[Nexus] Outside 15-There used to be a silly pun here, but it wouldn't fit

[Lord Magtok]

This place is just as it sounds. It's outside.
Want a change of scenery? Go outside.
Always wanted to visit the beach? Come outside.
Looking to have a climatic fight on clifftops? Attempt outside.
Secret meetings being held where there's no cameras? Try outside.
Want an ambush without nasty base defenses? Yep. Outside.

Any and all are welcome here. There are no NPCs unless you bring them in. The major exception is the creepy eyed squirrel. The creepy eyed squirrel does not interfere with anyone. The creepy eyed squirrel is everywhere outside. The creepy eyed squirrel is always watching. The creepy eyed squirrel never sleeps. The creepy eyed squirrel can not be damaged, manipulated, or killed by anyone. The creepy eyed squirrel will eat anyone's very being who attempts to do so. Anyone can god-mode the creepy eyed squirrel. You may pet the creepy eyed squirrel at your own risk.

Other NPCs currently include:
The menacing crabs. These intimidating creatures are usually found by the shore.
The non-existant duck. You'll miss every time you shoot at it.

There is very little you can't do outside. However, like always, please follow the forum rules and general rules of conduct. Private conversations can be held outside. If it seems like a private (secret) conversation, please respect that. Those having such a conversation should do their best to indicate it as such. Otherwise, other characters may stumble upon you. Those desiring to spy in on private conversations should first PM those holding the private conversation, more out of courtesy than anything else.

There are many areas outside, and people can be in multiple places outside. In order to keep areas outside separated so there's no confusion, consider bolding your outside location at the start of each of your posts, like so:


The Fields

Reinholdt sets up various targets and practices his sharpshooting. All these events recently has made him a bit rusty. To his left, he notes the creepy eyed squirrel. Giving him the heebie-jeebies, Reinholdt decides to head somewhere else.


The Cliffside

Calublufiok broods over his latest scheme as he flies over the cliffs. The creepy eyed squirrel is watching him again. He finds occasionally landing and telling the creepy eyed squirrel his plans helps him find holes in his plotting.


Note Reinholdt and Calublufiok do not interact because they are in different areas outside. They could interact, if Reinholdt moves to the cliffside. Of course, various things like telepathy help bypass this. Also, please note outside has no major buildings, though minor ones crop up from time to time.

And most importantly, enjoy outside. That's what this is all about. :smallsmile:

Outside now contains various Outside locations! Such as...
[Dead Pine Lake]
This lake lies in the middle of the forest. On the eastern shore, woodpeckers feast on the dead pines that give the lake its name. Sometimes one can find Lady Death here, the Aspect of Eve also known as The Grandmother, or Jedwiga.

(Please PM happyturtle if you wish to interact with Jedwiga.)

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq40/happyturtle-avs/p243360-Delray_Beach_FL-Wetlands_sc.jpg

[The Islands]

An island cluster forms an archipelago along the coast. Some of the islands are settled, some not, but most are at least occasionally visited by the fishermen who work these waters.

[Gersemi's Island]

Gersemi the seighkona lives on a small island in the archipelago with a single hut and a few sheep. Inside the hut, there is a single room, and a fireplace. A loom rests in one corner.

(Please PM happyturtle if you wish to interact with Gersemi.)

[Redbrick Falls]

A mountainous, cliffy region with a prominent waterfall. A large quarry once was worked in these cliffs. Now, only a few scattered villages and solitary dwellings remain.


[Castle Silhouette]
Genesis' base of operations.

[Club Banana]
Here be primates of all sorts and much silliness? An aircraft hanger turned into a club used exclusively by intelligent apes.

[Norosa, Great City of the Elves]
A Lawful Evil city with an incredibly strong military and a very charismatic leader (Archmage Tyrion Lannister). It has a few CG resisters, but, otherwise, it is a city of peace and law, despite its evil nature.


A secret series of caves where a mad scientist lives. A mad scientist who creates mutant attack creatures. These can be purchased for the right price.

[Auxiliary MagCave]

A relic from the days of the Age of Apocalypse, this abandoned cavern was once used by the infamous cyborg Magtok as a back-up laboratory and underground fortress, should Calublufiok have ever stormed the primary MagCave.



PM Reinholdt Whoever's posted the current Outside thread if you wish to add locations to Outside.

[B]Special: Reinholdt will update the Outside threads and post new ones when it is time. Please don't post a new thread without his permission or he is away for an extended period of time. Irrelevant, as he's gone now.
Thank you.

[happyturtle]

A massive Irish Wolfhound is busy chasing the creepy one-eyed squirrel when suddenly a telewarp portal appears.

Abandoning the chase, he commences to barking madly at the portal.


Rauuuf! Rau rau rau rau rau! Rauf!

For reference:
http://imgs.sfgate.com/blogs/images/sfgate/pets/2010/03/19/IrishWolfhoundFrankBrendan.JPG

[iElf]

marcus appears with the sack still over his head "where am I? I demand you tell me!"

[Lord Iames Osari]

Slave Market

This is where the silver people-carrier arrives. Harry, the man wearing a posh tailored suit and sunglasses and also the driver, gets out first, followed closely by Natalie. The car is in a grassy field with a variety of carts, cars, vans, lorries, hovervehicles, and other modes of conveyance from a variety of places and times.

The slave market itself is a collection of brightly-coloured tents and wagons encircling a wooden platform, but it's organised in such a way that this central area is not visible from outside the slave market. The children may note the main entrance has, in addition to the admission booth, a larger wagon nearby with no windows and a fire outside.

Nimai and Mara get out of the car and look around as well.

"This is the carnival? It doesn't sound like there's many people having fun," Nimai comments.

[Lord Magtok]

Somewhere Near The Well-Disguised Entrance to the AuxMagCave

Magtok grins as he steps through the portal after Marcus.

I was rather hoping you'd ask that. Elly, would you hold him down for a minute or two while I get the bees ready?

Wait...what? Bees?! :smalleek:

[Hyozo]

Slave Market

Holly jumps out of the car after them and coments, "Back home the carnival usually didn't start until late in the day. Maybe we're the first ones here?"

[iElf]

Somewhere Near The Well-Disguised Entrance to the AuxMagCave

Magtok grins as he steps through the portal after Marcus.

I was rather hoping you'd ask that. Elly, would you hold him down for a minute or two while I get the bees ready?

Wait...what? Bees?! :smalleek:

marcus tries to take the sack off "sir, what in the name of hell are you doing?"

[The Bushranger]

[Not-A-Carnival]

"Ooooh, I hope we are the first!" Jamie grins, jumping up and down and clapping her hands. "That means the cotton candy and funnel cakes will be totally fresh!"

[horngeek]

Abigail nods, and grins!

...now, it would be a good idea to knock them out now, before they find out they've been duped. :smalltongue:

[happyturtle]

Rau rau rau rau rau!

The Irish Wolfhound continues barking at Magtok, Elly, and their prisoner, though less madly now that the freaky telewarp thingy is gone.

Still sounds scary though.

[Je dit Viola]

Carnival Slave Market

Both of the foxchildren have gotten out of the van quickly, because fear of being inside is only amplified by carsickness. Sinopa's face looks pale, but she also looks like she'll get over it soon enough.

"Should we get in line now?" asks the guy to nobody in particular. "I heard they're supposed to have long lines. Then again, we're the first, so...what now?"

[The Bushranger]

Jamie, noticing Sinopa's paleness, quickly hurries over to give her adopted sister a careful hug. "Aww...you'll be OK, right?" she asks, even as she starts looking around for the line.

[Murkus]

Interior; Bronze Pyramid

"Nothing so specific. We have chambers filled with religious artifacts, magical objects of great power, and technologies. Perhaps some of these may be of use?" The necrotechnomantic construct starts up the routemaster's engine and starts to drive. Should B-27 look out of the window, they pass skeletons, statues, plants, robots, and lots of other objects of historic, scientific, magical, or religious value. There's even a rack of hairdryers of different designs and from different time periods and planets.


B-27 scratches the back of his head. "Hm. Well, what about technologies that seem to work without actually doing anything? Or technologies so advanced, they appear to be magic?" The slave turns to the window, watching the artifacts roll by. "Oh, I do wish I could see it all. But duty calls, I suppose."

Large Field, currently being converted to IEA Base Camp

Dozens upon dozens of part-reptilian GESS personel swarm through the field, pitching tents and canvases as swiftly as they have a thousand times before. This is easily observable from pretty much anywhere nearby or high up.

The massive, black-orange battlesuits stride deftfully amidst the hustle and bustle, watching over their fellow slaves as they work. Tent after tent rises, and soon, these tents are filled with many and varied technological devices. Radars, scanners, databases, research probes, computers. The new base camp expands outward into a wide circle, consisting of at least two or three dozen tents.

In the center of the tents can still be seen the wide, bulky birth of the IEA transport cruiser, it's massive rocket engines now quiet and empty. Yet more equipment can be seen endlessly being unloaded from the vessel.

After the battlesuits comes walking a single, orange lizard-folk, completely protected by plates of mythril armor. A robe bearing the acronym of the IEA swirls about his person. He looks at the hybrid human-lizards, nothing more than humans given scales and a few other reptilian traits, with a mix of contempt and impatience. His name was Vazz.

His predator's eyes whirl on one A-20, a female slave only recently out of her growth tube. She appears to be having some trouble with a tentpost, it will not stay in the ground. "I thought I said 'set up a base camp', A-20. Not stand around twiddling your thumbs."

A-20 turns towards Vazz. She still had the form and figure of a human. It was mostly the reptile eyes and the scales that differed GESS slaves from normal humans. Made them more efficient, more intelligent, more like lizard-folk. Or that was supposed to be the case. To Vazz, they were nothing more than disgusting mongels. Some of them had actually tried to reproduce (an urge that was quickly suppressed in the next generation), a thought that sickened the lizard-folk yet further. Mammalian reproduction was so... Gods, it made him want to vomit.

The hybrid's voice wavers. She fears him. Good. "I'm sorry, sir. I cannot seem to set this tent pole right. I can't get it to stay still." She shrinks back almost reflexively, as do those other hybrids around her. She knows what's coming.

A-20 doesn't even see his hand raise. She is thrown backwards by the force of the blow, hitting the ground very hard. Two other slaves move to help her up. Vazz licks his lips irritably. No, that was not necessary. He's just cranky and needs an outlet for his rage. But as papa always said, why not take out anger on the idiots who aren't doing things the way you want them to? "Now. Get someone else to pitch that tent-pole, A-20. You should know better."

She is still dazed, a bit of blood falling from her lip. "I said now, A-20. Or would you like to find out why I always carry a sword?" His voice becomes as cold as ice.

One of the other slaves moves to place the pole, this one's muscles fully grown. "Thank you."Vazz remarks, before turning back to his walk.

The lizard-folk makes his way towards a tent on the edge of the camp, discovering A-26 in her usual spot. Surveying. It seemed, almost, she could not stop doing the task that she was built for: observing and collecting. Hell, it seemed she already had samples from every plant in the area.

"Well done, A-26." Vazz remarks. "I'll have one of the research ops pick those up."

A-26 stands at attention upon hearing his voice, staying straight as a board. She was one of the best GESS on hand, and Vazz would not let that go to waste. "I want you on the first urban op. I need surveys of the entire area, and any documents you can find relating to the origin of the civilization and it's history."

He opens up a holo-map, showing her what looks to be a city. Inside. "This place was picked up when our first battlesuits arrived. I need you to get there. Take a stealthsuit."

A-26 nods wordlessly. Vazz smiles a vile, toothy grin. "Good. Get to work the moment night falls."

[EleventhHour]

Somewhere Near The Well-Disguised Entrance to the AuxMagCave
Hereforth known as : SWNTW-DEAMC Wait, that's almost as bad as the full title...

"Hey now, you have to keep the bag on your head or you'll never know if he was, maybe, lying or not about there, possibly, being scary africanized bees." Elle tries to keep it down on the guy's face, "Just the bees? I wanted to do something with the mango, half pound of butter and staples."

[Lord Magtok]

NTEAMC

So do I, dear, so do I, but he's a total newbie to this sort of thing so we've got to start off light here. I mean, I don't think this guy's even died before.

Magtok pulls out an odd metal tube with a loud buzzing sort of sound coming from within, the sort of noise a huge swarm of bees might make if they happened to be in a very bad mood.

Before we do anything Marcus, there was that one lady who came up with the whole plan for marrying you off to Margaret and such. Would you mind telling me what you can about her?

[Falgorn]

Farmhouse
Slowly, in the distance, a farmboy jogs, presumably followed by Wenomir. He slows down as the two approach the cottage. It's a nice little cabin, built with logs. Behind and around the house are a few acres of farmland. In the front yard, there is a target made from a burlap sack, with a bullseye painted on.
Something about the house seems eerie, though.

[iElf]

NTEAMC

So do I, dear, so do I, but he's a total newbie to this sort of thing so we've got to start off light here. I mean, I don't think this guy's even died before.

Magtok pulls out an odd metal tube with a loud buzzing sort of sound coming from within, the sort of noise a huge swarm of bees might make if they happened to be in a very bad mood.

Before we do anything Marcus, there was that one lady who came up with the whole plan for marrying you off to Margaret and such. Would you mind telling me what you can about her?

"oh...her...I can't remeber her name, but I remember she was a member of the celebration foundation..or something like that..a kind of mob or mafia...and please don't kill me......"

[Morty]

Farmhouse
Slowly, in the distance, a farmboy jogs, presumably followed by Wenomir. He slows down as the two approach the cottage. It's a nice little cabin, built with logs. Behind and around the house are a few acres of farmland. In the front yard, there is a target made from a burlap sack, with a bullseye painted on.
Something about the house seems eerie, though.

Wenomir follows the boy there. So. You were saying your house was attacked by shadows, right?

[Beans]

"oh...her...I can't remeber her name, but I remember she was a member of the celebration foundation..or something like that..a kind of mob or mafia...and please don't kill me......"
((Allow me to interject that it is, in fact, the Celebritarian Foundation. If the mixup was intentional, I apologize.
Celebration foundation sounds like something out of Party Monster.))

[Falgorn]

Wenomir follows the boy there. So. You were saying your house was attacked by shadows, right?

[Farmhouse]
"Yessir, right in here..." The boy continues forward to the door, nervously pushing it open before hiding behind Wenomir.

