[ACRO] Outside IX: There are Mosquitoes

[Recaiden]

[Ashna's World]

And they are out to get them. :smalltongue:

Ashna stirs to get up, that they're back where they need to be. Alright. Here's our stop.

[The Bushranger]

[The Beach]

Erin manages to collect herself in order to speak.
Given her warlock-y hair streak and wizard-y staff, she might actually look a little imposing.

Which is, of course, totally at odds with how she feels at the moment.

"A drifter? W-whats in your sack?"


...the stammering probably totally spoils said imposing look.



[Ashna's World]

"I'm glad to see that here the trains run on time." Brendan chuckles and gives her shoulders a squeeze before going to begin to commence to prepare to start to get off the train.

[Recaiden]

[Ashna's World]

And without a dictatorship to keep them running. Nice, huh? He succeeds, but will probably be left behind when Ashna then leaves the train, what with all the commencing he has to do.

[Rebonack]

Probably more like a duo if the dead-timed dire wolf is counted.

Avatar, for his part, looks like a hardly visible haze for the time being.

Though the fact that the Far-Chimera is leaving massive foot-prints in the sand might be a dead give away.

"Just a drifter stealing a bunch of stuff from a village full of unconscious people?"

[Neon Knight]

[The Beach]

Jonah's smirk is a thin gash in his face, like the cut of a razor. "Just everything I own in this world, is all." Jonah looks towards the footprints as the Far being speaks. "What's it to you if I am?"

[The Bushranger]

[The Beach]

"Stealing isn't right," Erin says matter-of-factly, preparing a Hold spell, but not casting it yet. "'Specially from people who were having a good time at the beach!"

*nodnod*


[Ashna's World]

Brendan will eventually get moving and catch up. :smalltongue:
"Very much so. Now if they could only make them work like that everywhere, the world would be a better place."

His player is a bit of a railfan.:smalltongue:

[Recaiden]

[Ashna's World]

I don't know. You might not like the social structure necessary for the trains to run like they do here. I know I don't. Ashna walks down the road towards the portal.

[Rebonack]

[b]"Well, I would ask you politely to return their belongings. Erin here might take slightly more proactive measures."

Why wouldn't Avatar do something himself?

Because he has no physical mask to hide behind.

The material realm would cause his body to begin dissolving.

Ouch.

[The Bushranger]

[Ashna's World]

"There is that." Brendan nods, striding along at the appropririate pace to catch up with and walk alongside Ashna. "I suppose I should learn more about that...have you considered trying to change it?"

[Neon Knight]

[The Beach]

Jonah's right hand falls to his side. "Well, that's a pity. I guess we're going to have a little disagreement, now aren't we?" His open duster gives ample view of the revolver grip in the hostler next to his hand.

[Recaiden]

[Ashna's World]

Yes. It's part of what we do to try and change it. But not aggressively. Just to slowly wash it away.
Ashna shrugs.

[The Bushranger]

[The Beach]

Well, we can't have that coming out, can we?

Even though Erin, for a moment, ponders the thought of having a shootout using the plasma pistol she carries.

"Yeah, I guess we are..."

And with the wave of a hand, she tries to cast a Hold Person spell on Jonah!

---

[Ashna's World]

"Passive resistaince, and all that? That can work sometimes." Brendan nods, looking thoughtful. "Maybe I could help, somehow?"

[Recaiden]

[Ashna's World]

Right. It's odd for us, but this is such a big thing, it was decided to be best.
Ashna nods and smiles at him.
Maybe you could do something. I just can't think of what right now.

((Going now. I might be back before oyu go, but if not, Goodnight.))

[Neon Knight]

[The Beach]

Jonah's armor flashes, and the spell is counterspelled! And even as that happens, Jonah draws!

He is lightning fast, inhumanly quick and coordinated, having pulled and fired before most people have even begun to process the information necessary to start a draw.

But he doesn't aim at Erin. Instead, he aims at a hut/tent. And instead of a bullet, his revolver shoots a gout of flame, trying to set fire to the material. Jonah smirks and thumbs the hammer back. "Sleeping people have a hard time running from fires. Guess you'd better give them a hand?" Jonah turns to run, counting on the distraction of threatened innocents to secure his escape with his loot.

[Rebonack]

Oh no!

A thatched roof cottage is being burninated!

[b]"Erin! Put it out, quick!" comes the Far-Critter's frantic request.

He would love to help.

He really, truly would.

But until Yaza finishes that body for him he's stuck on the other side of the veil. Which means not practical interaction with the material world.

[The Bushranger]

[The Beach]

Darn Spellguard armour!
Erin yelps, and quickly casts another spell.
A localised snowstorm develops above the tent!
...almost a blizzard, in fact. Should put out the fire nicely.

She'll then draw and turn back torwards Jonah, but he might be getting out of range...


[Ashna's World]

"Slow and steady wins the race. And if you can think of anything, well, I'll do what I can, alright?"

(('night!))

[Neon Knight]

[The Beach]

Jonah is running for all he is worth, and takes any opportunity he gets to put an object in between him and Erin. He should be enarly out of range.

If he reaches his horse (with no name) at the edge of the village, he'll mount up and ride for the sunset.

[The Bushranger]

[The Beach]

...
You had to get that song stuck in my head. >.< :smalltongue:


Erin, for her part, powers up the Big Honkin' Space Gun and takes a few potshots in Jonah's direction.

brrrrr!
BLAM!
BLAM!
BLAM!

...it's set to stun, natch.

Of course, at that range, she might as well be shooting at the sun, more 'n likely.

[Rebonack]

That's a pretty fancy horse, considering that the sun sets in the West and that happens to be the direction the ocean lies in.

Or maybe he just meant figuratively?

Avatar, for his part, sighs.

Then gives a rather morose chuckle.

[b]"Even a relaxing afternoon has to be filled with crazy around here, huh?"

[Neon Knight]

[The Beach]

Jonah isn't hit by the space blasts and makes his escape with the loot! I think.

[The Bushranger]

[The Beach]

Erin doesn't have the same aim Ronon has. :smalltongue:

"I guess you c-could say that." She giggles, just a little, then sighs and goes to dig the rather singed-looking tent out from under the impromptu snowdrift.

[Neon Knight]

[Jungle Trail]

A communist gorilla is kidnapping SSM, a connect four set, and two bananas!

[Reinholdt]

[Jungle Trail]

SSM is pissed. And if he couldn't be snapped like a twig he'd be kicking the gorilla. Stupid several ton gorilla strength.

[Gimliggamer]

Sinder limps into the nearest town, scorched, bruised, and battered.

[Neon Knight]

[Jungle Trail]

The gorilla deadtimes en-route to Club Banana.

[happyturtle]

[In Space]

The launch vehicle separates itself, and MagSat achieves orbital velocity.

[Recaiden]

"Slow and steady wins the race. And if you can think of anything, well, I'll do what I can, alright?"


[Ashna's World]

Alright. On to the portal back, right? Ashna points out into the woods, past all the houses.

[Rebonack]

[b]"Well... I was going to say that I this sleep isn't natural at all. In fact... I think it was caused by vapors from the Dreamlands."

The Far-Critter sound somewhat concerned.

"Which is... well. Really strange to say the least. The waking world and the Dreamlands usually don't mix at all."

[The Bushranger]

[Ashna's World]

"Yup, home again home again, jiggity jig, and all that." Brendan smiles and goes to allow her to lead the way into the woods!


Alas, it's deadtime for BR. v.v



[The Beach]

"Oh. H-how could something like that have happened?"

Deadtime ooze finds Erin, too.

[Recaiden]

[Ashna's World]

Ashna quickly leads him back to the portal. Luckily it hasn't decided to vanish or anything.

((Goodbye.))

[Ashen Lilies]

[Jungle Trail]

KR attempts to track down SSM's kidnapper. Of course, this may be problematic, as she doesn't know what kidnapped SSM, or how to track things through a jungle.
...
Hmm... maybe she didn't think this through so well...
I know!
She uses 'DNA SNIFFER' function of her laser pointer on SSM's sunglasses. It should start pinging now, acting as a little hot-cold beacon as she tracks SSM.

[Neon Knight]

[Jungle Trail]

KR gets a ping!

