his casually wandering eyes came to rest upon Trisys, who seemed to be getting more and more agitated and uneasy around here. Jade didn't really know how - she wasn't doing anything visually or audibly perceivable to indicate such - though he suspected it had something to do with that token in his torso compartment.

"You know," he said to her softly, "you don't have to come with us if you don't want to. If we're all going to them, we could use someone to check out that place those guys were talking about over there and find one of those animals. You know, to make sure it's not sentient. Would you be okay with doing that...?"

((Subplot: I HAVE BEEN KILLED!))

'Well. That was a MASSIVE waste of time.' Tafari thought gloomily a he crossed back over to the mainland via giant whale. 'And wait a second...Is that the Talos statue? [censored], I've been less than 500 yards away from Talos island and I didn't even know it. So either A desert and an island were dropped into Saint-[censored] city, or Saint-[censored] city was dropped here. Hmmm. So do I keep looking for the control room, if there is one, or do I go and blow up the Terra Volta Reactor and Lord over the resulting wasteland as being supreme?'

While he mused, a massive volcano appeared in the distance and fell from the sky, neatly into place where Eden had been.

'Control room it is.' Tafari thought darkly as he super-sped to Steel Canyon. Once there, it would be a simple matter to get out of the city via Siren's Call, and then he could go around and see what lay North. Not the fastest route, but pretty much the only route that didn't take you past Police Drones.

(( Not killed, just knocked unconscious. No reason that egg thing can't follow her somehow. Or just show up wherever. ))

((It was an ESCAPE POD. It' total locomotional capacity is LESS than 0 now that's it' touched down. :P))

"You know," Jade immediately had the attention of Trisys, "you don't have to come with us if you don't want to. If we're all going to them, we could use someone to check out that place those guys were talking about over there and find one of those animals. You know, to make sure it's not sentient. Would you be okay with doing that...?"

Her ears flicked back momentarily before righting themselves. Master was not implying she was unwanted. He was just continuing the strange caring. More, providing an opportunity to be useful. The more useful she was, the less likely Master would abandon her.

Trisys shifted from a huddled to a kneeling position, bowing with a submissive, "As you wish."

She stood to face north towards where the large, armored beasts inhabited the caldera of a supervolcano. Since the request had been formed as a request rather than a direct wish, Trisys was able to pause and look at Jade for any last-second clarifications, corrections, or additional commands.