[Morty]

[Farmhouse]
"Yessir, right in here..." The boy continues forward to the door, nervously pushing it open before hiding behind Wenomir.

Wenomir draws his sword and enters.

[happyturtle]

NTEAMC

The Irish Wolfhound notices that the three people he has been barking at have yet to acknowledge his existence. He lowers his ears and tail and whines a little. :smallfrown:

[Falgorn]

Wenomir draws his sword and enters.

[Farmhouse]
In the house is...nothing. It seems calm and tranquil. The fire crackles, the flames jumping up and down the fireplace. It seems too good to be true, until Wenomir would notice the corpse of a woman lying on the table.

[Morty]

[Farmhouse]

Wenomir approaches the table slowly, the true sight still active.

[EleventhHour]

NTEAMC

Elle shrugs haplessly at Magtok and ties a cord around the bag, then goes to play with the puppy! "Aww, lookit you. Aren't you adooorable?" D'aww, puppy. "Who do you belong to? Huh? Huh?" Leaving Magtok to do whatever he wants? Oh noes! That's a terrible idea!

[Falgorn]

[Farmhouse]

Wenomir approaches the table slowly, the true sight still active.

[Farmhouse]
The boy follows Wenomir cautiosly. He had picked up a stick from the ground outside, and he lights it in the fireplace. He waves it over the woman's corpse. "It looks like they left..."
As that is said, something behind Wenomir scuttles across the floor.

[Morty]

[Farmhouse]

Wenomir turns around quickly, sword at the ready.

[Falgorn]

[Farmhouse]

Wenomir turns around quickly, sword at the ready.

[Farmhouse]

It was a rat, shuffling across the floor, the flames now making its shadow larger. In an instant, the shadow peels itself off of the floor, flying towards Wenomir.

[Morty]

[Farmhouse]

Wenomir backs away, making two quick slashes at the shadow with his highly magical sword.

[Earl of Purple]

Slave Market

"Yes. We are here early, that is why nobody is around. Besides, we're currently outside the carnival, all the fun is inside, where we can't hear it. Could you all follow me, please?" Like with the 'tickets' back in GLoG, Natalie is using her mind control on the last sentance; the girls (and Tokala) should feel compelled to obey, in fact slightly more mind-control is being used now than to convince them that blank pieces of paper were carnival tickets.

Natalie will (if the mind-control is successful) lead the girls to the admission booth, with Harry-the-adult behind so none run off. Once at the admission booth, Harry will talk to the gnome inside the booth as Natalie tries to lead the girls into the other shack, the windowless one with a chimney spouting smoke into the air (the one which in original post had the fire outside, but I retconned it inside).

Inside the Bronze Pyramid

"Technology that resembles magic? Yes, we do. Unfortunately for you, most technology appears magical to somebody that does not understand it. How advanced are we talking, here? And as to technology that does nothing, we have a lot of that, too. But it is strictly not for show until an Encyclopede understands what it does and how it works. After all, a gieger counter appears to do nothing in an area without any background radiation, and most technological devices fail to work completely when they are disconnected to a powersupply. Could you perhaps be more... Specific?" The routemaster continues down corridors and hallways, passing more of the same. Notable are a twelve-foot-tall humanoid skeleton with two heads, a black thing studded with gold spheres and three stalks at the front; the highest ending with an orb, one with a sucker and the third ending stalk composed of a hollow tube with a ridged outside, as well as a giant stone head.

[Falgorn]

[Farmhouse]

Wenomir backs away, making two quick slashes at the shadow with his highly magical sword.

[Farmhouse]

The attacks hit their mark, and the shadow rat falls to the ground, in four nice pieces, and evaporates.
"You see! It was just like that, but...bigger! And more of them!"

[Morty]

[Farmhouse]

Right. Stay close to me and we'll search the entire house.

[Falgorn]

[Farmhouse]

Right. Stay close to me and we'll search the entire house.

[Farmhouse]
The boy nods, and follows as he searches.
(Deadtime.)

[Kaelaroth]

A preacherman, covered in muck, dressed only in rags, his eyes wide and dark, stumbles across some dirty, muddy pathway, through heavy woodland, crying out to himself, causing nearby birds to scatter out into the clouds above, and the few more intelligent creatures amid the undergrowth to head-tail and run, partly out of distaste.
Partly out of better brains.

A pink storm brews! A devil walks in the hearts and minds of all who live in these lands! An entity beyond your comprehension is brewing out there in the heart of our lands, and it will rage and deliver pain and bloodshed like a mother delivers milk! The sky will bleed! Mother's milk is red today! RED! One will see the signs! The signs! He will rise! One can not kill the end! It did not die! IT LIVES! IT LIVES!


Birds continue to fly away. Above him, the sky.. shivers. Clouds start to ripple together faster, merging above into an amorphous tumult, words briefly forming and evaporating in intricate designs up on high above.

Pausing for breath, he continues. Blame the cyborg! Blame his mind! BLAME HIS WICKED MIND! And blame the barbarian, whose skin bleeds into others like molten metal! She disposed of the body, not the soul!

Why do you not curl up in fear!

Spirits lurk, out there, and nobody cares. The end-bringer shall live, and with his three hands crawling upon the earth, the end shall come. The cloaked woman, the vengeful abused, and the ignorant armies.

Fear! THE END IS NIGH!

But there is a shiver in the darkness, as a portal opens nearby, silent, burning red in the twilight under the canopy, and out shambles something.. something hideous. Beneath its feet, the ground itself withers, and a foul smell (though smelled by none it is, as what few animals remained are dying around, too). And the preacherman backs away, his hands raising themselves almost instinctively to his eyes, as if to cover them from the sight of the shambling monstrosity, this humanlike concoction of flesh and bone, withered and foul. The vengeful abused. I said! No-one heard me! I said! The end is nigh! Nigh!
This, for some reason, though I can't think why, doesn't stop the advance of whatever this.. thing, is. It smiles, in the darkness that's brimming around it (or is it just that the preacherman's finding it hard to see, as if dusk's collapsing, apocalyptic, around him?).

No. It hisses.
Your end is here.

Within minutes, all the remains is the broken body of the preacherman, red blood drying fast on each and every orifice, a dark circle clumsily painted around him in the mud, his blood the very paint.

[horngeek]

Abigail is lead to the shack!

...she's not very strong-willed...

[Morty]

[Farmhouse]
The boy nods, and follows as he searches.
(Deadtime.)

Wenomir sets out on his search, deadtiming.

[Lord Magtok]

NTEAMC

I suppose that's of some use. Not enough to completely dodge the bees, but enough to keep your stings mild.

Magtok eyes the dog warily, before stepping back towards Marcus. Sticking his chrome hand into the bee container, he carefully takes out a small handful of the insects, and attempts to carefully stuff those mostly-harmless bugs in there to sting at Marcus's face. Any sign of a struggle, and Magtok might change his mind and toss in more bees.

Next question, and this is with a much nastier punishment at stake if you're not helpful enough. How long do you think you'd have to wait before you'd be able to safely strike at Margaret, assuming you had some way of hiding the deed from me and-

Magtok murmurs quietly for a moment, bites his lip, and nervously shifts a step or two away from Elly and that really big dog. For some reason, he and canines never got on well. Beasts in general just irk him, and...No, not even the typically quite cynophobic cyborg ever feels this uncomfortable around the things. There has to be something else out there, some other motive for his tension, but what?

[happyturtle]

NTEAMC

Elle shrugs haplessly at Magtok and ties a cord around the bag, then goes to play with the puppy! "Aww, lookit you. Aren't you adooorable?" D'aww, puppy. "Who do you belong to? Huh? Huh?" Leaving Magtok to do whatever he wants? Oh noes! That's a terrible idea!

The Irish Wolfhound wags his tail enthusiastically and tries to lick Elly's face.

[iElf]

NTEAMC

I suppose that's of some use. Not enough to completely dodge the bees, but enough to keep your stings mild.

Magtok eyes the dog warily, before stepping back towards Marcus. Sticking his chrome hand into the bee container, he carefully takes out a small handful of the insects, and attempts to carefully stuff those mostly-harmless bugs in there to sting at Marcus's face. Any sign of a struggle, and Magtok might change his mind and toss in more bees.

Next question, and this is with a much nastier punishment at stake if you're not helpful enough. How long do you think you'd have to wait before you'd be able to safely strike at Margaret, assuming you had some way of hiding the deed from me and-

Magtok murmurs quietly for a moment, bites his lip, and nervously shifts a step or two away from Elly and that really big dog. For some reason, he and canines never got on well. Beasts in general just irk him, and...No, not even the typically quite cynophobic cyborg ever feels this uncomfortable around the things. There has to be something else out there, some other motive for his tension, but what?

Marcus screams, and tries to rip the sack off, struggling like anything
"AAAAAAARRGHHH! I read the law papers...mageret needs to live...GET THESE THINGS OF ME!"

[Murkus]

IEA Base Camp

"Sir." Comes the com call of a GESS slave. Vazz the orange lizardfolk looks up from a pile of paperwork, reaching up to click his ear communicator.

"Any news, soldier?" Vazz answers.

"No new contacts, sir. We've picked up some sort of portal resonance."

Vazz nods. "So someone else is here, then?"

"Yes, sir. They're close by, as well. Somewhere in the wilderness. But, sir... it's not... normal." The GESS soldier's voice wavers.

"What?" Vazz questions, voice growling.

"It's not magical, or at least not the kind of magic we've seen. The same for technological and psionics."

"I want a recon team prepped. Send battle suit A-24 too. If the Fascians are snooping around..."

"Yes, sir." Comes back the ever obedient voice.

Vazz leans back in his chair, interlocking his fingers. But it couldn't be the Fascians. They never could have discovered the Nexus at the same time as the IEA.

And the lizard-folk couldn't shake the feeling... something was off. He didn't know what, but something was off.

EDIT

Within the Bronze Pyramid

B-27 muses at the specifics. "I'm not quite sure. Technology that works invisibly, perhaps?" As in, it can't be seen, but still has some sort of affect. As if nothing was there.

NOTHER EDIT

As another example: a perfectly smooth, legless chair that appears to float, but is really levitating without any visible leviation device.

[Earl of Purple]

Inside the Bronze Pyramid

"Technology that resembles magic? Yes, we do. Unfortunately for you, most technology appears magical to somebody that does not understand it. How advanced are we talking, here? And as to technology that does nothing, we have a lot of that, too. But it is strictly not for show until an Encyclopede understands what it does and how it works. After all, a gieger counter appears to do nothing in an area without any background radiation, and most technological devices fail to work completely when they are disconnected to a powersupply. Could you perhaps be more... Specific?" The routemaster continues down corridors and hallways, passing more of the same. Notable are a twelve-foot-tall humanoid skeleton with two heads, a black thing studded with gold spheres and three stalks at the front; the highest ending with an orb, one with a sucker and the third ending stalk composed of a hollow tube with a ridged outside, as well as a giant stone head.

((I editted this in; you may have missed it))

[The Bushranger]

[NotACarnival]

Jamie hesitates, as she feels something on her mind, skittering around it then sliding off. And frowns.
"I think you have a telepath or something around here. You should tell them not to read peoples' minds; its rude."
She goes to follow the others. Assuming none of them get stopped, of course.
If she had a little more experience, she'd be more concerned...

[Je dit Viola]

There is no Mind Control in the "CARNIVAL"

Some time back, after being comforted by Jamie, Sinopa smiled and started to feel a bit better.

Tokala, who was specially mentioned in the mind convincing post, and Sinopa are both successfully mind-altered. They're probably my only characters who don't have some sort of defence against this. (Well, more precisely, they don't have a defence against this outside of GLoG campground. But that's the same thing, basically.)

As a result, they both agree, and also go to the ticket booth, then the shack with the fire.

(Out of order, but...), after Jamie's comment, Sinopa wonders aloud, "There's people here who can read minds?" They must be doing it through the ear! She puts her hands over her ears to block out the mind readers.

[The Bushranger]

Jamie giggles. "I think so! I thought I felt something. Don't worry, they can't suck your brain out through your ears or anything though!" And she goes to put an arm around her sister protectively. "And if they could, I'd protect you," she promises.

[Je dit Viola]

Slave Trading Place

Sinopa is now comforted once again, by her sister. She brings her hands down from her ears. "Oh. That's good." She smiles, then thinks a bit.
"She's right. They suck it out of your nose," then teases Tokala, laughing as they walk like unsuspecting sheep.

[The Bushranger]

[Dark Carnival?]

Jamie rolls her eyes and aims a swat at Tokala's shoulder with a giggle. "Be careful you don't blow your brains out into a hankerchief!" she retailiates, feeling totally happy to have a brother and sister to play with, comfort, and to generally be a big sister to.

[happyturtle]

[Near Aux Cave]


"I read the law papers...mageret needs to live..."

Really? No reaction to the fact that Maggy just poured BEES into the sack that your FACE is in? :smalleek:

One of the bees manages to get loose, attracting the Wolfhound's attention. He joyfully snaps at it, then yelps as he gets a sting right on his tongue. Whimpering, he runs off, tail between his legs.

[iElf]

[Near Aux Cave]



Really? No reaction to the fact that Maggy just poured BEES into the sack that your FACE is in? :smalleek:


:smalleek: fixed

[Lord Iames Osari]

Slave Market

"Yes. We are here early, that is why nobody is around. Besides, we're currently outside the carnival, all the fun is inside, where we can't hear it. Could you all follow me, please?" Like with the 'tickets' back in GLoG, Natalie is using her mind control on the last sentance; the girls (and Tokala) should feel compelled to obey, in fact slightly more mind-control is being used now than to convince them that blank pieces of paper were carnival tickets.

Natalie will (if the mind-control is successful) lead the girls to the admission booth, with Harry-the-adult behind so none run off. Once at the admission booth, Harry will talk to the gnome inside the booth as Natalie tries to lead the girls into the other shack, the windowless one with a chimney spouting smoke into the air (the one which in original post had the fire outside, but I retconned it inside).

Nimai and Mara go along with the others.