The Gorilla Guerrilla and his captive cargo near the abandoned aircraft hanger that is Club Banana.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Near Club Banana]

KR drops behind a convenient bush, and starts to reassemble her beam sniper. Then she'll survey the hanger through her scope.

[Neon Knight]

[Club Banana]

Unless someone had something to say about it, SSM and Guerrilla Gorilla will make it to the club.

___

[Near Club Banana]

The club is an old, rusty, jungle overgrown aircraft hanger. It looks.... aircrafty? Hangerish? Oh! And it's bedecked out in banners and symbols of the glorious socialist revolution.

[Ashen Lilies]

"Oh Force. It's like the robot revolution again, only with... monkeys."
She checks out SSM and Guerilla Gorilla as they presumably enter the club, and then looks out for guards.

[Neon Knight]

[Swamp Grove]

Once, this was a forest glade.

Once, life was here. Joy, happiness. Once, this was a place of peace.

Now, it is a small mound of muddy earth peeking out of the waters of a swamp. Now, death is here. Sorrow, despair. Now, this is a place of anger, and hatred.

One wonders how the dead view their mourners. The earth of their graves certainly seems to relish the tears shed, greedily swallowing them up as they fall.

This grave has had its thirst sated a hundred times over, and the tears built up and up on the soaked earth until they flowed down the mound and flooded the surrounding dead forest.

This is a place of murky, dark waters, driftwood, and stagnation. The sheer volume of dead animal and plant life has made this a haven for carrion eaters, who flock to it and infest it in droves.

And at the heart of this newly formed swamp is a sunken, earthen mound, covered with the fallen trunks of dead trees.

Inside the hollow mound, a fire burns in the center, illuminating little. A robed and hooded figure gestures, casting shadows on the wall. The dark corners of the room are barely illuminated by the faint flicker of candlelight.

The figure speaks. "Calublufiok." It says the dark name without hesitation, with a sudden certainty and purpose bespeaking a steeled nerve and a terrible drive. "Calublufiok." It comes again, with no pause.

Now, the final, third time...

"Calublufiok."

____

[Near Club Banana]

SSM looks like himself, only without glasses and briefcase and tied up. Gorilla Guerrilla looks like Che Guevara, only as a gorilla.

There are no visible guards.

[Reinholdt]

[Swamp Grove]

Calublufiok doesn't appear right away, but the surroundings somehow seem to drop a few degrees anyways. As the wind starts to pick up, Calublufiok throws a quick sensor scry to try and determine the possibility of a trap. It mostly looks for magical, anti-magical, demonic, or technological sources when it does so, though searches for others to a lesser extent, and therefore easier to hide.

If he determines the area is clean of potential traps, there will be a meduim sized rumbling before Calublufiok appears right outside the hollow mound.
http://plaza.ufl.edu/neoseph/avatar9a300a.png
"Who dare calls my name?"

[Near Club Banana]
SSM mostly just sits there extremely pissed off. There are going to be some slit throats when this is all over.

[The Bushranger]

[Ashna's World]

Ashna quickly leads him back to the portal. Luckily it hasn't decided to vanish or anything.

[Ashna's World, and the Portal...]

That's a good thing indeed, and Brendan allows Ashna to lead the way through it.


On the other side, though, it looks like somebody's been here...

[Jacklu]

[beach]

Crow undeadtimes where she is still munching a crab idly. The white furred dire wolf licks her chops and wags her huge tail happily.

[Rebonack]

[b]"Well... I'm not completely sure," the Far-Critter admits. "Though come to think of it, I've seen a bunch of glooms poking around the city as if they're looking for something."

Glooms, of course, being nightmarish beings of the Dreamlands.

Everyone knows that.

"And Zee has been complaining about some really disturbing dreams of late."

Said dreams are a wide spread phenomena. Says so in the ACRO OOC. But who knows where or not anyone noticed.

[Recaiden]

That's a good thing indeed, and Brendan allows Ashna to lead the way through it.

On the other side, though, it looks like somebody's been here...

[Outside the portal]

On stepping back through, th fires flare up and shape themselves into a bird for a few moments.
And here we are. Ashna looks around, wondering what happened.
And shudders, as most of her powers get left behind.

[Neon Knight]

[Club Banana]

SSM is taken inside and set upon a table. The club is much as it was when Butler and Decker were here before, only now it is redecorated in communist propaganda.

The primates start to force SSM to play connect four. A lot.

____

[Swamp Grove]

There are no traps of any sort here.

The hooded figure looks to Calublufiok. "I called you, Great Dark One."

[Reinholdt]

[Swamp Grove]

"Oh. Well I was saying it more for effect. You know. Somebody goes "Hey Cal?" And I go "WHO DARE CALLS MY NAME?!" And they go, "Uh... me?" And I go "WHAT DOES THOU DESIREST OF ME?" And they mention something completely minuscule. And I say "Sure. Ok."

He looks the hooded figure over. "Still I sorta gathered that it was you already. I mean look at this place. Aren't very many choices to choose from if you know what I mean. I was more curious as to who exactly you were. Though I admit I have a few guesses."

[Club Banana]

SSM regrets ever getting that thing.

[Neon Knight]

[Swamp Grove]

The figure reaches up and pulls back the hood, revealing the ugliest face most people have ever seen. The woman is old, hideous, and her eyes filled with cruelty. "Who I am is not important. I myself no longer care who I am."

[Reinholdt]

[Swamp Grove]

"Oh. One of those." He shrugs. "Ok then. Whatcha want?"

[Neon Knight]

[Swamp Grove]

"I want vengeance and judgment for this existence. You can help me find them, and I can offer you something in return."

[Reinholdt]

[Swamp Grove]

"You don't have to generalize, wait for my response then talk specifics. Do it all at once, then wait for the response." He says, rolling his wrist to indicate she should continue.

[Neon Knight]

[Swamp Grove]

"I have no love for a cruel world that takes beauty as quickly as it grants it. NO has destroyed something precious to me, and I wish to see them suffer for it. I know of a way they can be made to pay."

"Somewhere out there is an artifact known as the Sorrowful Assembly; a puzzle box that when solved can grant the possessor many things, knowledge among them. The Sorrowful Assembly can be used in a ritual to create a powerful demon of vengeance, which could be sent upon NO or anyone who had crossed the owner. This is the means by which I want to avenge myself upon NO."

[Reinholdt]

[Swamp Grove]

Huh. He didn't know NO was in the business of pissing people off. He adds to his mental list to congratulate them some time later.

"And you need me to locate and/or get it for you, correct?"

[Neon Knight]

[Swamp Grove]

"That is correct. In return, I offer you ownership of the Sorrowful Assembly."

[Reinholdt]

[Swamp Grove]

"I see. Very well then. I presume you have some information as to its general location to get me started?" Otherwise, there isn't much reason to let her use it at all, is there?

[Jacklu]

Crow undeadtimes. Hey, Here she happens to speak Avatar's old name, the one he used to hold when he was still a part of Ragnorra and toting around her handle. I think I might... might have a bit of a problem... She wavers for a moment, both physically and... well... she starts to pull a Ben Kenobi and fades progressively from sight, her body becoming rapidly transparent.

[Rebonack]

[The Beach]

"Eerr... My nature is in a state of flux right now. I'm... evolving. 'n I think Deios is directing it somehow. So that means my name is changing too," Avatar explains moments before noticing. "Eerr... Someone is cranking your transparency up, Crow. Are you feeling alright?"

[Jacklu]

Not... really... She starts to shift into... er... well, at first it looks like she is going for crow, but the transformation seems to get away from her, her body shrinking and expanding at the same time, turning deep pitch black and distorting wildly before she vanishes from sight entirely.

[Rebonack]

The chimera blinks.

This is rather baffling for him.

What on earth is going on here?

[b]"Eerr.... Crow? Are you still here?"

[Jacklu]

There is no response. Seems Crow has... left the building? Avatar might detect the slight hint of distorted space where she was, though. The kind one gets with something big is forcefully yanked out of reality. To Avatar, there is also a pretty nasty scar left in several of the higher dimension. He might be able to track where poor Crow ended up if he is willing to step out of reality and follow her.

[Rebonack]

[Beach]

Step out of reality?

Avatar is already out of reality.

Though following is something he's certainly capable of.

'course...