[Earl of Purple]

Slave Market

Inside the hut, it is dark, lit only by the glows of a fire at the other end in a stone hearth; there's three muscular, adult male humans present; one by the door and two near the fire. Once all the children are inside, the door is closed by the human near the door. Another muscular human tries to grab Abigail, since she was the first through the door. "Seven slaves to be branded. Five human girls, two foxfolk, one male and one female. None of them have hit puberty ((if I'm wrong I'll correct this later)), and that one" Pointing at Jamie "is psychic, or has methods to detect psychic presence. The foxfolk can turn into common red foxes, but as far as I'm aware there's no other abilities in the group." Wow, Natalie's voice has changed. Nimai and maybe Jamie may recognise it; Nephrim is still hiding her true form, but not her voice.

Abigail, if grabbed, will be dragged/carried to the other end of the hut where there's some metal rods sticking out of a fire. Another man will pull down Abigail's top to expose her shoulder and press a rod just removed from the fire onto it, branding an 'S' into her shoulder. Abigail will then be frisked to ensure she has no weapons, lockpicks or anything that could be used as either and shackles will be locked around her wrists, ankles and neck, each chained to the other. The shackles possess minor enchantments to automatically fit around anything that goes into them. This process will then be carried out on all of the others.

[horngeek]

This will be... difficult.

The instant that Abigail realises what's going on, her eyes widen... and turn yellow. Any of her friends will realise that they look... slightly mechanical.

Then, she screams. And attempts to punch the slaver.

This punch is fully capable of going through a brick wall.

[Lord Iames Osari]

Nimai's eyes go wide as she hears Nephrim talking and sees the man try to grab Abigail. In a flash of golden light, swirling ribbons, and dramatic music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PobSiTCZ4Es), she transforms.

"I am the champion of beauty and justice, the light that burns away the darkness! I am Magical Princess Kirana, and in the name of the Sun, I will punish you!"

Next to her, Maralah undergoes a similar transformation, though darker.

"I am the champion of peace and enlightenment, the soothing love after painful solitude. I am Magical Princess Tamesis!"

[Lord Magtok]

Near AuxMagCave

Magtok just shakes his head, before reaching into his robes, pulling out an entire bouquet of blue roses. He carefully waves the bundle about, close to Marcus's face, which for some reason or another should cause the genetically modfied bees to settle down and stop trying to harm the sack-headed fellow.

Now now, they're only bees. A mild irritation at best. Tell me-Wait, hold on a second.

Magtok turns around, and tries to find the catgirl.

Elly! Would you mind holding these for a moment? I need my hands to take that silly sack off.

Not entirely the truth, but Marcus doesn't need to know that yet.

[Je dit Viola]

Slave Market

Slaves? That's bad! Their eyes go wide.
Jamie's friends are starting to fight, and the fox twins lack any combat capabilities, besides biting and scratching.

Abigail was not grabbed, which (sorta) gives a distraction. Sinopa instinctively turns into a fox, and leaps towards Tokala's arms. He, holding her, uses the distraction as an opportunity to take a step backwards, and try to avoid any of the slavers, while staying out of the way of the fighting.

[Earl of Purple]

Slave Market

"And apparantly, those two can do that and that other one is partially mechanical. Why can't cyborgs have the decency to at least look part machine?" Nephrim seems rather exasperated with the whole thing, and she's taken off the red rucksack and is currently rummaging around inside it.

Abigail's punch does hit the slaver. He bounces off a wall and hits the ground; he won't move for a while, and then only with help. He's dead. His position also revealed a scar on his left shoulder; a branded 'S' shape.

Tokala and Sinopa may find it difficult to get to the door; the muscular human is standing between them and the door, and on the other side is Harry, the 'father' of 'Natalie'.

[EleventhHour]

NTEAMC

Yuck. Dog germs. "Ugh! Yuck! Dog germs! I've been infected! Get me some water! Some iodine! Wait, no. This isn't Charlie Brown, though she does look unhappily at the dog, "You big mutt. Go on home." She calls after it as it runs away from being stung by a bee, and goes over to hold the flowers, fiddling with them curiously. "...There's bees on these flowers... Not a paticularly nice present."

[Je dit Viola]

Slavy Market

Well, of course they won't go towards the door, since there's two big scary men right there. Tokala, with the foxform of his sister in his arms, keeps a wary eye on those two men, because they look bigger and scarier than 'Natalie'.

Truly, the worst part is when their fear of being inside sets back in.
Pulse quickens, breath quickens and becomes shallow, eyes dart back and forth, and mind goes a little cloudy.

[horngeek]

Abigail turns towards the muscular human, and starts to rush towards him, intending to open a path for the others.

[The Bushranger]

Slave Market

Jamie grabs a stick she was carrying in her pocket, spins it, and suddenly a rush of wind blows through the camper, accompanied by a small crack of thunder!
As she changes...
"I am the force of nature, the wind that blows away the fog to reveal truth - the Druid Princess Mikani!" she declares, spinning around and seeing the man blocking the door, and the escape of her siblings.

"Be ready to run!" she shouts to Tokala, even as she throws out her wand - the wand that was, once, the stick - and a bolt of lightning flashes out, the aim changed at the last moment to 'Natalie's' 'father' so as not to hit Abigail!

[iElf]

marcus pulls the sack off himself once the bees are gone "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?YOU…YOU…PSYCHOPATHIC CYBORG!"

[Earl of Purple]

Slave Market

"Aha! Found it!" Natalie has drawn a pistol from her rucksack and is pointing it at the nearest concentration of children; this may include Sinopa and Tokala, since they are cautious about the door. Of course, by now Jamie has revealed her alternate personality/form as well. "OK, I admit that I knew they could do that. But they would have gotten a lower price, and I thought they'd have the decency to wait until me and Dam'Bul had fled. NOBODY MOVE, OR I'LL SHOOT SOMEBODY!" As previously, there's mind control behind this, too. Not very much; she certainly could have had more, but then the pleasure of firing her pistol would have been denyed her.

Meanwhile/slightly before, Abigail is rushing towards Thug #2, who tries to step out of the way and push Abigail into a wall, using her momentum against her. He steps to one side, nearly being hit by the lightning bolt. Dam'Bul/Harry/'Natalie's' 'father' manages to dodge the bolt as well, moving slightly too fast to be completely human. His sunglasses have also fallen off, revealing his eyes. They are red; very red. If Quinn told Jamie about Gareth Nefid and his demon troubles which occured in the old base, Jamie may recognise the symptoms of demonic possession.

Inside the Bronze Pyramid, with the Outside Door Open

"Hmm. We shall go to the Experimental and Mysterious Technology Hall, then. Perhaps you will find what you wish for there. Such as, possibly, a device to remove the implants inserted into your brain?" The necrotechnomantic thrall continues to drive the routemaster down various corridors. Currently, one filled with a variety of banners, flags and totems. There's one made of flayed human skin (with hands and head still attached) with a red star-shape with points of unequal length, another made of tattered clothing and scraps of material with a crude red eye upon it, one displaying a two-headed eagle and the motto 'Cadian CLVII For The Emperor and Mankind', another which appears to have crow's nest at the top, as well as an Imperial Eagle used by the French under Napoleon and many others.

[The Bushranger]

Nope, Jamie knows nothing about all that.

What she does know, though, is that Not-Natalie is pointing a gun at her brother and sister.

...

Oh, crap.

"I sentence you to punishment in the name of Nature!" she shouts, slamming her wand down into the floor of the hut.

The floor, just possibly, will start to rumble and shake at this point. :smalleek:

[Murkus]

Within the Bronze Pyramid

B-27 nods, smiling that awkward smile. "That sounds excellent. I shall begin my research there." The slave returns, albeit briefly, to watching the exhibits speed by. He looks about to inquire about one of them when the Encyclopede mentions removing the implants in his brain.

The lizard-folk's scaly skin grows a paler green, face turning fearful. "I... do not think that would be the best idea, sir, but I thank you for the suggestion."

IEA Base Camp

A six-wheeled reconnaissance vehicle, curved and round, speeds out of the IEA vessel resting in the middle of the camp. The large ATV zips through the camp, picking up small group of researchers and soldiers.

It is quickly followed by battlesuit A-24, the bulky powered armor following with long, pounding steps. They depart from the camp, off into the forest to explore.

[Lord Iames Osari]

Slave Market

"Aha! Found it!" Natalie has drawn a pistol from her rucksack and is pointing it at the nearest concentration of children; this may include Sinopa and Tokala, since they are cautious about the door. Of course, by now Jamie has revealed her alternate personality/form as well. "OK, I admit that I knew they could do that. But they would have gotten a lower price, and I thought they'd have the decency to wait until me and Dam'Bul had fled. NOBODY MOVE, OR I'LL SHOOT SOMEBODY!" As previously, there's mind control behind this, too. Not very much; she certainly could have had more, but then the pleasure of firing her pistol would have been denyed her.

Meanwhile/slightly before, Abigail is rushing towards Thug #2, who tries to step out of the way and push Abigail into a wall, using her momentum against her. He steps to one side, nearly being hit by the lightning bolt. Dam'Bul/Harry/'Natalie's' 'father' manages to dodge the bolt as well, moving slightly too fast to be completely human. His sunglasses have also fallen off, revealing his eyes. They are red; very red. If Quinn told Jamie about Gareth Nefid and his demon troubles which occured in the old base, Jamie may recognise the symptoms of demonic possession.

"Drop it, whatever you are!" Kirana cries, hurling her sceptre like a boomerang to knock the firearm from Nephrim/Natalie's hand. "Sun Sceptre Attack!"

Tamesis says nothing, merely turning toward the two men by the fire an unleashing a blast aimed at the wall behind them, intended to blast through a hole (and maybe them along with it).

[Lord Magtok]

Near AuxMagCave

Just brush 'em aside, Elly. They can't do a thing when they're-


marcus pulls the sack off himself once the bees are gone "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?YOU…YOU…PSYCHOPATHIC CYBORG!"

Magtok simply grins at the furious, screaming spouse of his associate, and attempts to hover closer, his robes trailing along like some sort of ominous spectre as he shakes his head at this hapless victim.

You mean it's not obvious already? Marcus, I despise you. We only just met, and already I can't stand everything about you, down to your very scent.

I've brought you out into the middle of nowhere with the intent of draining you of any little potentially useful snip of information you might have at your disposal, discouraging you you from hogging the wealth, and scaring the fudge out of you. It's working, so luckily for you, I'm going to cut this down to its bare minimum before sending you back on your way home.

Play your cards right and you won't get even a scratch. Er...another one, that is. Just tell me what you were planning on doing, and I'm certain, won't be trying, now that we've had this little conversation.

[iElf]

"NO! I'VE HAD ENOUGH! LET ME GO THIS INSTANT!" marcus is furious . i can't remember if they searched him for weapons, but if they didn't he pulls a revolver on magtok

[Earl of Purple]

Slave Market

Jamie does, indeed cause an earthquake/the floor to move. "When I said, at GLoG, that I could not change my form, I lied." Nearly losing her balance, Natalie's facial features move and shift, liquifying and solidifying into new shapes. Meanwhile, Natalie has closed her eyes and her hair is bleaching to white and getting shorter until it is pure white and reaches her shoulders, whilst large, white wings erupt from her back and spread outwards. When she opens her eyes, they are pearlescent orbs, completely white. She should now be familiar to Nimai/Kirana and Jamie/Mikani, as she visited Anshu's party at the Embassy. "What am I? Don't you recognise me? I'm Nephrim, the Fallen Angel, Lieutenant in the Army of Pazuzu, and your mother killed my mind-thralls. They did as I told them because they couldn't help it; much like you did." Then her gun is knocked out of her hand. Although, the floor's shaking. Nephrim leaps into the air and flies towards Nimai, aiming to pick her up and hold her hostage.

Tamesis has successfully made her hole in the wall, and also in one of the poor humans. They're slaves too, y'know. The other has jumped through the hole, and has disappeared. Is he waiting to capture them outside, getting help or running for his life?

Interior, Bronze Pyramid

"Perfect! We will arrive presently. Also, I am not a 'sir'. I am a female, although you were not to know. In fact, I don't know if you are a sir or a madam. I am sorry to have brought it up, please forgive me. I will not mention it again, altough if you change your mind the Curator of Cybernetic Implants would be interested in them." Meanwhile, however, they merely drive through another corridor, this one has many paintings on the walls, including some by Vincent van Gogh, Picasso, Salvador Dali and many others, many by non-humans, or even children. It is also possible that some are both.

[horngeek]

Abigail is rushed into a wall!

...to come out swinging a couple of seconds later.

[Beans]

[Halo's Beach]
Totally unaware of another woman's husband being Bee'd elsewhere, Pesty arrives on the beach with towels and stuff.

[DoomITP]

Grant shall arrive too!

[Beans]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!
Pesty and Salvy run into the water!

[DoomITP]

Grant is sitting there in his suit. :smalltongue:

[Beans]

Pesty runs over to drag him by his arm to le water.
COME ON WE ARE SWIMMING.

[DoomITP]

He shall be pulled into the water.

Hey, Salvy can swim, right?.

[Beans]

Salvy is swimmyswimmyswimming. Not just swimming, mind you.
See?

[DoomITP]

Okay, good.

He says as he begins to swim really fast!

[Beans]

Everyone is happy and swimming. Hooray!

[DoomITP]

Maybe bad people show up or something. :smalltongue:

Grant stops swimming for a second to rest.

[Beans]

Sorry, can't hear you over the swimming.

Pesty boinks into him.

[DoomITP]

Grant is boinked into.

Salvy seems to like water more than most cats do.

[Beans]

She's half-planar. Might have something to do with it.
Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!

[DoomITP]

I wonder when her powers will start showing up... Mine were already starting to appear when I was her age... Then again I'm full blooded so it will probably take her longer.

[Beans]

They'll appear when they have the greatest dramatic effect.

[DoomITP]

Yeah, probably. Though, not many bad guys have been around that much... I wonder when that would happen.

[Beans]

Pesty shruggles.
Not from the 20th to the 27th, I know that much.

[DoomITP]

Yep... Salvy, having fun?

[Beans]

Uh-huh!
Wheee! She loves swimming.

[DoomITP]

Grant shall watch the swimming.

[EleventhHour]

NTEAMC

Ohai, it doesn't seem anyone did. So it looks like Marcus does have his gun! On the less fortunate side, Elle has her gun, too. And points it at the side of the guy's head. "Let's think about this for a second, now. Magtok has clones, one life won't bother him too much. It will bother me though, and you only get one chance at living." Hey, it's a valid point.

[Hyozo]

[slave market]

"If introductions are in order," begins Holly with more spite in her voice than the girls have ever heard before. Suddenly a momentary gust of wind and snow blows through the hole in the wall and conceals her as her form changes. "I am Chione, lady of winter. Ice and wind and snow are mine to command." With this she'll send a frigid blast of wind at Nephrim, attempting to knock her out of the air.

[The Bushranger]

Mikani, meanwhile, shouts at Tokala and Sinopa. "Go out the hole! Go! Run home!"

...while scrunching her face up, concentrating hard...

...and causing thorny vines - Dire Kudzu!! - to sprout from the floor, grasping for anybody and everybody who isn't one of her friends...

[Lord Iames Osari]

Slave Market

Jamie does, indeed cause an earthquake/the floor to move. "When I said, at GLoG, that I could not change my form, I lied." Nearly losing her balance, Natalie's facial features move and shift, liquifying and solidifying into new shapes. Meanwhile, Natalie has closed her eyes and her hair is bleaching to white and getting shorter until it is pure white and reaches her shoulders, whilst large, white wings erupt from her back and spread outwards. When she opens her eyes, they are pearlescent orbs, completely white. She should now be familiar to Nimai/Kirana and Jamie/Mikani, as she visited Anshu's party at the Embassy. "What am I? Don't you recognise me? I'm Nephrim, the Fallen Angel, Lieutenant in the Army of Pazuzu, and your mother killed my mind-thralls. They did as I told them because they couldn't help it; much like you did." Then her gun is knocked out of her hand. Although, the floor's shaking. Nephrim leaps into the air and flies towards Nimai, aiming to pick her up and hold her hostage.

Tamesis has successfully made her hole in the wall, and also in one of the poor humans. They're slaves too, y'know. The other has jumped through the hole, and has disappeared. Is he waiting to capture them outside, getting help or running for his life?

Kirana glares at Nephrim and punches the air in his direction, firing a golden holy energy blast at him as he charges her.

"I have made us an escape route," Tamesis announces, turning back to the others in case her assistance is needed.

[Earl of Purple]

Slave Market

Abigail's opponant is beginning to get worried. His owners do not allow him weapons, and it's looking like Abigail cannot be taken down without one. So he does the sensible thing, and runs out the hole in the wall, to be grabbed by dire kudzu (Is kudzu an American plant? I don't recognise the name & I'm not American). He starts screaming, and he might attract people who are allowed weapons.

Nephrim is hit by the icy wind, and crashes into the ground, being grappled by the aforementioned plant and hit by the holy bolt. The holy energy causes more pain than damage, however, as Nephrim is a (corrupted) holy being. "AAAH! Dam'Bul, grab the bear! It has a potion in it."

Dam'Bul, meanwhile avoids the viney plant with a combination of superhuman strength and spider-like climbing ability, and seems to be heading towards Nephrim's red rucksack and Mr. Fluffy, the teddy bear with stitches up his belly. Dam'Bul has got a knife out, and his superhuman strength and speed really help when pruning enchanted vegetation.

[Murkus]

Within the Bronze Pyramid

B-27 nods, waving off the apology. "There is no apology necessary, ah, ma'am. As with my lack of knowledge about your species, you were not to know. The IEA strictly prohibits removal of any sanctioned implants." The GESS slave seems quite anxious to get off this subject. He doesn't like to think about his control by the IEA, apparently.

The slave turns back towards the window, watching the paintings fly by. "Ah, the creative mind of a sentient. What jewels it holds. I do sometimes wish I could study such things, like my comrades in Section 19." He sighs longingly. "But such wishes are for another day, I suppose."

NTAEMC

Clomp, clomp, clomp came the dead man's horse.

Arnold Walsh (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8734137#post8734137) comes riding through the shadow of the trees, his mount carrying him at a slow, steady pace.

The gunslinger raises his rotting, cloudy gaze to meet the trio before him. Marcus, Magtok, and Elizabeth. "Lady and gentlemen." He offers as greeting.

Unless anyone immediately tells him to stop moving, he dismounts, slow as can be. The horse raises its head inquisitively, Arnold patting its side before moving his hand to rest on his belt. By one of his revolvers. His other hand tips his hat over his eyes, keeping the sun from landing in them.

"I heard screaming. I pre-sume that was one of you?" He flicks his eyes over the guns. "I'm sorry to intrude, but might I ask what is going on here? Sounded to me like someone was gettin' shaken down."

He glances at the 'psychopathic cyborg'. "Seems that you and the miss were doin' the shaking. Now, if this man happens to be someone of less-than respectable scruples..." He refers to Marcus. "Then I'll apoligize for my interference and leave you kind folk to your business."

He places his hand on the revolver, real slow, real steady. "But if it is the other way around... Which I'm figurin' it is... Then I'm inclined to halt the harassing of a decent man."

"So which is it?"

[Lord Magtok]

NTAEMC

"So which is it?"

Magtok turns towards the gunslinger with a phony smile on his face, in spite of Marcus's gun currently leveled at his head.

Oh, we were just...negotiating. He's a very nervous sort, it seems, doesn't take well to any kind of stress. I swear, the gun was silenced, but...you know how jumpy people can be...

Magtok clears his throat and nods.

Now Marcus, you were just about to tell me more about this crime syndicate and promise not to take advantage of young Margaret, right?

[Murkus]

NTEAMC

A dry, almost green-fleshed smile plays across the gunslinger's face. His voice turns mockingly friendly. "Oh, gee, is that right? Well I guess I'll just get back on my horse and let you negotiate each other into an early grave."

He takes a couple steps forward. "Or, I could stick around awhile. Maybe puzzle this little situation out for myself. Find out why your fellow negotiator was, ah, screaming for mercy?"

Arnold turns on Marcus. "So yeah, Marcus, why don't you speak up. Tell us all about it." The gunslinger clicks back the hammer on his left revolver, whilst it's still in the holster. "Tell me why I shouldn't start asking questions from behind the barrel of a gun. Because you folk, right here? You seemin' awful suspicious to me."

[PallElendro]

[Elemental Plane of Earth]
Elendro runs down the steps, with an Ioun Stone around his head, and decides to get to that Plane Shift circle, while trying to avoid the Earth Elementals.

[Earl of Purple]

Interior; Bronze Pyramid

"Actually, most of these are reproductions, painted by machines using the originals as a template. They took some practice, and there are major mistakes in some of them. Like that one, for example." 'That one' happens to be a very good reproduction of a portrait of a minor noble of the Rennaisance period, apart from the digital watch on his wrist. Fortunately, the routemaster has appeared to stop whilst a diesel-powered train puffs past, pulling passenger carriages from several time zones and places. Yes, the place is big enough that it has a rail service, as well as a bus service.

[The Bushranger]

Slave Market

Abigail's opponant is beginning to get worried. His owners do not allow him weapons, and it's looking like Abigail cannot be taken down without one. So he does the sensible thing, and runs out the hole in the wall, to be grabbed by dire kudzu (Is kudzu an American plant? I don't recognise the name & I'm not American). He starts screaming, and he might attract people who are allowed weapons.

Nephrim is hit by the icy wind, and crashes into the ground, being grappled by the aforementioned plant and hit by the holy bolt. The holy energy causes more pain than damage, however, as Nephrim is a (corrupted) holy being. "AAAH! Dam'Bul, grab the bear! It has a potion in it."

Dam'Bul, meanwhile avoids the viney plant with a combination of superhuman strength and spider-like climbing ability, and seems to be heading towards Nephrim's red rucksack and Mr. Fluffy, the teddy bear with stitches up his belly. Dam'Bul has got a knife out, and his superhuman strength and speed really help when pruning enchanted vegetation.


Slave Market


((Kudzu is actually a Japanese plant. However, it was introduced into the US in the late 1800s and gained its infamy there. Kudzu is Public Enemy Number One in the American South, covering acres of woods and clearings in brilliant green. It grows so fast that sometimes you can actually sit and watch it grow. And it's almost unkillable; one description (tongue only partway in cheek) said for the care of the plant, "mulch with cinderblocks, and fertilise with Agent Orange".
...Dire Kudzu is Jamie's variation, which adds rose-like thorns. :smalleek:))

Jamie, as it happens, is mightily pissed off at the moment.
Not only were they tricked, but weapons were pointed at her siblings...

The dire kudzu continues to spring up, wrapping around those it has captured more tightly, razor-sharp thorns tearing, as it lashes out at Dam'Bul, aiming to trip him up, as another strand lashes at the rucksack to seize it...

"Everybody, go! Get out! I'll cover you!" the furious druidic-magical-girl shouts.

[Lord Iames Osari]

"You come too, Mikani!" Kirana cries, backing toward the hole in the wall, keeping her eyes on Dam'Bul and Nephrim. "We can come back later!

[Falgorn]

Wenomir sets out on his search, deadtiming.

[Farmhouse]
The farmboy stays close behind Wenomir, torch-in-hand.

The search of the house turns up nothing, until the duo reach the master bedroom. In there, there is a large bookcase, going end-to-end with various books on various topics. A shadow, creeping across the ceiling, lunges at Wenomir.

[Morty]

Farmhouse]

Wenomir backs away, sticking his sword out in direction of the shadow to try and keep it at bay.

[Falgorn]

[Farmhouse]

The shadow, undaunted by Wenomir's weapon, continues towards him. The creature's shadowy tendrils of DOOM! fly from its inky hand, towards Wenomir's neck.

[Morty]

[Farmhouse]

Wenomir raises his sword to cut the tentacles.

[Falgorn]

(Sorry about that.)

[Farmhouse]
Wenomir's cut is successful. But from the limb where the tentacles sprouted, now twice the number appear.

(And gone again. Dentist.)

[Morty]

[Farmhouse]

Wenomir keeps slashing at the tentacles quickly and methodically.

[The Bushranger]

[Slave Market]

"I will, after you!" Mikani shouts back to Kirana, concentrating on her 'spell'. "Only after all of you are you!"

[Earl of Purple]

Slave Market

Dam'Bul is grabbed, just as he was about to transfer to the ceiling. He falls to the floor with a thud and a crack. If anybody can see him through the dire kudzu, they may note his leg is broken. If they can see that, then they also see what happens next. "I'm on it, Nephrim! Give a moment, this body is no longer useable in its current condition." Then, Harry the Host's hair fades to blonde, and his eyes turn green. Then, his chest bulges as a red-skinned, blood-covered hand punches out. Soon, Harry's body has a gaping hole in its chest, from which a figure emerges. This figure is tall, 7ft at least, and has small horns, red skin, no hair, no clothing, covered in blood and gore, and is also completely sexless. Dam'Bul, finally incarnated in his true form on this plane, stretches, and opens familiar eyes; they are red, and exactly the same as the eyes of Harry when the demon was in control. "It's good to be free again." Dam'Bul no longer bothers with a knife; he's stronger now than he was in his host, and starts trying to rip the kudzu out of his way, using his claws when necessary to try and get through.

Nephrim, meanwhile, is also trying to escape. She's stronger than she looks, and is ripping and pulling at the vines, ignoring the spines even as fluid the colour of tarnished silver begins to flow from the deeper scratches in her skin.

Abigail may have difficulty pinpointing Dam'Bul's exact location; any electronic viewing device (like a bionic eye or a camera) may fizzle with static and televisual snow whenever that device is pointed in his direction and he's not hiding, invisible or inside a host. Magical viewing equipment, technology that shows magical fields, viewing equipment that can somehow puncture through magical defences, and so on are not affected.

[Je dit Viola]

Slave Market

There's a way out, and the bad guys are trapped!

Following their sister's orders, Tokala shifts to Fox Form also, letting Sinopa drop to the ground (because little foxes are harder to hit than little children), and both of them run towards (and out) the hole in the wall.

They stop after getting out, to peer back in to check that their sister can get out.

[ThePhantom]

Slave Market

What's that in the sky? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! Its a large black helicopter with AMEN on the sides. Looks like things are going to get worse for the heroines here.

[Je dit Viola]

Slave Market - Helicopter

Requiem looks down at the slave market. "Now, where are they at...?" she says to herself, looking around for any obvious signs of where two demons and a bunch of Exalted kids and magical girls are.
Also, searching for their signature energy.

After a short while, she spots the building with the hole in the side of it. "They're probably in there," she says, pointing at the building that has the two small foxes just run out the hole.

[The Bushranger]

Slave Market

"GO!" Mikani shouts at the top of her lungs, sensing Tokala's and Sinopa's hesitation. "GO GO GO!!"

...the Dire Kudzu keeps growing and slashing, and might very well have scooped up the backpack.
And wrapped around it. Tightly. Completely covering.

The moment Holly and Abigail are out the hole, however, Mikani will spin aside and go to dive out of it, herself...

[horngeek]

Abigail rushes out!

And...

isn't effected by the stuff. The world she comes from uses Magitech so much that they don't actually have any pure technology. >.<

[DoomITP]

Grant who should be carrying Din is running up to a cliff.

[iElf]

Din holds on to Grant "where are you taking me?"

[DoomITP]

As Grant runs, he jumps off the cliff! After falling for a minute he decides to cast a spell.

Fly!

[iElf]

Din begins to scream when they fall,but it turns into laughter as Grant casts the spell "you're brilliant! thank you Grant!"

[DoomITP]

You are welcome!

He says as he starts doing crazy moves in the air.

[iElf]

Din giggles and screams as he does that!

[DoomITP]

Eventually Grant will land back on the cliff.

[iElf]

Din will kiss grant on the cheek "best dad in law ever!"

[DoomITP]

Really?

He says as he shuts his eyes for a second, he looks tired.

[iElf]

Din nods "yes. definitely...we'd better head home...you look kind of tired "

[DoomITP]

No... I just have a little less energy today.


A couple of demons are starting to appear a few feet away.

[iElf]

Din backs away "G...Grant? are they...are they going to attack us?"

[DoomITP]

Well... It depends...

You're gonna get it for killing all our families.

Yeah they are.

I thought I killed you guys. Your families were nothing more than a group of soldiers. Get over it.

[iElf]

Well... It depends...

You're gonna get it for killing all our families.

Yeah they are.

I thought I killed you guys. Your families were nothing more than a group of soldiers. Get over it.

Din cowers behind Grant , trying not to draw attention to the demons

[DoomITP]

Din, if you know anything about Legend of Zelda, now would be a good time to use it. These guys are really into it and if you bother them long enough...