Erin wouldn't be able to follow.

And he isn't so sure about leaving her behind.

[The Bushranger]

[The Beach]

Erin, convienently, undeadtimes!

And blinks.

"...where's Crow?"



[Outside the Portal to Ashna's World]

"Ah, it's good to be home...are you OK, love?"
Brendan notices the shudder, but doesn't notice the signs.

It looks like somebody has been poking around the portal a bit. Investigating?

Hmm. That looks rather like a tripwire between those two twigs just off the ground.

[Jacklu]

The hole is reality remains there, waiting to be followed. *coughplotcough*

[Rebonack]

[The Beach]

"She got yanked away. Pretty violently, too. Left a tear through several higher dimensions," the Far-Chimera replies somewhat shakily. "Thankfully the Barrier fills in fast or you would be up to your neck in Far-critters right now. Whatever grabbed her wasn't aiming for stealth. It left quite the trail."

A hesitant pause.

"I could follow it. But I don't think it would be healthy for you. Unless I carried you or something."

[The Bushranger]

"Well...carry me h-how?" Erin asks. "I don't want to lose my friends now that I've just found them again..."

She gives Where Avatar Is a pointed, I'm-coming-along look. :smalltongue:

[Rebonack]

The Far-Chimera acts quickly!

[b]"No time to explain, let's get going! We've got to find Crow before something awful happens to her!"

Hey, look. A pair of Far-Chimera jaws large enough to devour a mini-van just materialized out of nowhere around Erin!

Looks like 'carry' is synonymous with 'swallow whole'.

[The Bushranger]

[The Beach]

"OK, let's - eeeep!"

Erin squeaks in surprise (and maybe just a little terror) as Avatar decides to cast her in the role of Jonah!

[Rebonack]

..Erin may be a bit...

Surprised.

Aside from the fact that the walls of her new enclosure are made of flesh there's a nice Persian rug on the floor, a couple of comfy chairs, and ottoman, a coffee table...

Avatar's stomach seems to be awfully well furnished. On the table are several geometric prisons filled with various weird things from the Far.

[b]"Just make yourself comfortable," rumbles the Chimera's voice from all around Erin. "Hopefully the trip won't take too long."

And with that through the rift he goes!

[Jacklu]

And so Avatar and his passenger dive through the hole in reality, following its path through the higher dimension and into the outer spheres where it passes through vast distances and angles before finally diving back down into reality again, dumping them out elsewhere (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7349104&posted=1#post7349104) in the nexus.

[billtodamax]

[Dead Wood]

The hag rises, lifting the body of the Dryad with her.

((Ahhh! Sorry NK, I forgot I posted here!))

Dominic will try and lead her to NO. How'd you know her? he asks, respectfully.

[Neon Knight]

[Swamp Grove]

"It has come to the Nexus. It lies somewhere within this realm. The puzzlebox tends to fall into the hands of the virtuous, who it tries to corrupt. When it has no owner, it tends to end up in the largest concentration of people nearby, to try and find a new possessor."

____

[Dead Wood]

((Continuity errors involving twin catgirls are cute. This? Less so.))

___

[Club Banana]

As the bananas pile up, they are taken away and stockpiled. And the games of connect four just keep coming....

[Recaiden]

"Ah, it's good to be home...are you OK, love?"
Brendan notices the shudder, but doesn't notice the signs.

It looks like somebody has been poking around the portal a bit. Investigating?

Hmm. That looks rather like a tripwire between those two twigs just off the ground.

[Outside the Portal]

Ashna nods.
I am. Just some of my powers get left back there. And someone's been here. Setting up traps for us?
She points out the tripwire.

Who would do that?

She looks around the woods, checking if the trail she made is still there.

((Yes, her speech color is different. Crimson))

[Reinholdt]

[Swamp Grove]

"Oh? Corrupting as well? Very nice." Icing on the cake. Unfortunately, there are several large conglomerates of people in ACRO to choose from. Cal will have to narrow it down himself.

"Are you able to give an adequate description as to its appearance?"

[Neon Knight]

[Swamp Grove]

"It is a black cube made of some unknown wood, overlaid with another inlay of redwood, inscribed with strange designs, cold to the touch."

[Reinholdt]

[Swamp Grove]

Calublufiok makes a slightly annoyed noise. Just enough description to find it, not enough to scry for its exact location.

"Alright. Anything else I should know before I get started?"

[Neon Knight]

[Swamp Grove]

The hag shakes her head.

[Reinholdt]

[Swamp Grove]

"Very well. I'll find you when I'm done." And with that he disappears to PEACE.

[Neon Knight]

[Swamp Grove]

The hag returns to her sorrow.

[The Bushranger]

[Outside the Portal]

Ashna nods.
I am. Just some of my powers get left back there. And someone's been here. Setting up traps for us?
She points out the tripwire.

Who would do that?

She looks around the woods, checking if the trail she made is still there.

((Yes, her speech color is different. Crimson))

((meep, speech changing! :smalleek:))

[Outside the Portal]

"Oh. Is that why yous speech looks sound different?"
Brendan promptly turns serious at the mention of traps, and eyes the tripwire dubiously. "I have no idea..."

The trail is still there. The tripwire seems to lead to a box at the base of a tree...

[SeptAngel]

[Temple (which might have its own thread soon)]
Mercedes groans awake in her room on the large four poster bed.

Mirari is nearby, not saying anything just yet.

[The Bushranger]

[The Spring]


Alex removes his own street clothes and slides in next to her in his swim trunks. :smalltongue:
"I thought you might like it, dear." Smiling, he goes to put an arm around her shoulders.


[Mercedes' Temple]

Roland is sitting nearby as well, quietly watching, his expression neutral.

[SeptAngel]

She looks over to the two of them and frowns. Guess I didn't get laid last night... She says sarcastically.

[The Bushranger]

"Seeing as you were unconsious for quite some time, no, no you did not," Roland says matter-of-factly. "I brought you here, on her advice," he nods to Mirari, "after you complained of head pain and passed out."

[SeptAngel]

Mercedes scowls slightly to Mirari who bows her head out of respect. There's something you should know, Mercedes. She says softly.

[The Bushranger]

[Mercedes' Temple]

Roland nods slightly, taking his cue. "Alexi...is no longer with us. Upon hearing of your condition, he took his own life."

[SeptAngel]

She sits up abruptly, grabbing her head. H-He's dead? It's not true. He didn't care enough about me to...

You can bring him back though. It has to be someone who has a connection with him. Clearly you two do.

[The Bushranger]

"If you desire to do so...I will do whatever I can to help," Roland says quietly, after a long moment.

[SeptAngel]

Mirari rolls her eyes slightly at Roland's offer but says nothing.

I-I don't know. She lays back down on the bed looking lost.

[The Bushranger]

He nods. "Are you still suffering from any head pains or anything else? You were...not at your best, I must say, when I found you."

Yes, he's Captain Understatement. :smalltongue:

[SeptAngel]

She's still a little broken. Mirari points to her own head. But she's starting to recover. Being here seems to help.

Mercedes growls a little at the younger girl. I'm not broken. I try to lose myself but you won't let that happen. Neither of you.

[The Bushranger]

"There's a reason for that." Roland's tone is level, but his eyes snap a bit. "As much as you seem to want to deny it there are people who consider you worth something, and don't want you to deny who, and what, you are by destroying what you are."

[SeptAngel]

Because what I am got me into this situation in the first place. She snaps at him a little. It got me into every situation.

[The Bushranger]

"And so you're just going to give up, then? You'll go and drink your super-shroomy wine, spending your days getting drunk and your nights getting laid and being overall a waste of space and oxygen." Roland narrows his eyes at her. "You're a better woman than that. Or, at least I thought so."





And with that goading statement, BR has to head home from the library. Later!

[SeptAngel]

You have no right to judge what I want to do with my live. I've given more than you can image to this freaking world. That includes my life a couple of times. Which you know about. She looks to him, narrowing her own eyes. I'm not Mercury. No matter how much you want me to be.


See ya later!

[Recaiden]

((meep, speech changing! :smalleek:))

"Oh. Is that why yous speech looks sound different?"
Brendan promptly turns serious at the mention of traps, and eyes the tripwire dubiously. "I have no idea..."

The trail is still there. The tripwire seems to lead to a box at the base of a tree...

[Outside the portal]

((No, I just didn't know about the extra colors.))
Maybe.
Ashna heads over to the box, keeping a hand on her magic armor thing.

[The Bushranger]

[Outside the Portal]

It's...a small metal box, with the tripwire attached to...a handle?
Somebody set them up the bomb!

Brendan hangs back a bit, checking for more traps, and finding none.



[Mercedes' Temple]


You have no right to judge what I want to do with my live. I've given more than you can image to this freaking world. That includes my life a couple of times. Which you know about. She looks to him, narrowing her own eyes. I'm not Mercury. No matter how much you want me to be.

"I know you are not. And neither am I asking you to be. For that would be asking you to change what you are, as well." Roland's eyebrow raises, just a fraction. "But, just the same, you are not a drunken whore, if you will pardon my language, either. You are a goddess, and you are somebody. And as long as I am here, I will do my utmost to make sure that you are kept safe. If, however, you desire me to leave, I shall do so."

And, in fact, he goes to stand...



((only got about 45 minutes))

[Recaiden]

[Outside the portal]

Be ready. Ashna pulls the handle of the box. Unless there's some way she can see to open it.

((Only here for 1/2 an hour myself.))

[billtodamax]

[Dead Wood]

((Continuity errors involving twin catgirls are cute. This? Less so.))

((Sorry. :smallfrown:))

[The Bushranger]

[Outside the Portal]

...
:smalleek:

The box...

...explodes.

Because it was a mine, set to blast across the trail when the trigger was tripped...

Sending a barrage of rubber stun balls across it.

:smalleek:

Brendan is already rushing forwards at the explosion...

[SeptAngel]

Don't... She says softly.

[Recaiden]

[Outside the portal]

Well, if it was just shooting them across the trail, they should be okay, right?

Or maybe Ash is stunned and knocked over, instead of being covered in armor and pulling out a hammer, then looking back to Brendan.

[The Bushranger]

[Outside the Portal]

Depends on if she was leaning over the box or standing to the side.

Thankfully, however, it was non-lethal...

Either way Brendan rushes to Ashna's side. Ash! Are you OK?!


---

[Mercedes' Temple]

Roland pauses for a moment, then settles back into his chair, nodding once.
"I know you are not the same as you were when we met, but you are still somebody I respect, and one of the few people I consider personally close," he admits, quietly.

[SeptAngel]

Mirari walks out of the room.

I can't give you what you want, Roland.

[Recaiden]

[Outside the portal]

She wasn't. Yes. I'm okay. You're not hurt at all?

((deadtime))

[The Bushranger]

[Outside the Portal]

"No...maybe because I know better than to yank tripwires," Brendan can't help but smile a little. "I wonder who did this?"



[Mercedes' Temple]

"'Sometimes we don't get what we want, sometimes we get what we need'," Roland quotes. "I know. However, that does not mean I don't care about you, though, nor that it doesn't hurt me to see you hurting yourself."

[SeptAngel]

She sighs and nods. Thank you... Hard for her to say, she's closer to normal.

((Thread for Temple (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7353320#post7353320)))

[Draken]

There is a rumble outside. And the loud thunder of the very frabric of space being torn by a dimensional passage of titanic proportions.

Manaforge Hatotake appears in the fields of the ACRO world, and there, it blasts something into the plains bellow itself, a vast object, which burrows a deep crater for itself, before splitting into miriad of giant vermin that burrow even further into the crater.

The structure then vanishes, but with similar thunderous sounds, it appears yet again on another two separate locations, repeating the act, and finally vanishing in the air.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Club Banana]

KR approaches the club all stealthy and commando like, flitting from bush to bush, until she is in sight of the entrance.

-----------------

Khiansa, Daggerfall EditionTM watches the Manaforge do that. Unless it does it someplace silly like in the middle of the desert or a lava field or something.
He approaches the crater cautiously...

[Draken]

Of course it doesn't do it in an unmanageable place. All of the hives are reasonably close to potential targets for swarming up.

As Khiansa approaches, he will quickly notice the smell, like that of rotting meat, and will also notice that, in the small ammount of time it took him to reach the border of the crater, the surface has been covered with some sort of hardened resin.

He will also notice numerous large tunnels already dug up, with titanic, strange centipedes still visible while they dig even more, and miriad of other alien vermin walking around the crater, performing all sorts of duties.

Oh, and a giant wasp charges him from above, ready to sting.

[Ashen Lilies]

Luckily, wasps aren't the most silent of insects, especially giant ones, otherwise Khiansa would be in a bit of a sticky situation.
Description (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5338328&postcount=3), by the way. He's the second one.
He dodges to the side, narrowly avoiding a stinger to the foot (not to mention his head), and attempts to stab the wasp dead.

[Draken]

The wasp is stabbed, but flies away, buzzing in midair.

Nine more of the giant wasps then fly out of the crater, and the ten creatures charge Khiansa in sequence.

[Ashen Lilies]

...
Oh.
Cue rapid fire stabbing at any of the wasps that come to close, as Khiansa slowly backs away from the crater.

[Draken]

(Note that these are basicaly Giant Wasps from D&D with a special template added, they are performing flyby attacks)

The wasps ignore the wounds they receive, brutally and heedlessly attacking Khiansa without any real care for their own well-being.

It should be noted that, in addition to its paralitic properties, their poison is also considerably corrosive.

[Ashen Lilies]

Luckily, Khiansa is a speedy sort of fellow, and dodges or deflects most of the blows.
Then he does something highly stupid. As the next wasp flies past, he'll dodge the stinger, and attempt to jump up and grab it.
...
That is, if these so called 'giant wasps' are human sized or larger. If they're merely dog sized or something, he'll try to slice it in half.

[Draken]

(They are larger than humans)

Khiansa grabs the wasp, which in turn flyes violently in circles as it tries to get rid of him.

Then it does the single worst thing Khiansa could consider.

It flyes straight into the crater, followed by the remaining nine wasps, which almost form a wall behind Khiansa.

Down in the ground, the man will have a terrible surprise in the shape of the open maws of a colossal burrower. The wasp seens to be flying straight down at it.

[Ashen Lilies]

Eeep! Not good not good not good.
Khiansa tries to judge how wide the crater is.

[Draken]

'bout one kilometer and roughtly the same depth.

The bugs have been working.

[Falgorn]

((Oh, before I continue, can I throw in a new character to this mix?))

[Draken]

(Sure, mind that there are two other hives left to their own expansive devices)

[Darkcomet]

In the distance, there is a sound of a medium-large sized energy weapon being fired, loud as, say... a sniper rifle. Obviously with the range of a sniper rifle too.

As a glob-looking ball of energy flies down into the burrower's mouth from afar, at an angle so that it will probably hit a mouth wall or something. It's not exactly a heavy weapon, but whoever is firing this thing is probably trying to make it flinch and snap its jaws shut rather than harm it.

How'd whoever it was get that angle? Probably a mountain or hill or something, but it can't be that hard considering the sheer size of the thing.

[Falgorn]

((Okay.))
Somewhere, that isn't being attacked by wasps:
Two figures sit in shadows, glowing, yellow eyes piercing through the darkness. There is just enough light to see what seems to be an elegant chessboard. A dark red arm creeps through the eerie moonlight, attached to the body of one of the figures. It moves a pawn.
"It seems the pawns are in place."
"So it seems. Let the games begin, then."

___________________

Somewhere, that is being attacked by wasps:
A distinct sound is heard. One of loud, Cockney yelling and guns. Motorcycles and insults. And a loud "WAAAAAGGGGHHH!"
The Warlord has arrived, accompanied by three other Orkish bikers.

[Draken]

The megapede howls at the attack, sinking into the earth some, but still with its jaws wide open, waiting for the wasp to bring Khiansa in.

In the while, a cloud of fifteen more wasps surges from the depths of the crater... No, the valley, buzzing in the direction from which the shot came, trying to find the attacker, unaware of how distant s/he might be.

[Ashen Lilies]

Eeep! Not good not good not good.
Khiansa tries to judge how wide the crater is.

Oh crap. This Khiansa can't jump that far! He's not going to let himself be carried into oblivion though. Not without some semblance of a fight. He swings his legs up and tries to grab the wasp's head/upper torso with them, before extending his body in an attempt to rip the wasp in half.