[Murkus]

Within the Bronze Pyramid

B-27 simply chuckles at the major error in the painting. The slave waits patiently while the Routemaster whirs along.

Slave Market - Helicopter

Jack Empty slips over to the side of the copter, peering down at the exalted/fox-folk/whateverthehellelse is down there. "Gordon? Seeing how I'm simply jumping right in here, I'd appreciate some advice. What would you like me to do?"

[Lord Iames Osari]

[Slave Market]

Kirana jumps out of the building as well, and looks around to get her bearings. "I think GLoG and Inside are that way!" she points, and starts in that direction.

[ThePhantom]

Slave Market - Helicopter

"There's a net launcher in the trunk over there. Get it, and fire it at one of the girls. Then hit the yellow button on it two times, you hit it three times, and it will blow up in here, which is not a good idea."

Gordon pilots the helicopter by the building with a hole in it.

[iElf]

Din, if you know anything about Legend of Zelda, now would be a good time to use it. These guys are really into it and if you bother them long enough...

"the legend of zelda? never heard of it....." yep, although she's named after one of the goddesses , and the orical of secrets, she has no idea what grant is talking about

[Murkus]

EDIT

Slave Market - Helicopter
Jack moves over to the trunk, looking as though he simply teleported from one spot to another. The launcher is taken back to the window, and choosing the fleeing target, he fires it at Kirana.

Jack hits the yellow button twice, grinning wildly.

[Lord Iames Osari]

Kirana looks up at the sound of the net being fired and tries to roll out of the way, but gets caught by the edge of it.

Tamesis glowers up at the helicopter and fires another blast of necrotic essence up at it.

[ThePhantom]

Slave Market - Helicopter

That should start the net to be pulled up towards the helicopter. Gordon let's the copter take the hit, which it shrugs off.

"Nice try girly. Henchmen pin them down!"

The three henchmen, other than the one standing by the rope ladder, man a set of machine gun turrents.

[Murkus]

Jack waits for the mechanical net-gun to hoist up the girl, smile stretching literally from ear to ear. "Shall I break her legs when we get her up here? I find it reduces the change of escape in case of... complications."

[DoomITP]

"the legend of zelda? never heard of it....." yep, although she's named after one of the goddesses , and the orical of secrets, she has no idea what grant is talking about

Never mind.

Grant then shoots at them, hitting them in the knees.

Since I have you, I don't wanna fight them. You might get hurt. So we run now.

He says as he tries to pick up Din and run for the pods.

What happened to Evan and Nayru? I miss them.

[Earl of Purple]

Slave Market

The dire kudzu has, indeed, grabbed the bag and the teddybear (since they are after the bear). If the kudzu is squeezing the teddybear hard enough to break glass, it may be in trouble. Dam'Bul, meanwhile, after managing to pull enough kudzu off his limbs to free himself temporarily, may stump (pun unintentional) the writhing plant by jumping to the ceiling, grabbing hold, swinging his body up into a horizontal position and then standing up, albeit hunched over, and starting to run. Yes, he has the ability to walk on walls/ceilings unaided in this form. Nephrim, meanwhile, is shrinking. Her form is collapsing into itself and her wings are being reintegrated into the rest of her body as she takes the form of a halfling child; her face, hair and eyes have not, however, changed. When she has shrunk to about half her previous size, Nephrim tries to wriggle free and dart through the undergrowth in the shack.

Outside, the children may have more urgent problems. Remember that slave which jumped out the hole to escape only to be grabbed by kudzu and start screaming? Well, he's still at it, and somebody may note a gnome headed their way, accompanied by four ogres with the letters 'NFR' tattooed onto their foreheads. Unlike the slaves tasked with branding and searching the children, each ogre is carrying a large club and the gnome has two wands out, one in each hand.

Inside the Bronze Pyramid

After not much more time, probably around half an hour, the London routemaster stops. "We've arrived. Well, nearly. The next three corridors are too small for the bus, so we must use our feet." The Encyclopede and the necrotechnomantic thralls disembark, after parking the routemaster. The Encyclopede approaches a round, green door with the door handle in the middle and opens it; B-27 may have to duck through it, as it was taken from a certain building in the Shire. This first corridor has a variety of artifacts inside; on the walls are shields, including crude black ones with a red eye painted on them, black ones featuring a white tree and some stars, round ones divided into quarters of green and brown, and others with a white hand painted on them. There's also weapons on the walls, as well as stuffed heads. In one corner sits a dead tree, and in another a mannequin wearing black robes with the hood up and supported by a wire frame, giving the figure the appearance of headlessness. The other two corners have a mannequin wearing shiny armour and the other has a gigantic tusk from some truly enormous beast.

[horngeek]

Abigail is caught by the net!

She takes out a gem in her pocket. "Now."

The gem flashes. What happens next depends on whether the net blocks magical signals.

[ThePhantom]

Slave Market

The net doesn't block magical signals. But it does do something.

"Jack, hit the orange buttom, that makes the net shock what's it holding. Don't over do it, we want live prisoners."

[horngeek]

In that case!

Abigail then sneaks the gem back into her pocket. If it went well, they won't know it's there. Not that that's the primary issue. :smallamused:

She looks at Nimai. "Dad just got a signal saying I'm in trouble."

[Murkus]

Slave Market - Helicopter
Jack gleefully hits the orange button, watching the fun. He'll hold it in until everyone in the net is unconscious or stops any struggles. The net should be in the copter by now.

EDIT

Bronze Pyramid, Interior

B-27 follows through the door, ducking and leaving the Routemaster behind. When they reach the next hall, B-27 will glance about and examine the symbols and shields. He glances at the Encyclopede. "These are from Middle-Earth, are they not?" The slave asks. "A place of great conflicts, that world."

[horngeek]

Abigail goes out immediately, her body sparking even after he lets the button go.

...very good idea, short-circuit the cyborg. :smalleek:

[iElf]

Never mind.

Grant then shoots at them, hitting them in the knees.

Since I have you, I don't wanna fight them. You might get hurt. So we run now.

He says as he tries to pick up Din and run for the pods.

What happened to Evan and Nayru? I miss them.

Din is picked up "good idea..."

not sure what heppned with them. maybe we'll find out when I have a little more time on my hands:smalltongue:

[FireFox]

Toby steps out of a tree near the slave market and pauses to take in the scene. He cries out in Druidic and gale force winds surge up at the helicopter's rotors.

[horngeek]

Daisuke appears next to him. "Watch out for Abigail and Nimai, they're in that net!"

[ThePhantom]

Good thing Gordon picked this helicopter, its one of the best that AMEN has. Gordon struggle to hold the copter steady.

"Ah, the people from GLoG, I was expecting you. Kill them."

The henchmen open fire with the machine guns, aimed at Toby and Daisuke.

[FireFox]

Toby turns into an air elemental and uses the present winds as an elevator up to the level of the bird. The bullets go right through him with no apparent effect, but they do hurt. When he gets up to the copter he attempts to cast a strong ice spell to jam the tail rotor.

[horngeek]

Daisuke disappears, and appears directly below the chopper. Bankai. Moetatsu Hikari."

Two wings made out of light appear on him, as his sword starts to glow brightly.

[Earl of Purple]

Interior; Bronze Pyramid

"They are indeed from that world, and it is still a place of conflicts. Not all the orcs were exterminated, nor the Black Numenoreans, and some of the Khandish, Southron and Easterling warriors still wish to conquer Gondor. The Dunlendings, however, now trade peacefully with Rohan and there's even some interbreeding." Should B-27 look into the ever-present glass cabinets, there's replicas of all of the Rings made by the Elves with Sauron's help, as well as Sting, parts of a shattered staff, something that looks suspiciously like a Palantir, broken weapons and armour, and half a white horn. The dead tree is labelled as the 'One White Tree from Lost Numenor', the mannequin in shiny armour is labelled 'Gondoran warrior costume', and the other mannequin is labelled as 'Replica of the typical clothing worn by the Nine Black Riders, also known as the Ringwraiths' and the tusk, obviously, is from a Mumak/Oliphaunt.

[ThePhantom]

The tail rotor freezes, but the helicopter is still in the air, just spinning.

"Okay, panic button time."

Gordon hits a button, and a force field surrounds the helicopter.

"Love to stay and fight, but its time to go. Sorry Nephrim, let me know if you win!"

Gordon tries to make the helicopter leave, but with the tail rotor frozen, its not going anywhere.

"Argh! Jack, fix the rotor before the force field turns off!"

[horngeek]

{{What's happened to the net?}}

[ThePhantom]

(Pulled inside, as far as I can tell. I could be wrong. That's up to Murkus, cause he was the one with the net.)

[FireFox]

((Whoops, I missed the post where Murkus said it was inside the copter...))

If the forcefield is a bubble, Toby may still be inside it, clinging to the fuselage of the copter. If not, he just flips over and free-falls to the ground so he can deal with the immediate threats to Jamie.

[ThePhantom]

The force field covers it like a plastic layer, so its a good thing for Gordon that the net was inside, or the field would have cut the net.

[horngeek]

Daisuke, on the other hand, keeps on trying to blast the helicopter itself, with lightning bolts and all that.

Abigail, incidentally, is still sparking. :smalltongue:

[Murkus]

The net is indeed in the copter. Jack drops the net gun, wordlessly rushing for the back of the copter.

His speed is his strength. To anyone looking, all they'll see is a blur.

He teleports outside the copter, landing with perfect balance on the tail. Despite the spinning at high speeds, he seems largely unaffected. If anyone can tell through the blur, they'll see the grey man grabbing the rotor and spinning it, cracking off the ice seemingly by magic.

He turns to teleport back inside, shouting, "GO!"

[FireFox]

Wait, if the force field is still up, Jack couldn't get at the rotor. If it was down, Toby would still stick up there to damage important looking things up close. :smallconfused:

[ThePhantom]

I'm not sure what happens, but I guess by opening the door, he might have turned it off for a little while. :smallconfused:

[Murkus]

That sounds right. Helicopter'll take some damage for a moment, though. While the forcefield's down.

[FireFox]

Then Toby sticks up there, actually turning into an earth elemental to sit on top, applying his considerable weight to the body of the copter. Which would probably do some damage, but not as much as hitting the main rotor blades with heavy, stone fists may cause...

[ThePhantom]

Your'e hitting the sharp, very fast spinning blades? Okay, but there's a reason why their called blades.

The blades get a bit wacked, but with the force field back on, the only thing getting hurt will be Toby. As for the body of the copter, its scourched and some plates fell off.

"Make the sparking stop back there, and hang on!"

Gordon guns the controls, making the helicopter goes as fast as it can with its damaged blades towards AMEN.

[FireFox]

... But the force field is off, because Jack had to go fix the tail rotor. Toby stayed up in the air when he saw the force field go off. At the exact same time Jack was doing something which required the force field to be down, Toby was sitting on top hammering away at the only thing providing both lift and thrust for the helicopter. AMEN probably has reinforced and armored rotor blades, but sticking what is basically a boulder between them as they move should at least blow out the transmission...

[Murkus]

Jack will give Abigail a deft kick in the side, what with the sparking starting to irritate everyone nearby. He's still smiling, though. Always smiling.

The Hollow Man will turn to the henchmen, ordering in a threatening voice, "Someone give me a gun."

[The Bushranger]

((Ahem.

I'd like to point one thing out...

...if the tail rotor is frozen, then the chopper is going to be spinning madly and crashing.

This may hinder attempts to repair the rotor. :smallamused:))

Mikani looks up in shock as she sees...

"Daddy?!"

The dire kudzu inside is no longer animate, but is growing fast. It won't be squeezing things any tighter, but might well take up all of the space inside the hut soon....

...Mikani, meanwhile, lifts her wand, and fires a bolt of lightining into the door of the helicopter, at the moment the force field is down.

[horngeek]

Abigail is still sparking. The kick does little. She groans a little at it, though.

Daisuke attempts to project blasts to force the chopper to land.

[ThePhantom]

Okay, the transmission blows, and the helicopter starts falling. However, the force field is now up again, so no more damage.

"Don't open the door, you'll turn off the force field again! I have a plan just wait a moment."

The henchman hands Jack a gun.

[FireFox]

Rock-Toby sits crouched on top of the force field on top of the helicopter and waits for it to crash.

[Murkus]

EDITED

Jack is getting annoyed now. His smile is close to gone. "I'm bored now." He says, touching a hand to the side of the helicopter. He was going to teleport on top of Toby and start blasting whatever resembles an Earth elemental's face, but hey, whatever.

Everyone nearby will suddenly feel a ripple in spacetime, a sudden shift in changing universes. They may feel a reflex to move away from the falling copter.

The entire helicopter, and anyone on it, will disappear into thin air. Pulled into Jack's place. The Yellow Road.

Anyone who came with the teleport will find themselves in a maddeningly infinite yellow empty plane, with floating, transparent orbs falling through space all around them. The helicopter will appear to float about in this void, immobile.

[The Bushranger]

((This is what happens with tail rotor failure. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GTCvyPWzMk&feature=related)
Spin cycle!


Also, Murkus? That's pretty much godmodding. People touching the helicopter shouldn't be automatically pulled through without consent. Think of it as a Reflex save or something.))

[FireFox]

Needless to say, the Druid is caught quite off guard by this. However, he seems to be fine riding the top of the no longer falling helicopter.

[Murkus]

Fine then. I have edited. Not sure it's alot, but hey.

[ThePhantom]

I know about the spinning and the crashing, Bush. But what happens here and reality is not always the same. For drama, we are not going down yet.

Also, Gordon throws up now. Too much spinning and now outside looks weird.

[FireFox]

Well, in any event, Rock-Toby is still perched atop the helicopter, waiting for it to land, or crash, or stop making everything look like a bad acid trip.

[Earl of Purple]

Interior; Bronze Pyramid

"They are indeed from that world, and it is still a place of conflicts. Not all the orcs were exterminated, nor the Black Numenoreans, and some of the Khandish, Southron and Easterling warriors still wish to conquer Gondor. The Dunlendings, however, now trade peacefully with Rohan and there's even some interbreeding." Should B-27 look into the ever-present glass cabinets, there's replicas of all of the Rings made by the Elves with Sauron's help, as well as Sting, parts of a shattered staff, something that looks suspiciously like a Palantir, broken weapons and armour, and half a white horn. The dead tree is labelled as the 'One White Tree from Lost Numenor', the mannequin in shiny armour is labelled 'Gondoran warrior costume', and the other mannequin is labelled as 'Replica of the typical clothing worn by the Nine Black Riders, also known as the Ringwraiths' and the tusk, obviously, is from a Mumak/Oliphaunt.