[Darkcomet]

Well.

This is a sniper we are dealing with. And a good one at that.

The wasps are getting shot at with more energy glob shots from quite the large distance. They probably won't get there, depending on how many shots each one can take.

[Draken]

About six shots each. They are sturdy bugs. But they are not flying at the sniper, they are just forming a living wall there.

With its head pulled up, the wasp stops and barrels off its path, only to then be killed and plummet down into the crater with Khiansa.

It is a big drop. Fasten your seatbelts.

Edit:

And I thought the orks were on a different hive.

[Falgorn]

Oh yeah.
*deletes post*
Umm...okay then.

The Orks drive up to the other hive, then. Or however close they can get.

[Draken]

The orks are attacked by ten giant karish wasps. Unlike their charging siblings in the other hive, these shoot large, acid-covered stingers at the orks. These projectiles are extremely fast, powerful and barbed.

[Ashen Lilies]

Well...
Khiansa just falls. Nothing he can do about that. Buut...
When he gets to the big creepy crawly thing he'll attempt to stab his spear into its mouth wall and then use it to fling himself up and out, preferably before its mouth closes. If he can get his spear out too, that would be great. :smalltongue:

[Darkcomet]

Mr. Sniper is probably going to be distracted shooting wasps for a while, then. If they have some sort of mega-vision, he's on a mountainside in the direction the shots are coming from.

I'll refrain on being too blatant with you people on the guy's identity until I know if they actually know he's there or not.

Well, those of you who aren't Draken anyway, as he already knows.

[Draken]

No ultravision. The wasps are lost trying to locate their attacker while defending the hive behind them.

Khiansa gets to leap off before the giant maws close in on him, the burrower then sinks deep into a tunnel, taking the spear with it.

Khiansa will feel that he is walking on compacted soil mixed with resin and various kinds of organic remains, with a miriad of the aberrant vermin laboring nonstop on construction, cleaning and carrying stuff around in systematic patterns. These vermin are about the size of dogs (small sized for D&D size categories), and pay no attention to him.

The same cannot be said for the creatures with long, large claws that leap down at him, let us call them Reapers. Four Reapers, large, mantis-like monsters, leap down at Khiansa ready to rip him to ribbons.

[Darkcomet]

Sniper guy's still preoccupied shooting wasps and will continue to be so unless otherwise specified by myself or Draken.

[Falgorn]

The orks are attacked by ten giant karish wasps. Unlike their charging siblings in the other hive, these shoot large, acid-covered stingers at the orks. These projectiles are extremely fast, powerful and barbed.

The orks are faster, for the most part. One of the bikers gets gunned down, while the others and the Warlord dodge and return fire.

[Draken]

Two wasps are shot down, the others strafe around, shooting more stingers at the orks.

Just then, there is a rather heavy sound, like a thunderous step, followed by a gargantuan, armored terror pulling itself from the crater, and after a snap of gigantic mandibles, showering the orks with corrosive slime.

---

Sniper Person shoots more wasps down, still, more seen to continuously stream from the hive, substituting the dead ones.

[Ashen Lilies]

I think I can guess.... As long as Mr. Sniper isn't a completely new character, that is. :smalltongue:


Awww. It was a good spear. :smalltongue:
Well, he's a(n ex-)monk. He can fight with his bare hands. And feet. And knees. And elbows. Yes, it was a temple of that art. They taught it in between the Generic Asskicking lessons. One wonders when they got around to the actual praying.

Well... they outnumber him 4-to-1. And I don't think he can climb a kilometer while fending off Reapers and Wasps and who knows what. Any sane person would give up.
He'll dash towards a Reaper, and attempt to go all Flurry of Blows on it before tossing it into another Reaper.

[Darkcomet]

(("Quiet, you."))

Sniper Guy Whose Identity Should Be Obvious To Anyone Who Has Been Around Long Enough is annoyed and tries to shoot around them into a non-attacked Reaper. Why is he helping Khiansa? Well, mostly because he knows the bugs seem very hostile/dangerous, and allies are useful.

[Draken]

As a decently leveled monk he is actualy probably faster than the reapers. Plus the crater isn't very steep, there are several ramps going up, in fact. He could probably outrun them, specialy if he took the right feats. Like Run, I heard it is a very good feat for monks.

Hehehehehe.

The attacked reaper is flurry'd, and then thrown at another one, the two beings fall into a heap, the other two, meanwhile, try to clamp off Khiansa's arms and head with their claws.

The sniper's sight is obscured by wasps.

[Falgorn]

The slime completely coats one of the other bikers, killing him. The Warlord and the remaining two bikers survive, pulling away from the acidic bile. They continue firing shots.

If the wasps have good hearing...things, they'll hear footsteps.

[Darkcomet]

The sniper continues firing at the wasps, then, figuring that it's a decent distraction if nothing else.

[Ashen Lilies]

Khiansa dodges the two reapers... and then runs. A lot. Run run run. >.>

[Draken]

Running is always a good strategy. It is also good for your heart.

Khiansa easily outruns the four reapers, but that is not to say his escape is that easy, no. All along the path, giant karish of varied shapes try to bite himl claw him, sting him, spit acid at him, swarm him, spit poison at him, spit sticky ichor at him, get tentacly intimate with him, ram him, trample him, swallow him whole, and various other things Khiansa probably doesn't want to happen to him.

That Run feat never looked like such an optimal choice before did it?

[Ashen Lilies]

Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.

I hope Drelin has some secret base or plan to get Khiansa out of there when he emerges from the crater.

[Darkcomet]

Drelin does not!

In fact, his reason for being here truthfully has nothing to do with him. But I have my secrets too, you know.

Besides, he's quite a distance away from there.

[nanobot_swarm]

Sala'mutck the Night Observer flies far overhead with cloaking device active, and begins to observe the fight below. It holds interest in the fight below, the chaos of lesser races always fascinates it, it was a major contribution to it leaving the veil. Though it will not interfere with the fight, hence the name observer, it still has a disintegration gun at ready in case it is attacked.

[Gnrlshrimp]

"Ah, that stench, that unmistakeable smell in the air." Quite close to the observer, there's a seemingly random explosion in the air.

From it emerges a figure, fully clad in metallic red plate armour. In the figure's hand is a particularly menacing blood red sword, with an image of a bleeding skull just about visible along the blade. "The smell of possibilities...of unlimited potential..."

The figure hovers in the air, laughing as it watches the fight below, the air crackles around the sword, like the sound of a swarm of bees, but much, much louder. "Yes, of unlimited potential...for destruction!" The figure grins and takes of his helmet to get a better view of the action, revealing a grey face with short, white hair and pitch black sunglasses on his face.

Why is a man dressed in medieval armour is wearing sunglasses? Well, there's a perfectly good explanation for it, I assure you...I'm just not going to tell you what it is yet...but there is definitely a good explanation for it!

[Falgorn]

The slime completely coats one of the other bikers, killing him. The Warlord and the remaining two bikers survive, pulling away from the acidic bile. They continue firing shots.

If the wasps have good hearing...things, they'll hear footsteps.

This happened.

[Draken]

[The Orks]

The wasps notice the sound, or are informed of the sound by something else, but they know.

The fire appears effective against the battletitan, when it is not blocked by the hard chitinous plate, that is.

The battletitan stomps towards the orks, passing over them with it's sheer, massive bulk.

---

Khiansa flees the crater. Wasps charge him from the sky!

---

Baal and the invisible guy in the sky are ignored.

[Falgorn]

A loud blast is heard from a good distance away.
Watch out, it's artillery fire! But...it's firing Goblins. Tiny, little green Gretchins.

The Warlord jumps off the bike, his incredible strength sending him into the air, and he tries to whack the Battletitan with its metal claw.

[Gnrlshrimp]

Ba'al grins and watches Khiansa's attempt to escape. "Now there's someone who looks like he could do with a hand!" An explosion, and a moment later Ba'al reappears much closer to the ex-monk. "HAVING FUN DOWN THERE?" He shouts as he casually tosses a fireball at the nearest wasp.

[Draken]

The claw doesn't seen particularly effective, on the other hand. The hide of the battletitan proves very strong against the slashing attempts.

Goblins fall everywhere. The wasps nimbly maneuver away from the creatures, and the battletitan pays them no heed.

A loud, continuous chittering comes from the crater, followed by a sea of giant ants. They have sensed the fungal nature of the orks, and will now do as ants do and begin to swarm and harvest the creatures in tiny bits.

---

A charred wasp falls dead.

[Falgorn]

More artillery fire is launched, this time directed towards the ants. You can hear the little Gretchins wail as they soar through the air...

The bikers fire on the Battletitan. A bigger target means more of a chance to hit.

Warlord Ork is either A.) On the ground. Or B.) Hanging onto the battletitan.
It's up to you witch happened.
But I have a scenario for either.
A.) After hitting the ground below, the Warlord focuses fire on the wasps again, paying no heed to the ants coming towards him.
B.) From the Titan's back, he fires at the wasps around him.

[Draken]

Ants die to goblin fire, more ants show up to colect both the corpses of the goblins and of their fallen brethren.

The battletitan shakes violently due to the attacks, washing the battlefield in a gout of acid (that does not appear to bother the ants), and dropping the Ork Warlord on the floor, where he can ignore the ants all he wants, but quickly he will be buried in the things, biting and stinging.

[Falgorn]

After both of the Ork Bikers die, The Warlord thinks it's time to retreat. Hopping back onto his bike, he narrowly escapes the acid, and rides away. Unless he's stopped.

[Draken]

The leader is allowed to escape. The remains of his comrades, to the last shred of organic material, are colected by the ants and by a wave of laborers, both above and beneath the ground.

No orks sprouting from the floor around this tyranid zerg karish hive.

[Beans]

[HALO's Beach]
When Sark's pod surfaces, he'll see footprints in the sand leading away from the beach.

[Moofin Bard]

Sark follows them. Poor thing forgot to bring any kind of weapon or device with him.

[Beans]

The tracks lead toward a stretch of rolling hills.

[Recaiden]

"No...maybe because I know better than to yank tripwires," Brendan can't help but smile a little. "I wonder who did this?"


[Outside the portal]

I've never been in much danger from tripwires.
Ashna smiles back, armor slinking away.
I don't know. I can think of no one here who'd put up tripwires for me.

[Darkcomet]

The sniper fire, by the way, has stopped. Huh. Drelin's gone, it seems.

[Moofin Bard]

[HALO's Beach]

Sark jogs and follows the footprints into the hills.

[Beans]

[Hills of Pelea]
The hills continue...
Dang, it's getting chilly.
And the grass is slippery.

[Moofin Bard]

[Hills]
Sark has fallen a few times and he's shivering a little. But he's still following her trail.

[Beans]

[Hills]
There's a nasty protruding root hidden by tall grass right in Sark's path. Root? Yeah, tree root. A small stand of trees is nearby.

[Moofin Bard]

[Hills]
Sark trips over the tree roots and lands on the ground. Ugh. He gets up slowly.

[Beans]

[Hills]
Oh, dear.
Are you alright?
A beautiful, yes, beautiful voice asks.
In front and to his left, there stands... this woman. (http://public5.tektek.org/img/av/0911/d22/1344/0883576.png)

[Moofin Bard]

[Hills]
Sark looks up. He blushes but doesn't know why.
Um, yeah, I'm fine.

[Beans]

[Hills]
You look agitated.
Why're you in such a hurry?
She seems sorta familiar... not like he's met her, but somehow familiar...

[The Bushranger]

[Outside the portal]

I've never been in much danger from tripwires.
Ashna smiles back, armor slinking away.
I don't know. I can think of no one here who'd put up tripwires for me.

[Outside the Portal]

"Maybe they were meant for me?" Brendan muses, then shrugs. "I have no idea either, really, though. As far as I know nobody doesn't like me..."

Except Charity, of course. :smalltongue:

[Recaiden]

[Outside the portal]

Maybe. I just can't see you making enemies.
Ashna shrugs too.
How about we get on back, ah?
She starts walking back along her trail.

[The Bushranger]

"It's not like I want to, either." Brendan shrugs. "Yeah, we probably should get back."
And he goes to follow!

An owl high in a tree watches them as they go.

[Recaiden]

Ashna glances up at the owl, unless it's hiding very well or is really far away.
I bet a lot has happened while we were gone.
Understatement?

[The Bushranger]

The owl is...well...owl-ish.
It just looks like a sleepy owl.

"Probably. Hopefully the base is still even there," Brendan says half-jokingly. "Or maybe the whole place has been taken over by sentinent apes!"

[Recaiden]

But. . . it's a bird. If it were a giant beetle, or a little wyvern thing, she wouldn't mind. But it's a bird.

I'm sure it will be. Look - it's right there. Ashna says, pointing to it.

[The Bushranger]

So, since it's a bird...she gives a hoot?
:smalltongue:

"And the Statue of Liberty isn't buried anywhere nearby, so it seems we're safe from the apes, at least." Brendan laughs. "It feels good to be back here, which is odd considering how much I like it there, but...well, I guess they're both kinda home."

[Recaiden]

:smalltongue:

Yeah. I feel back to normal somehow. And the fires like it better here.
Ashna goes to open the door to the GLoG, and has to deadtime for a little while. :smallsigh:

[The Bushranger]

I've got to go in 7 minutes so...

Brendan smiles, nods, and gets caught in Ashna's deadtime until her player returns.


The owl flies away...

[Recaiden]

Her player returns to bring them inside, at least, and then wait.

[Ashen Lilies]

Ba'al grins and watches Khiansa's attempt to escape. "Now there's someone who looks like he could do with a hand!" An explosion, and a moment later Ba'al reappears much closer to the ex-monk. "HAVING FUN DOWN THERE?" He shouts as he casually tosses a fireball at the nearest wasp.

"A little help would be nice. Or at least a friendly teleport."
Says he, glancing behind him as he runs.

[Neon Knight]

[Club Banana]

KR can sneak right up to the doors without being seen.

There are guards, though. They're in the lounge, hiding in the decorative shrubbery in ghillie suits. Gorillas in ghille suits.

....

Yeah, these are the jokes.

[Ashen Lilies]

KR checks her ammo. Laser beams or bullets. Sigh. Note to self: invest in gorilla sized tranquilizers. Well, luckily she has her trusty (and highly temperamental) laser pointer. She attempts to tag the gorillas with a shrink ray. This may or may not cause them to grow freakishly large and then explode.

[Neon Knight]

[Club Banana]

One gorilla shrinks!

The other swells and then bursts like a bloody balloon. This attracts the attention of a large group of very angry baboons.

With AK-47s.

[Ashen Lilies]

Ouch. Hopefully Dian Fossey will understand...
Well, KR abandons pretence at this points and starts shooting at the baboons. At close range. With a sniper rifle. Where's the laser chaingun when you need it? :smallfrown:

[Neon Knight]

[Club Banana]

The lead baboon goes down with a smoking hole in his chest as the rear guard open up on KR with fully automatic 7.62x39mm fire.

[Ashen Lilies]

Eep! Take cover!
KR dives behind a convenient obstacle into a large deadtime ooze.

[Neon Knight]

[Club Banana]

When the deadtime ooze fazes, the baboons will shoot the heck out of the.... giant golden elephant statue that KR hid behind.

[Moofin Bard]

[Hills]
Sark brushes himself off. He has a feeling that he should look more respectable in this woman's presence. Well I'm sort of looking for someone. She ran away. Have we met before?

[Morty]

Wenomir is wandering. Or patrolling, if you'd rather call it that.

[Gnrlshrimp]

"A little help would be nice. Or at least a friendly teleport."
Says he, glancing behind him as he runs.

Ba'al nods, puts his helmet back on...

And explodes.

Only to reappear a little way ahead of Khiansa, standing on the ground now. Ba'al sends a few more fireballs at the pursuing wasps, then shunts his sword into the ground, and leans on it. "A teleport I can do, but I can't teleport you individually, we'll have to teleport together. Name your destination."

[Darkcomet]

[Whitemount]

Surveying a town takes a long time, you know? Regardless, the APC is now heading for whatever town hall/castle/capital building/etc. the place has.

[Neon Knight]

[Whitemount Hall]

They'll find that the seat of the Duke is a rather large slightly fortified structure.