((Repost, for I think it may have been missed))

[Murkus]

Well, Jack would hang around longer, but this many mortal beings in the Yellow Road will bring along some... unwanted attention.

He turns to Gordon, glancing at the vomit. If they look at his face, they will find it sweating and strained, as though he is under a great deal of exertion. He says quietly, "Gordon? Shall I take us back to AMEN?" He glances up at the ceiling of the helicopter. "I mean, we do have a tagalong, but..."

EDIT

I apoligize, Earl. Let me post a response.

B-27 glances around at the artifacts, examining them closely. "Yes, the IEA had feared conflict would resume. The fire of war, I suppose, is a difficult thing to stamp out." He will continue reading the exhibits until the Encyclopede guides him towards their actual destination.

[Earl of Purple]

((Don't worry; it is all to easy to miss posts))

Interior, Bronze Pyramid

When B-27 has finished looking at the mounted troll heads, armour scraps, weapons, and so on, the Encyclopede (whose title I have forgotten) leads the reptilian slave into the next room. This room is on the other side of a human-sized door with the symbol of a platinum eagle upon it. It features several strange things, including a gigantic, taxidermied winged boar dangling from the ceiling, a bookshelf with many curious books, a tray of silver and wooden amulets, with a suit of ankheg-hide armour in the corner, opposite a suit of full plate made of a greenish metal, with in another corner a large, semi-humanoid figure apparantly made out of the remains of giant insects, and in the final corner is a statue of a regal-looking human with a long beard and chainmail.

[FireFox]

((Gah, I have to go. Toby sticks with the helicopter wherever it goes, but deadtimes for the moment. :smallsigh:))

[Murkus]

((S'okay. Phantom, it seems, has deadtimed as well. And I might be gone pretty soon too.))

Bronze Pyramid, Interior

B-27 continues his scanning of exhibits even on into the next room, closely looking at anything of interest. "And what is this exhibit, then?" The GESS slave asks.

The Yellow Road

Jack realizes that Gordon is deadtimed. He can't hold this much mass in the Yellow Road for much longer, and there are... things on the way. Anyone looking outside will notice an incalculably large, terrifying shadow moving through the yellow plane, transparent, but with an aura of malevolence as old as time itself. "The Edge-keepers..." Jack says quietly to himself. But if he tries to leave the Road, he might not have enough power left to make it back to AMEN. And as I'm sure you all know, teleports that are not precisely calculated can have disastrous results.

Also, deadtime.

[Lord Iames Osari]

Slave Market - Helicopter
Jack gleefully hits the orange button, watching the fun. He'll hold it in until everyone in the net is unconscious or stops any struggles. The net should be in the copter by now.

(Belated) Kirana screams and falls unconscious, detransforming into Nimai.

Tamesis is left behind, un-netted and un-captured.

[Earl of Purple]

Interior; Bronze Pyramid

"These exhibits house all we could gather of the world Rosten, which has since been destroyed meaning we will be lucky to get anything from that world again. We believe that at least one person survived, however, but their identity and location is unknown." The creature hanging from the cieling is interesting! It's a large boar, the size of a shire-horse, with a pair of large, feathered wings erupting from its shoulders. It is labelled a 'pigasus', and it's noted that the species is believed extinct since it has not been found elsewhere. Or there's the rack of holy symbols, including two-tailed scorpions, eagles like the one on the door, flowering vines, reptilian skulls, six-fingered hands and many other esoteric religious symbols for wearing around the neck. The ankheg armour in one corner is labelled as 'Battle-Armour of the High Priest of Dalachrech', whilst the greenish suit of metal full plate has the label of 'War-Armour of a Paladin of Jerzous', the statue is of the 'Last King of Totamwarn' and the humanoid figure made of dead giant insects is labelled as a Chitin Golem, 'Temple Guard of Dalachrech; Secrets of Making Believed Lost'. The bookcase has many books, some of history ('The Compleate History of Totamwarn'), some of religion with holy symbols stamped or branded into the cover, some of geography and many others.

Slave Market

Nephrim, in the form of the halfling child, darts through the kudzu, headed towards the ensnared bag and bear. Dam'Bul, on the ceiling, smashes through it and onto the roof, where he edges towards where Tamesis, and maybe Tokala and Sinopa, stand. They might hear the noise he makes as he breaks through the roof, however.

Meanwhile, those ogres with clubs and 'NFR' tattooed to their foreheads are approaching, as is the gnome with the wands. He aims at Tamesis, and fires the wand on the left. It releases a burst of white energy towards her, and should it hit she may find herself unable to move. He snaps orders to the ogre eunuchs to deal with the helicopter which appears to be stealing slaves (escaped slaves, admittedly, but still stealing them). Then it disappears, and what he shouts I'm not going translate from gnome. Even the ogres blush.

[horngeek]

Daisuke snarls at the disappearance of the helicopter, then turns his attention to the rest of the slave market, looking for anything with a weapon.

[Lord Iames Osari]

[Slave Market]

Tamesis looks down at the two fox siblings. "Run," she commands. She waits for them to get a fair distance away, then quickly takes up the Hundred Razor Circle stance, raising her wickedly pointed sceptre. Shadowy but no less real duplicates of the weapon emerge and flit about, attacking anyone and everyone who gets within 4 yards of her, also blocking the white energy burst.

[The Bushranger]

[Slave Market]

Mikani screams as she sees the helicopter vanish, her father on top of it...

and she spins around, spotting the ogres...

...throwing out her wand torwards them...

...her eyes glowing bright yellow-white...

"BY THE WIND, THE WAVE AND THE EARTH, YOU HAVE BEEN WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE, AND FOUND WANTING!" she roars, slamming her wand down on the ground.

Where a yawning crack opens, racing torwards the entire group of slavers, opening wider and wider...

There's no visible bottom... :smalleek:






Meanwhile, just outside the clearing, a Psionic Dimension Door deposits Quinn, Brianna, Anshu, and Cerise.

[horngeek]

Brianna looks at the others. "I'm not going to be myself when I do this, so keep everyone you need to not be dead out of my way."

[The Bushranger]

[The Fantastic Four]

"I'll try. Jamie's in the middle. I think Tokala and Sinopa are heading for the woods. I can't tell where the others are though," Quinn warns.

[Lord Iames Osari]

"Maralah! Get over to us! We'll fight them all together!" Cerise calls.

[horngeek]

"All right. Stay out of my way. If you need to bring me out of it... well, if I was male, I'd say good food or beautiful women. As it is, just the food."

Brianna takes a deep breath... then jerks, as a sickening crack is quite audible.

[Je dit Viola]

Slave Market (Wow, lotsa stuff happened while I was deadtimed)...

No longer the Helicopter

Requiem, who was previously in the helicopter, suddenly comes out of deadtime, finding herself no longer in the helicopter. Partially, because I might get to play her if she's not in the helicopter, and partially because the helicopter's no longer here.

So, finding herself suddenly sitting in midair, she looks around briefly, a little confused, before plummeting towards the ground, where she lands safely.
Requiem tries to orient herself to what's going on - Nephrim and the other demon have gotten out. This might be a good time to help them, she thinks.

Running from the Hut

Eventually, after enough people telling them to run, the silver fox and the cross fox dart away, evading the ogres, the electric net, the demons, and the slavers. At pretty small and nearing 45 mph (~70 km/hr), they can easily evade all those things.

However, then Tokala notices nobody else is following them again, so they both turn back around, and watch, from behind a reasonable-sized box or container, their sister and her friends as they try to figure out a way that they can help out.

[The Bushranger]

Quinn nods, and tenses as she draws her short sword and looks out at the battlefield.

Eyes widening as she sees what Mikani is doing.

[Lord Iames Osari]

Anshu takes up his own stance, combining the Water Dragon and Solar Hero Forms, essence once again flaring around him in the pattern of bright sunlight shimmering through a prism of rippling water.

Tamesis drops out of her stance and leaps backwards toward the adults who just arrived. "Come on, Mikani!" she calls.

Cerise strides forward, shaping a spell.

[Je dit Viola]

Slave Market

The fox twins edge a bit closer, staying mostly out of sight, and notice the grown-ups. They can tell there will be a fight, and decide it's best if they stay away from the main epicenter of the fighting.


Meanwhile, Requiem walks towards the building that some of the children are nearby, but not too close to the ogres. In fact, several steps out of reach of the ogres.

She turns towards the GLoG peoples, smiles, and waves. "Howdy," she calls out in a mock-friendly voice. "Fancy seeing you here."
A black sword, made of tormented souls, slowly forms in her hand that's not waving.

Requiem plans on keeping all those really powerful people held back long enough for the fallen angel or the demon to put a new plan into action.

[Lord Iames Osari]

"What's going on here?" Cerise demands, finishing her spell but not yet releasing it. "Where is my daughter?"

[The Bushranger]

Slave Market

Spinning around at hearing the voice, Quinn narrows her eyes as she spots Reiquem - and her sword.

Being the Champion of a goddess of death, it really doesn't amuse her to see such a thing...

"You are responsible for this," she snaps.

[Je dit Viola]

Slave Market

Oh, great. Another servant of a death goddess. There's so many of those around here, and all of them probably hate Requiem by now.

Requiem shrugs at both of their statements, as if she doesn't care about what they want. "Jus' here for the ride."

A dark violet mist then starts to cover her, before condensing and slowly forming armor that covers all of her except her head, made of a similar substance as the sword.

Edit:
For reference, except with the sword black, and with brown hair, and the armor is all connected in one piece,
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee284/Razgri47/Warriors/good_black_knight.jpg

[horngeek]

Suddenly, Brianna's head is thrown back, as her eyes start glowing, and her mouth spurts blood. A shrill scream comes from her mouth... and she rushes the closest guard and tries to rip his heart out of his chest. :smalleek:

*nudges BR to GLoG*

[FireFox]

[Yellow Road]

If the force field gets turned off for some reason, Toby will turn into an invisible, odorless gas and try to silently infiltrate the cabin of the helicopter. As it is, he just stays in earth elemental form and forces himself to not look around, lest he go mad. ... Madder.

[Murkus]

[Yellow Road]

Time is running out. The Edge-keepers are coming.

Jack's smile returns, wide and grotesque as ever. It would seem he just had an idea. He doesn't have enough energy to teleport the entire helicopter back to AMEN, so he'll have to fall back on... other plans.

Just as quickly as it entered, the helicopter exits the Yellow Road, and the monstrosities at the edge of creation turn their eyes elsewhere.

[North of the Slave-Market]

The still force-fielded helicopter appears above a patch of forest near the Slave Market. It seems to hang in the air a moment before plummeting hard to the earth. Anyone who happened to be looking north might notice this occurrence.

There is a thump, and then a crash as the body of the large copter crashes through the foliage, burying itself in the forest soil below.

Jack Empty clings to a wall as the copter crashes down, hands wrapped around a metal bar meant to stabilize passengers in case of complications. His hands wring with numbness as the helicopter impacts, but he shakes it off. Time for a bit of drama, he would think.

In one hand, the madman holds a pistol. In the other, he grabs the net launcher which holds the unconcious children, Abigail and Nimai.

He aims the pistol at the children, calling to Toby, "Get off the helicopter. Now. And slowly. Or the children die. In fact, shift form or do any magic, I'll pull the trigger."

[Lord Iames Osari]

Slave Market

Oh, great. Another servant of a death goddess. There's so many of those around here, and all of them probably hate Requiem by now.

Requiem shrugs at both of their statements, as if she doesn't care about what they want. "Jus' here for the ride."

A dark violet mist then starts to cover her, before condensing and slowly forming armor that covers all of her except her head, made of a similar substance as the sword.

Edit:
For reference, except with the sword black, and with brown hair, and the armor is all connected in one piece,
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee284/Razgri47/Warriors/good_black_knight.jpg

"ANSWER MY QUESTION!" Cerise growls, unleashing her spell and sending thousands of obsidian butterflies with razor-sharp wings out to blanket an area as long as an American football field and just over half as wide, in which space they will do their level best to slice anything less durable than a sturdy wooden building to ribbons.

[FireFox]

Tobias shifts form anyways, but to his squishy meat-form, which is hopefully less threatening than his earth elemental form. He hops off the helicopter, on the side facing any windows or holes so Jack can see him and shoot him before he can cast a spell. Hah, why do I care? They aren't my children. Oh, you aren't assuming I'm a Good Guy, are you? But hey, I'll play along...

[Murkus]

[Forest, Near Slave Market]

Jack, grin still on his face, shoots at one of the children. Abigail. In the foot, precisely.

Whether it hits or not, he says, real low, "Oh, really? Not a good guy huh? Well, her foot shouldn't matter too much then. Or her legs, actually. I'll just blow em' out while we chat, then."

"Why did you attack us, not-a-good-guy?"

[The Bushranger]

[Slave Market]

...Quinn hurriedly makes sure she's waaaaay behind Cerise as the spell goes off...

[FireFox]

Toby doesn't so much as bat an eye at the shooting. On the plus side, if Jack keeps shooting the kids, he's got to run out of bullets at some point! :smalltongue:
I thought you had my daughter in the copter as well. By the time I realized she was on the ground, you had taken me... somewhere. He shrugs and smiles lopsidedly. Mm, hey, I don't suppose you would be willing to make a trade, or even a ransom? See, the father of one of those girls is my boss, and I'd like to make nice with him. And the father of the other girl... Well, he threatened my little girl, and I've been itching for revenge...

[horngeek]

Abigail cries out in pain as her foot has a hole blown in it.

...quite a few cyborg bits can be seen in the hole.

[Je dit Viola]

(Sorry, was cooking food)

Slave Market

Here it goes, thinks Requiem. Time to go in full defence - there's little chance of attacking with all these butterflies.

"I'm sorry. I forgot what the question was," she says as the midnight armor grows to include a helmet. Unfortunately for her, it goes quite a bit slower than it should. As a result, she gets a single cut across her left cheek before the helmet can form.

However, that was expected, as, recently, something else took a part of her own soul.