[Darkcomet]

[Whitemount Hall]

They're hoping it won't be a problem. Three men climb out of the APC, two standard soldiers and a man in what looks rather like a business suit, probably a negotiator of some sort.

Provided there are guards, they will stop and ask permission to see the Duke, saying that they have an offer for him.

If not, they'll just head straight in.

[Neon Knight]

[Whitemount Hall]

There are indeed guards, looking at the APC warily, but holding their ground. A guard heads inside, and after a few moments comes back out to usher the negotiator inside.

The duke is a tall man of a powerful build, with graying hair and beard, dressed finely in an archaic style. He meets them seated at the head of a long table in a fine throne like chair.

[The Bushranger]

[Returning to GLoG]


Her player returns to bring them inside, at least, and then wait.

And so back to the base they go!

[Darkcomet]

[Whitemount Hall]

Assuming the soldiers were let in, they'll be at the negotiator's sides. If not, they'll just stand by the APC grumpily. Regardless, the negotiator now addresses the Duke.

"I come with a unique offer, a brilliant opportunity for you. We represent the Acronymian Empire, and have considered annexing this town. Under our plan, you would remain in power in a sort of self-rule. The authority of the Empire would be here to guide and strengthen the town. As our vehicle would indicate, we have a level of technology much higher than what is standard here-and we can offer that and so much more should you agree to this." Ah, bribing a lower-tech society with modern/futuristic tech. "In addition, the town would have protection against the myriad threats that plague this world. I assume you have already heard of the village that was razed on a lich's whim? We want to make sure that that will never happen again."

[Neon Knight]

[Whitemount Hall]

The Duke raises an eyebrow as he looks at the negotiator and the two flanking soldiers, his hands steepled in front of him. "You are bold to come into my hall and say you can protect my people better than I can."

[Darkcomet]

[Whitemount Hall]

The negotiator remains calm, almost unfeeling at times, really. "We believe you can. The issue is means, Duke. We do not question your competence, we simply believe that we have far greater means to do what is needed. If we were questioning your ability, we would not be offering self-rule."

[AmberVael]

[South Zone]

Quite a few miles south of Inside, there is a rocky landscape. It is mostly flat, with a few rocky outcrops and some brush. It is entirely uninhabited... usually.

At the moment, something appears to be happening. Rock shivers and breaks open, revealing a gleaming metal tunnel hidden beneath it. Along the tunnel's length are glowing lights that light the way for an armored figure who swiftly makes their way out.

The armor is very distinctive- shining silver, traced over with yellow lines that glow softly even in the sun's light. It covers every piece of the figure, and yet the interlocking system of it is incomparable, allowing full flexibility. Apparently it is either light, or also works as an exoskeleton, because the being moves quickly and without effort. It runs a way out of the tunnel, raising one arm in an offensive manner, as if it were a weapon (and perhaps it is), and then kneels as it surveys the landscape, aiming the weapon at potential targets. Deciding nothing is in range, it makes a quick gesture- and is suddenly joined by four fellows with almost exactly the same armor. It might be noted that a few have slightly different shapes, and the lines take on a different style. They take a defensive stance, where each one is a corner in a rough pentagon shape.

No visual confirmations. Wide range scanning in effect... zero contacts. Initiate exercise.

The mechanical voice whispers to the five soldiers, who swiftly begin an array of training- firing at targets, taking defensive positions, and executing different tactics. There's a bit of an edge to their actions, as if this is somehow new, but their skill in execution also suggests a high level of experience. Perhaps the suits and squad are new, but each of them are not.

Operational status confirmed. Proceed to destination.

The tunnel closes up behind them, and the small group begins running at a steady clip towards Inside.

[Neon Knight]

[Whitemount Hall]

"Can you prove this claim?"

[Darkcomet]

[Whitemount Hall]

"Proof? The proof is right in front of you, Duke." The negotiator gestures towards the soldiers flanking him. "Each of these men carries weapons likely only thought of in your dreams. Explosive-like weapons that harness the power of lightning, directed-energy ranged weapons with no true limitation to ammunition. And I am sure you have been told of our vehicle outside. That vehicle is truly one of the least advanced ones that we possess. We have what amounts to floating armored vehicles with cannons mounted, silent, deadly flying machines, and even a massive flying ship capable of surviving all but the heaviest of damage. We have all this... and more."

[Neon Knight]

[Whitemount Hall]

"You have great power, but merely possessing strength does not prove your claim."

[nanobot_swarm]

Seeing that the battle is over, Sala'mutck loses interest and flies away, making a note to return later and observe the large wasp creatures more thoroughly. Passing by the soldiers, it decides to release an observer node to follow them, and see if it can provide any clues to their intentions. It heads in the direction to Whitemount and begins to observe the people of the town. It lands on the roof of the hall, to gain a better vantage point, which may or may not produce a sound that people may hear.

[Darkcomet]

[Whitemount Hall]

"What would you have us-"

One of the soldiers pipes up. "Sir, I'm detecting a noise from above us. I think we may wish to investigate before continuing here in case it's hostile."

The negotiator nods at the soldier, clears his throat, and turns to address the Duke again, as the soldiers head out to get a look at the roof. "We shall continue when they return, I hope."

[Neon Knight]

[Whitemount Hall]

The Duke nods, frowning as he glances at the ceiling.

[Draken]

Numerous wasps from hive Korinth (where Khiansa went) hover up to the sky, just after, a dense, noxious fog erupts from the tunnels.

Scans will indicate that the vermin inside are not much affected by the gaseous eruption. Scans will also indicate the gas is highly corrosive and toxic.

The wasps are sent on a scouting mission, spreading over a very wide radius, maybe a few will even cross the sky above Whitemount.

Similar events occur in the other two hives which shall be named Azzar and Serr'stk. Except without gas. Just the wasps. Azzar appears to be building upwards into some sort of spire, while Serr'stk has no visible alterations.

But there are now numerous wasps crossing the sky, scouting the area.

[nanobot_swarm]

Though it has a cloaking field on, it isn't perfect, the soldiers may notice a "ripple" effect as to where it is, or just see it if they have heat-vision goggles.

[Darkcomet]

They do, in fact, have thermal vision in their helmets.

"Hey! What're you doing there!?" Calls one of them.

[nanobot_swarm]

Sala'mutck does not answer, just watches the soldiers, waiting to see what they do. Just in case, it readies its dissolvation gun, should they prove hostile.

[Darkcomet]

They don't attack. "Answer me!" Stubborn guy is stubborn, though.

[nanobot_swarm]

Sala'mutck continues to stare at the guard, awaiting to see how he shall respond again.

[Darkcomet]

The hotheaded soldier calms down a bit. "...Okay, that's obviously not working, so you're either not listening or you can't talk. Just explain why you're here if you can and we'll be off."

[AmberVael]

[South Zone]

The five soldiers from the inside swiftly head back towards where they came from, but pause before reaching the precise location. They all begin scanning the area around them, attempting to pinpoint movement, heat signatures, odd sounds- anything that might be a clue to an enemy presence.

[nanobot_swarm]

This time it does respond with a psychic message, the psychic voice seems to sound like Tony Jay,"Observation of primitive society of mammilian creatures enacting routines".
.....

Though it gives off little heat and barely moves, the soldiers will probably detect the node.

[AmberVael]

Click click click click click.
All five soldiers turn their heads with complete, mechanical precision in the direction of the node. Three step forwards to make a more directed shield around the central one, while the armor of one of the others begins reshaping itself in a bizarre manner- as if it were turning inside out.

[Darkcomet]

[Whitemount]

The two soldiers look at the thing oddly. "...No hostile intentions, then?"

[nanobot_swarm]

"Purpose only to observe. Interferance kept minimum. Hostile force shall be met with quick lethality should it occur."
......
The node just continues to observe them, still remaining unmoving, unaware that it may be in danger.

[AmberVael]

Once the armor reconfiguration completes, a rippling field extends around two of them, who swiftly disappear from sight. Under the cloak, they begin swiftly moving towards their destination, while the three visible ones keep arms trained on the probe, waiting for its reaction.

[Darkcomet]

[Whitemount]

The soldiers head back to where the negotiator and the Duke are.

"Sir, there seems to be some sort of robotic observer on the roof. It doesn't seem hostile."