She doesn't care about the buildings, though. (Earl of Purple might, though, so don't destroy the place too quickly or it might be counted as godmodding someone who was deadtimed)

(Somehow), Echoing out of her armor comes her voice. "Ha. Is that the best you can do?"


The two foxchildren, who are near-ish, both don't want to get cut. Unlike Requiem, however, they didn't know what was going to happen, so they didn't have a chance to run in time.

Sad. :smallfrown:

And now, Sinopa is very cut up, forcing Tokala to shift back to human and carry his sister while running and getting cut up a lot. Losing that much blood also causes lightheadedness.

[The Bushranger]

[Slave Market]

((No worries. That's why I'm leaving Mikani there. :smallsmile:))

Quinn screams as she sees Sinopa and Tokala injured, and quickly whirls to race over to them!

[Murkus]

Forest, Near the Slave Pen
Jack raises an eyebrow. If he is a good guy, this man's got a real stone heart to let children suffer. If he's not, well, it's not that impressive, but hey.

He raises the pistol, to the other girl, and shoots at her kneecap. "Hm. No, sorry. I'm pretty sure these AMEN guys I'm with want the girls. So no trades, at least, not without his say so." Jack flicks his head towards Gordon, who is deadtimed.

"You know, maybe I'll just shoot you and 'port out of here. I mean, I'm trying to make you crack if you are a good guy, but you seem pretty solid to me. You don't seem all that good-hearted. I mean, what kind of person lets little girls suffer when he could easily speak out and stop it?" Jack's grin looks like it might tear his face in half. "That's all you've got to do. Say the word."

[FireFox]

Toby just smirks. I hate to break it to you, Mr. Villain, but I can guarantee I've killed more people than you have. I would be perfectly fine with you killing them... He pauses to build up the drama before letting the other shoe drop. ...but I really, really want that one girl for my revenge. What say you let me cut her up some so I can tell her stupid, pig-headed daddy? You know, bust the arrogant bastard down a peg or two.

[Murkus]

Forest, Near the Slave Pen

Jack's face contorts in a look of mock shock. "Oh, look, the big tough druid's killed lotsa people. I'd love to compare our respective rosters and share notes on how best to torture someone, but really, I'm not in the mood."

He glances at the net as Toby asks to join in on the fun. "Y'know, I would, but quite honestly, I can't say I trust you. All in all, you could just be a good guy trying to look like he doesn't care. And if that is the case, I must say, you're doing a hell of a job. If not, still, I can't be too careful. I could hand you her and then have you sucker punch me with a fist made of literal rock."

"So no. Not a chance."

[FireFox]

Two genocides. He grins in sincere glee at the memories. But, yeah, can't say I wouldn't do the same if I was in your shoes... He shrugs, then his face hardens as he glares at Jack. You really don't have the better hand you seem to think you have. I won't insult you by trying to tempt you away from these jokers you're working with by offering you money or power. The only thing I'm offering you is one last chance to step away before I kill you. See, you can kill both of those girls before I can kill you... but if you take the time to kill both of those girls, you won't be able to defend yourself from me. And I promise you, I can kill you.

[Lord Iames Osari]

[Slave Market]


Quinn screams as she sees Sinopa and Tokala injured, and quickly whirls to race over to them!

A spasm of guilt crosses Cerise's face. She hadn't known the two were there.

"Where is my daughter?" she demands again, refocusing her attention on Requiem.

[Forest, Near the Slave Pen]

Nimai groans and blinks muzzily, starting to regain consciousness.

[Murkus]

Jack shoots Abigail again, this time in the shoulder. "Wow, two? Gee, I've got maybe... one worth of personal killings, over the last few millenia. You, sir, have genuinely impressed me."

"And just as I've underestimated you, sir, you seem to be underestimating me. You see, I'm not doing what I'm doing for money, and not really for power either. I'm doing this because it's all part of this grand design I have."

"These 'jokers' just happen to be part of it. Now, I thank you for the offer, but I sincerely doubt you have any chance of killing me. Gods have tried. Powerful ones. And you know why they couldn't do it?"

Jack Empty pauses, also for drama. "Because you can't kill nothing. And nothing just happens to be what I am."

"See, here's where I cracked your shell. You say you'll kill me if I kill them, yet not a moment ago you said you didn't care in the slightest. You're a dirty little liar, aren't you druid?" Jack laughs, the laugh of all the madmen in the world, the laugh that will follow the end of the multiverse. "Besides, there's no need to worry. I don't want to kill them. I'll just kill you."

And with that, Jack raises his pistol and fires, three rounds, straight at Toby's torso.

Also, like half-hour to an hour deadtime. :smallfrown:

[Je dit Viola]

Slave Market - Fight!

The foxboy is relieved to see Quinn, and makes his way towards her as well.

"J-Jamie's over that way," he says as he points, leaning against her because he barely has strength to stand. "That one girl, and her daddy, are really demons."


Requiem's shoulders move up and back down, in a shrug. "Since I don't know who your daughter is, I wouldn't be able to answer even if I did know," she says. The armored woman smiles, but her face still can't be seen. "Maybe a description would help."

She figures she knows where the daughter is, but she doesn't know which girl it is.

Among the butterflies, she braces her sword, and walks slowly towards Cerise.

[The Bushranger]

Quinn drops to her knees as soon as she reaches the two foxchildren, and reaches out to them. "Bring her here, I can heal her...and I saw her. She...seems to be more formidable than I thought," she admits, although she's clearly still hurting, badly, inside at seeing her adopted children injured so. :smallfrown: "Don't worry, daddy and I will make sure the bad people pay..."

[FireFox]

Two things happen, at the exact same time. First, the bullets rip right through the powerful mirage/illusion. Second, when Jack raises the gun, an invisible gas turns into none other than Tobias, crouching over the little girls. As Jack starts shooting (and however fast he is, he still has to wait for the action on the henchman's gun to cycle three times) Toby tries to grab them and finish his readied teleportation spell to bring them back to GLoG.
As a matter of fact, Toby has killed Gods before. But somebody that's unkillable, even by Gods? There's no way he can possibly fight someone like that. Indeed, one has to wonder why such an Overpowered being is provoking hopelessly onesided fights to begin with.

[Hyozo]

[slave market]

Chione is confused by the multitude of fights which seem to be in progress, but notices Mikani fighting the slavers and decides to help. "With the might of the blizzard" She'll shout as she wings her staff with her right hand, sending a significantly large amount of snow at the gnome, hoping to bury him. "and the unrelenting force of the arctic winds" Chione continues, this time swinging her staff upward with her left hand, causing strong winds to buffet the ogres, attempting to knock them into Mikani's pit. "I will make you pay for harming my friends."

[Je dit Viola]

Slave Market - by Quinn

The eight year old hands off his (fox form) sister to Quinn. Sinopa is barely conscious, and doesn't like being moved around.

"Just make sure everything ends good," he says, blinking back a single tear.
He wants there to be a "And they all lived happily ever after." rather than a "To be Continued."

[The Bushranger]

"It will, I promise, sweetie."
Quinn reaches out and puts her hand on Tokala's head, softly, for a moment, as she takes Sinopa, then gently presses her hand on her adopted daughter's forehead, and uses her paladin Lay On Hands healing on her.

[Lord Iames Osari]

Slave Market - Fight!

The foxboy is relieved to see Quinn, and makes his way towards her as well.

"J-Jamie's over that way," he says as he points, leaning against her because he barely has strength to stand. "That one girl, and her daddy, are really demons."


Requiem's shoulders move up and back down, in a shrug. "Since I don't know who your daughter is, I wouldn't be able to answer even if I did know," she says. The armored woman smiles, but her face still can't be seen. "Maybe a description would help."

She figures she knows where the daughter is, but she doesn't know which girl it is.

Among the butterflies, she braces her sword, and walks slowly towards Cerise.

Anshu steps forward to stand slightly in front of his wife, projecting a hologram of Nimai/Kirana from his hand. "This is what she looks like. Now answer." He gives her a nod, and Cerise hurries over to Tokala and Sinopa.

"Let me help..."

[The Bushranger]

Quinn gives Cerise a mildy venomous look, but doesn't stop her, instead nodding as she continues trying to heal Sinopa.

If it had been Anshu, well, it would be another matter...

[Je dit Viola]

Slave Market

Requiem looks hard, at the hologram, now walking towards Anshu. "Oh. She's in the helicopter, I think, with that angry druid guy chasing." That's probably true. As far as I know, it is, but I might have read a post or two wrong.

Finally, she stops walking, and holds her sword out as if she's ready to fight. "Now, could one of you pretty please fight me now? One on one?"

She said 'Pretty Please'! Now, you have to do it!


Tokala is totally toughing out his cuts and scrapes, still leaning against Quinn with his eyes closed.

Meanwhile, Sinopa has gotten healed! Her fur is matted with blood, though, so it doesn't look clean.

[Murkus]

Two things happen, at the exact same time. First, the bullets rip right through the powerful mirage/illusion. Second, when Jack raises the gun, an invisible gas turns into none other than Tobias, crouching over the little girls. As Jack starts shooting (and however fast he is, he still has to wait for the action on the henchman's gun to cycle three times) Toby tries to grab them and finish his readied teleportation spell to bring them back to GLoG.
As a matter of fact, Toby has killed Gods before. But somebody that's unkillable, even by Gods? There's no way he can possibly fight someone like that. Indeed, one has to wonder why such an Overpowered being is provoking hopelessly onesided fights to begin with.

Hmm? Overpowered? Oh, no. You vs Jack, it's probably pretty even combat-wise. The thing is, they just can't find a way to kill him. He's been banished/completely annihilated and sent to hell at least, what, eight times? He always just comes walkin' right back out. He's sort of like... a slasher movie villain. You can beat the crap out of him, maybe put him down a while, but no one's found a way to stop him. There are ways though, I assure you...

Jack drops the gun immediately upon Tobias' big reveal, only getting off two shots before he realizes what's happened. The villain is, again, impressed.

And with all his speed, all his power, Jack can't stop the druid. He can, however, come with. Jack grabs tight onto one of the girl's shoulders, making sure he comes right along for the teleport.

[The Bushranger]

Quinn hugs Sinopa close in her arms, not caring about the matted fur, just that her child is alright, willing herself not to cry, as she nods to Cerise giving permission for her to heal Tokala.

[Lord Iames Osari]

Slave Market

Requiem looks hard, at the hologram, now walking towards Anshu. "Oh. She's in the helicopter, I think, with that angry druid guy chasing." That's probably true. As far as I know, it is, but I might have read a post or two wrong.

Finally, she stops walking, and holds her sword out as if she's ready to fight. "Now, could one of you pretty please fight me now? One on one?"

She said 'Pretty Please'! Now, you have to do it!


Tokala is totally toughing out his cuts and scrapes, still leaning against Quinn with his eyes closed.

Meanwhile, Sinopa has gotten healed! Her fur is matted with blood, though, so it doesn't look clean.

Cerise touches Tokala's shoulder gently and bares one of his cuts to kiss it better. She has magic kisses that actually heal people.

Anshu smiles thinly. "I'll fight you." He raises a hand to point at Requiem.

"In brightest day, in blackest night,
"Your evil shan't escape my sight
"Let you who worship evil's might,
"Beware my power - my holy light!"

Anshu's anima flares bright, the golden sword and scales of justice towering in the sky as he makes his declaration.

[FireFox]

((Sorry about the delay; had to talk to my father about something))

Toby teleports himself and the other three back to GLoG.

[Je dit Viola]

Slave Market
Over there

"Nice poem," she compliments Anshu. "I hope your fighting skills are as good as your poetry, though." Because spoony bards aren't so fun to fight. They go down too easily.

Her helmet melts back into the rest of her armor, so her head can be seen once again. The cut that ran across her cheek has the blood running down her cheek, to her chin, dripping a little, because it hasn't been wiped away at all.
(Too bad she's wearing white. White is so hard to get blood out of.)

Over here

And, through the use of kisses, Tokala is healed, too! Of course, being a guy, he finds it really odd and uncomfortable. Kisses are the number one way to transfer cooties, you know.
"Thank you," he says, regardless of whether or not he's going to catch cooties.

[The Bushranger]

And Quinn quickly hugs the two of them tightly, actually crying now.
"I love you. Both of you," she whispers.

Aww...

[Lord Iames Osari]

[Slave Market]
Over there

"I assure you, you'll find me a challenge." Claws grow from Anshu's golden handguards, and he leaps forward as if to slash at her... only to stomp hard on the ground and create a shockwave in the air that ripples out to pummel at her.

Over here

Ah, but Cerise is a mom, and everyone knows that moms don't have cooties.

[Je dit Viola]

Slave Market
Over there

Come on, Requiem. You know that his general power is at least three times as strong as yours. Not to mention, you're gravely wounded (but not letting it show) and need rest. Just what are you trying to pull, going in a one-on-one? [/talking to my character]

Requiem is totally hit by the shockwave, and stumbles backwards in order to keep from being knocked over. In fact, she sticks her sword in the ground to help keep her steady, also.
"You know, being too eager to accept a challenge is a sign that you'll have a short life," she says.

Down her arm, and then down her sword, a dark violet mist starts to pour. In reality, it's made of random people's souls, but she doesn't tell anybody that.

The foggy mist quickly spreads along the ground of where they're battling, with the average height up at ankle level.

Over Here

Oh, good point. But you can never be too cautious about cooties.

Tokala, who is a demihuman, hugs Quinn back. Sinopa, still a fox, can't do anything but be hugged. But it's pretty nice.

[Lord Iames Osari]

[Slave Market]
Over there

"Perhaps. But so is being foolish enough to challenge an opponent who is far your superior." Anshu moves after her and launches a powerful, supernaturally fast and accurate punch at her center of mass, his claws gleaming; if he hits, the blow will send Requiem flying for a fair distance.

Over here

Cerise sits, still feeling guilty over how she hurt them.

[The Bushranger]

[Over hill, over dale?]

Quinn, after a long moment, looks over at Cerise. "Thank you. And I know you weren't trying to hurt them..." She pauses. "We will need to have a long talk later about your little trap and Jamie though."

At the moment, she is content to just hug the foxchildren, and let the fighting be dealt with by others (maternal instincts knowing Mikani is stuck in somebody else's deadtime ooze at the moment).

[Je dit Viola]

Slave Market
Over There

That would be an accurate description of how she flies when her soulforged armor takes the brunt of the attack; however her center of mass changes almost instantaneously, and rather oddly, shifting upwards, so that instead of flying backwards, she flies away at a 45 degree angle.