The negotiator nods and turns to the Duke again. "What do you think of this?"

[Neon Knight]

[Whitemount Hall]

The Duke frowns. "It is always somewhat disconcerting to know that unseen eyes are watching you."

[nanobot_swarm]

Sala'mutck follows them inside the building, now interested in observing what the humans are trying to achieve inside the building.
...
The node stays in place, still observing the group.

[Draken]

[Whitemount Hall]

To distract the Duke form the unseen observer, three very seen observers appear and start to fly in circles above the city, focusing all six hundred of their eyes on inscrutable details.

And they buzz loudly and unnervingly while at it.

[AmberVael]

The three who remained behind quickly turn and run to catch up with their fellows, turning invisible along with them as they rush down into a tunnel that opens up for them, hopefully after losing the probe.

[Darkcomet]

[Whitemount Hall]

The soldiers look at Sala'mutck. "Get out."

The negotiator raises an eyebrow. "I think their little friend must've followed them..."

[nanobot_swarm]

"Primitive creature has no authority to give orders to Sala'mutck."
....
The probe begins to make its way back to Sala'mutck, having decided to end observation of the mysterious soldiers.

[Neon Knight]

[Whitemount Hall]

The Duke is in no position to notice the wasps. His soldiers, however, do notice the observers.

Inside the hall, the Duke raises an eyebrow and watches the proceedings.

[Viera Champion]

Some Random Field
Alhana appears. Basket in hand.

((I have to deadtime. Be back on tomorow.))

[DoomITP]

So does Lee.

[Darkcomet]

[Whitemount Hall]

The negotiator and his escorts aren't in a position to notice the wasps either.

...but the APC and its crew outside are.

One of the soldiers is informed of this via comlink and addresses the negotiator. "Sir! Giant wasps of a similar type to those sighted recently have been spotted flying over the city."

The negotiator's expression darkens as he turns to the Duke. "This is a most urgent matter. It is recommended that those wasps be eliminated at once-we haven't gotten a closer look at them, but they're extremely hostile from what we know of them."

[Neon Knight]

[Whitemount Hall]

The Duke regards the negotiator. "You are a bringer of storm crows. Nevertheless, I agree." The Duke signals to one of his aides and begins issuing orders.

((How high are the wasps? In bow range?))

[Draken]

[Whitemount Hall]

(Just at the edge of bow range, I dare say)

The wasps fly in faster circles as the armed soldiers appear.

[Darkcomet]

[Whitemount Hall]

The two soldiers escorting the negotiator leave, and two others climb out of the APC, all four aiming up at the wasps and ready to fire when the Duke's soldiers do.

[nanobot_swarm]

Sala'mutck follows the group outside, now observing the fight that will happen. The observer node returns to Sala'mutck, which it grabs and places on a belt type object.

[Dirk Kris]

Wherever it Won't Cause Issues
A wolf howl sounds from the woods - close. Then a quiet yelp...a young man - no, a boy - emerges from the trees. He is dragging his feet more than walking, clad only in dirty, torn jeans. His black hair is messy about his face, his eyes an oddly pale shade of blue. He staggers a few more steps, then collapses. Because of his height - over 6' - and fairly muscular build, it is easy to mistake him for someone in his mid-20's. However, a closer look at his face reveals his youth. He can't be out of his teens. He rests where he lands, little puffs of dust rising with each slow, even breath.

[The Bushranger]

[Outside, perhaps somewhere nearby]

Erin (http://public4.tektek.org/img/av/0909/d02/1213/1081573.png), returning from the Shrine of St. Mayvalia and heading in the direction of Inside, hears the commotion, and goes to investigate...

[Dirk Kris]

Erin will find a young man, clearly exhausted, looking like he's been through quite an ordeal. His darkly-tanned skin is covered with shallow cuts and scrapes, and more than a few bruises mar him.

[Morty]

Wenomir, who has been patrolling Outside, also heads to investigate the howl.

[The Bushranger]

Erin's help-somebody-in-need instincts kick in, and she hurries to the young man's side, quickly kneeling to check on him. "What happened - are you alright?"

She'll channel a little healing energy into him if it's needed and if she can.

[Dirk Kris]

Is it spoooooooky energy? Then it works, and the cuts and bruises heal over quickly. The boy lifts his head, suffering now from only exhaustion. He tries to press himself up and can't. Instead he rolls over and sits up, breathing a little more heavily now. His odd blue eyes turn to Erin and he smiles faintly, gratefully. His teeth are white, canines slightly elongated, his grin crooked. "Thanks. Just...been a long trip."

[Morty]

Wenomir walks through the woods, rather noisily, having noticed Erin and the young man.

[The Bushranger]

Spooooooooooooky energy(© and ™ Rebo:smalltongue:), indeed!

Erin smiles back. "Dimensional trip?" she guesses; she knows what portals can do... "Well, welcome to the Nexus. I'm Erin - Erin O'Connell. Who'r you?"

((And, I've gotta run - hope to be back soon))

[Dirk Kris]

The young man raises an eyebrow, hugging his knees. "Reese." He regards Erin with suspicion, even though she just apparently healed him.

[Morty]

Wenomir appears at the scene with Reese and deadtimed Erin. In the dusk of the woods, his eyes gleam.

[Dirk Kris]

The kid gets to his feet, towering over Erin as he does. He takes a step back, conscious of his height. "Thanks. Um, I...I'm gonna try to find something to eat. I'm starving. Later." He heads off down the street, leaving clear footprints in the dirt.

[Morty]

Wenomir shrugs and resumes his patrols.

[Dirk Kris]

After trying a few eateries and finding his credit card doesn't work here, Reese returns to the woods. He looks around, checking for any signs of people. He edges closer to the shadows of the forest, then dives in. He cries out...then groans. Much cracking of bones and snapping of tendons can be heard, along with the gnashing of teeth.

[Morty]

Wenomir, who's been moving rather slowly through the thick forest, freezes in place and goes back in the direction of the cry, cracking and gnashing.

[Dirk Kris]

As Wenomir gets closer, there is a flurry of movement. A large wolf, black as pitch, bounds off into the forest, coming from the area where the sounds of anguish came from.

[Morty]

Wenomir runs after the wolf, although he's probably a bit slower - while he's extraordinarily fast when he wants to, moving through the forest slows him down.

[Rebonack]

[None Too Far From the Commotion]

Something else is lurking around.

Following the wolf and demon-hunter pair from above.

Above and slightly perpendicular to reality.

The something can't be seen. Simply because it's Elsewhere at the moment. Should it get close, however, its presence will likely be felt. A nagging sense of wrongness. Of an unseen watcher.

Why is it here?

Probably because it smells new person.

[The Bushranger]

Erin undeadtimes, and starts to say something - but then finds Reese gone...

Shrugging in frustration, she heads back to Inside.

[Viera Champion]

Some Random Field
Alhana looks around the field for a good spot to sit. She finds a lone tree and sits underneath it in the shade. She sets down the basket.

[Dirk Kris]

Wenomir runs after the wolf, although he's probably a bit slower - while he's extraordinarily fast when he wants to, moving through the forest slows him down.
((Apologies - there was an emergency I had to handle.))
The wolf continues to run, casting glances back over its massive shoulder to see if it is still being pursued.

A rabbit is flushed from its hiding spot, and the beast pounces. The flight stops as he begins his dinner. Seems that was all he wanted.

[Morty]

Wenomir stops and watches the wolf. Looks like a normal wolf... but for starters, back home wolves ran in packs. And this one very peculiarily appeared right where the tall young guy was standing.

[Dirk Kris]

The wolf keeps...noisily munching on the little rabbit.

[Morty]

Wenomir sits down on a tree stump, waiting for the wolf to finish his meal to see what happens next.

[Rebonack]

[Not too far from the bunny buffet]

Empty air.

Nothing but a cool autumn breeze caressing the grass. Insects droning their last song before dieing to the harsh onset of winter. Field mice scurrying about, gathering food for the cold season ahead.

And then... something...

Like a haze.

A vague impression of shape.

Something is there... something...

"Hiya!" echoes a voice from beyond the spheres of time and space. Sibilant. Musical. "Are you new here? A werewolf maybe?"

No obvious source to the voice. Whether sight or scent.

Might be unsettling.