And, despite this, she grins.

Enough of the mist has been released.

The purple mist rapidly gathers, and forms a spire which catches Requiem.
Hurts? Like getting hit by a bus.
On the bright side, it keeps her within reach of a sword to the edge of his reach.

After catching her breath ('cause it was knocked out of her by hitting the sudden spire which promptly turns back to a mist to recover the battlefield), and sliding back to the ground, she says, with that grin on her face, "I know. And doesn't it just drive you mad, trying to figure out why I'm doing it?" 'Cause villains always have something up their sleeve.

Over here, on the dusty trail?

The twins don't really mind the hugging very much, either.

[The Bushranger]

And Quinn is content to just stay there and hold them close for a good long while.

Like, until morning, player time, perhaps.

[Earl of Purple]

Slave Market

Nephrim appears in the hole, carrying her rucksack and teddybear. "Requiem isn't behind the kidnappings. I am. Requiem would seize their souls and turn their mortal shells into puppets, not sell them into slavery." At some point, Nephrim changed into her white robes. So just leaving the hut filled with kudzu is a winged child of indeterminate gender, aged between seven and nine with eyes like gleaming pearlescent pools and shoulder-length blonde, nearly white, hair wearing white robes with onyx and black opals sewn into it as decoration. "And as for why, it's because you" pointing at Cerise "destroyed AMEN. I was playing Natalie at the time, so I wasn't even banished. But my thralls were at AMEN, and they did nothing wrong, other than being too weak-willed to resist me. Like your daughters, none of them realised the carnival tickets were blank pieces of paper, and only one noticed my 'talents' when I bid them follow, but she didn't know it was me, nor did she resist." Nephrim drops the rucksack and rips Mr. Fluffy open and removing a potion which had been hidden there; as soon as Nephrim has a clear shot, she'll throw it at Anshu. The potion is a very powerful Potion of Dispelling; should it hit by the liquid inside all of the magic he's using in the fight with Requiem should end.

Dam'Bul tries to leap onto Tamesis and tackle her to the ground, one of the shadowy sceptres impaling him in the shoulder. He's stronger than he looks, and faster.

The ogres and the gnome plummet down the crevice with a scream, one of the ogre eunuchs just about escaping when another ogre knocked him to one side so the wind cannot get a good grip, albeit on the other side of the giant crack in the ground. The poor ogre slaves were doing what they'd been asked by their master; they had no choice. (Seriously, thus far just one slave-master has died, and he fell down the crack.) That one ogre might not last much longer, anyway; he's got serious slashes from the butterflies.

Brianna will find the nearest guard to be, in all likelyhood, the gnome admittance officer. His heart is easily removed, and marks the second death of a slave-master.

Most of the buildings are easily destroyed; they're either tents or cages built onto wagons. The wagons survive, obviously, but I hope the butterflies aren't attacking the people inside either tents or wagons; tents mainly hold slavers and buyers, whilst the wagon-cages mostly hold slaves and slavers. Since they are attacking the people, most slavers, buyers, and slaves are now dead, dying, or severly wounded. Really, Cerise, to lower the death-count of innocents, please use less destructive spells. Some of the tents survive (probably; not being American, and not being interested in sport, I have no idea how large an area that spell affects. The slave market takes up several acres, however).

[Murkus]

Interior; Bronze Pyramid

"These exhibits house all we could gather of the world Rosten, which has since been destroyed meaning we will be lucky to get anything from that world again. We believe that at least one person survived, however, but their identity and location is unknown." The creature hanging from the cieling is interesting! It's a large boar, the size of a shire-horse, with a pair of large, feathered wings erupting from its shoulders. It is labelled a 'pigasus', and it's noted that the species is believed extinct since it has not been found elsewhere. Or there's the rack of holy symbols, including two-tailed scorpions, eagles like the one on the door, flowering vines, reptilian skulls, six-fingered hands and many other esoteric religious symbols for wearing around the neck. The ankheg armour in one corner is labelled as 'Battle-Armour of the High Priest of Dalachrech', whilst the greenish suit of metal full plate has the label of 'War-Armour of a Paladin of Jerzous', the statue is of the 'Last King of Totamwarn' and the humanoid figure made of dead giant insects is labelled as a Chitin Golem, 'Temple Guard of Dalachrech; Secrets of Making Believed Lost'. The bookcase has many books, some of history ('The Compleate History of Totamwarn'), some of religion with holy symbols stamped or branded into the cover, some of geography and many others.


B-27 looks closely at the exhibits, scanning information for upload to Command's database later on. The slave turns to the Encyclopede. "What is this 'Dalechrech' that is so often mentioned? A deity of some sort?"

[Earl of Purple]

Interior, Bronze Pyramid

"Dalachrech is the Demon Lord of Invertebrates; he seized power, the title, and layer 457 of the Abyss after Obox-ob was slain by adventurers, believed to be in the payroll of Dalachrech, but not proven as all six adventurers were killed in the fighting between who was going to take Obox-ob's place as they tried to escape afterwards. His was the second largest following on the world of Rosten, and his followers were hunted mercilessly by paladins following Jerzous until Jerzous was murdered by Maralak, at which point all other religions in the Theocracy of Totamwarn were outlawed. Maralak took Jerzous's followers and clergy for his own, with only a few noticing the change immediately; those who did were assassinated or defected to other religions. Dalachrech's holy symbol is the two-tailed scorpion. Dalachrech is also the worst effected of the dieties which survived Rosten's destruction; most of his worshippers dwelled there; other dieties either lost such a small fraction of their own worshippers they did not notice or died in the destruction." What the Encyclopedes don't know is that the only survivor of Rosten I know of re-founded the Cult of Dalachrech in the Nexus. It's just a pity no Piggasi escaped.

[Murkus]

((My my, Earl, did you make all this up yourself? If so, I am most thoroughly impressed.))

B-27 listens, fascinated, until the Encyclopede finishes. "My word! Your mind alone must be on par with one of the Data-Vessels back at Command! How is it that you can comprehend this much stored information?"


That reminds me. B-27 never scanned the Encyclopedes themselves. So he'll commence that immediately, looking at biological functions, brain waves, personal possessions, or really anything important. The scanner, however, cannot detect thoughts directly.

[Earl of Purple]

Interior; Bronze Pyramid

((Yes, I did. The names on the spot; most of the rest since I introduced Terrowin of Xela's Howe, High Priest of Dalachrech, last year))

The Encyclopede seems to subsist solely upon knowledge; not destroying it, but merely possessing the knowledge seems to help it survive. Otherwise, it seems an ordinary invertebrate, apart from the mind-link. What mind-link? The mind-link connecting all Encyclopedes to the Wikipede, of course. As for possessions, this Encyclopede has a pencil, voice-recorder, notepad, digital camera, a thermometer, a barometer and a variety of scientific devices designed to measure several things; the amount of oxygen in the air, or the background levels of thaumic potential in an animal, plant or object, plus many others of far stranger function and form. "In order to access that knowledge, I accessed the relevant file in the Wikipede. As all living Encyclopedes are connected to the Wikipede, I can use my connection to access the Wikipede and from there connect to the relevant information in the minds of any Encyclopede alive. Unfortunately, should that Encyclopede die outside this realm its memory, knowledge and personality will be lost and another Encyclopede will have to re-gather that knowledge so that it is not lost."

[Je dit Viola]

(probably; not being American, and not being interested in sport, I have no idea how large an area that spell affects. The slave market takes up several acres, however).

(For reference, 1 American Football Field = (in yards) 120 yards by 53 1/3 yards, or (in meters) ~110m by ~50m. In terms of acres, however, it's roughly a 1 and 1/3 acre.)
(Also for reference, American Football is a wimpy sport, except when you do 5 on 50 in your gym class, and you're on the 5 team. Association Football is much more fun to play.)

So, given that, with the assumption that 'several acres' means approximately 10, then it'll only wipe out about a seventh of the Slave Market. My guess is that the tents will be in shambles, the cages will be fine, but their slave occupants will be dead or dying with no hope of help, and the majority of slavers in that section (who will be likely in the sturdier buildings, not the tents, or will be free enough to run away as fast as they can) will be relatively unharmed.

[Lord Iames Osari]

[Slave Market]
Over There

"I presumed it was because you were rash and overconfident," Anshu tells Requiem, gathering the diffuse golden light of his anima into a sphere of intense brilliance. "You mean to imply it's part of some nefarious scheme, then?" He throws his hands forward, launching a beam of brilliant, golden light to sear and burn Requiem.

The thrown potion misses Anshu, but it splashes on the ground behind him and creates a localized anti-magic zone.

"Oh, was that all? That makes everything better," Cerise responds to Nephirm sarcastically and begins casting another spell.

Tamesis tries to stab Dam'Bul through the stomach as he pounces at her.

[Je dit Viola]

Slave Market
Over there, where all the innocent slaves and the slavers were killed...

The instant the light is about to be released, the dark purple mist that covers the ground shifts once again. It shoots upwards, and forms strong, dense walls, in the form of a really simple maze. In addition, each wall has small needle spikes covering them.
http://i45.tinypic.com/j7buki.jpg (Red is Requiem, Green is Anshu)

Obviously, with the walls in the way, the blast of light misses. "You know, there are many tactical advantages to controlling the battlefield. Such as this one," she says, her voice echoing over the maze walls (which reach twice the height of a human). "If you want a chance at winning, I would suggest a tactical retreat."

Aware that Anshu won't be able to reach her very quickly without jumping over or running around, she continues speaking. "Furthermore, I like that you think that I'm rash and overconfident, and I would enjoy it if you don't change your mind on that matter."

[happyturtle]

NTEAMC

A dry, almost green-fleshed smile plays across the gunslinger's face. His voice turns mockingly friendly. "Oh, gee, is that right? Well I guess I'll just get back on my horse and let you negotiate each other into an early grave."

He takes a couple steps forward. "Or, I could stick around awhile. Maybe puzzle this little situation out for myself. Find out why your fellow negotiator was, ah, screaming for mercy?"

Arnold turns on Marcus. "So yeah, Marcus, why don't you speak up. Tell us all about it." The gunslinger clicks back the hammer on his left revolver, whilst it's still in the holster. "Tell me why I shouldn't start asking questions from behind the barrel of a gun. Because you folk, right here? You seemin' awful suspicious to me."

*bump* :smalltongue:

[The Bushranger]

[Slave Market]

Leaping to her feet, Mikani races in Quinn's direction the moment she sees the onrushing ogres and gnome drop into the pit, crying by the time she reaches her mother, wrapping her arms around her leg and sobbing.

[Murkus]

Thanks for the bump, Happy. I was just gonna wait for Magtok, iElf and EleventhHour, but I think they may have forgotten...

Slave Market

Jack Empty steps out of the Yellow Road, collapsing almost immediately. He's a man, a man with greying skin, a grey suit, and grey hair. He appears to be missing a good half of his face and torso, along with parts of his shoulders. Multiple bullet holes mar his once fine attire. In these wounds, only darkness can be seen. However, his grin is small enough that he looks human. Pitiful, in fact, in the state he's in. "So tired..." He whispers, face against the grass.

[ThePhantom]

Slave Market

Well, its looks like Gordon and one henchman survived the crash. Gordon, left arm in a makeshift cast, and blood from his forehead, makes his way over to where Jack lies.

"You help him out, I'm getting a little payback for this."
"But sir"
"Shut up!"

Gordon takes out an invisiblity potion, drinks it, and disappears from sight. The henchman sighs, and knees down.

"So, do healing potions work on you?"

[iElf]

NTEAMC

A dry, almost green-fleshed smile plays across the gunslinger's face. His voice turns mockingly friendly. "Oh, gee, is that right? Well I guess I'll just get back on my horse and let you negotiate each other into an early grave."

He takes a couple steps forward. "Or, I could stick around awhile. Maybe puzzle this little situation out for myself. Find out why your fellow negotiator was, ah, screaming for mercy?"

Arnold turns on Marcus. "So yeah, Marcus, why don't you speak up. Tell us all about it." The gunslinger clicks back the hammer on his left revolver, whilst it's still in the holster. "Tell me why I shouldn't start asking questions from behind the barrel of a gun. Because you folk, right here? You seemin' awful suspicious to me."

Marcus lowers his gun "mister magtok here, and his catgirl associate...did not take well to me marrying a certain person. so...he took me here and is threatening me..."

...meh, I hate this guy myself

[Murkus]

Slave Market

Jack turns his rather disturbing glare on the henchman. "I'm not an undead, you twit! Just give me the potion!"

If he does, Jack will guzzle said potion, the nothing consuming it and restoring his outer shell. Well, to some degree. He's still missing an eye and a good chunk of his torso. And of course, his suit is ruined. Again.

NTEAMC

Arnold glares at the three as Marcus explains the situation. "Hm. Now that doesn't sound right to me. I think you should let him go, cyborg."

Dead eyes fall on the cat girl. "And I would appreciate it if you relieved yourself of that weapon, miss."

Within the Bronze Pyramid

A direct mental link to all of his associates... such a system was extraordinary! B-27 would need to learn more about this central database, the Wikipede, before leaving... And an even greater query, how did the Encyclopedes exist upon knowledge? Hm. This was growing more interesting by the moment.

The slave, rather exuberant at this second, says, "This is fascinating, ma'am. I must thank you once again for allowing me into your museum. Such an opportunity... well, it is a marvel! And to think, just outside, my companions are exploring the Nexus! This will be a great day for the IEA!"

[The Bushranger]

[Slave Market]

Assuming nobody stops her, Mikani - changing back to Jamie - reaches Quinn, and Quinn looks at Cerise.

"Ill be right back."

...and she tries to Dimension Door herself, Jamie, Tokala and Sinopa back to GLoG!

[ThePhantom]

Slave Market

The henchman hands him the potion.
"Well, I wasn't sure if was a good idea, sir."

[Murkus]

Slave Market
Jack is in an immediately better mood, grin growing. "Yes, of course. Good thinking."

He stands, heavily, injuries still paining him. "Hrg. I was so close! The children were almost mine... but... Those two female warriors. Exalted, I think."

The hollow man whirls on the henchman, dead eyes gleaming. "Give me a weapon. Anything. I can make do with a rusty nail, if you've got one on you."