HQ Main Building - Meetings

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Quote Originally Posted by Nova_Eclipse View Post
[HQ Main Building - Meetings]

Kaydara eyes Malice up and down, scrutinizing every square millimeter of the MagClone as he introduces himself and Rasputin. She looks unimpressed until he mentions that his predecessor single-handedly conquered the Nexus. Her expression shifts then, to a comradely smile.

"Fun, yes. I can see why the Dragons wish to meet you now," she says, not bothering to introduce herself. After all, Chaeron already has, so no need to reiterate.

Balthius, on the other hand, simply watches, his mechanical eye clicking and whirring, before he nods at Chaeron.

"Indeed. We should not delay longer." He steps back, further into the chamber, as does Kaydara. Chaeron steps forwards, and all three turn to face Malice.

"This is...unusual for us, but...desperate times. The Dragons will explain further," he says calmly. With that, all three of them start to change slightly.

Kaydara's eyes change color, going from red to a shimmering gold, before her scelera fill with the same color. Her gaze doesn't waver from Malice, but she seems to relax slightly, as wisps of light, like the flickering of flames, coalesce from the edges of her eyes into a flickering ghost that hovers above her head, the image presented of the head of a massive, and obviously very old red dragon.

Balthius's head nods downwards, until his chin is practically touching his chest, his visible eye closed. Little black and grey wisps of smoke begin to flow from his augmentations, forming a cloud above his head, that begins to writhe and seethe with tiny crackles of green lightning, before forming into a similar spectral image of an ancient and powerful black dragon, its glowing green eyes fixed on Malice.

Chaeron spreads his arms, bent at the elbows, his fingers curled around balls of light that suddenly appear in his hands, arching his back, his mouth open in a silent scream. From him, flow not one, or two, but dozens of spectral draconic forms, each taking a place in the air above the group. Different colors, representing every color of dragon Malice has ever encountered or probably read about, all of them showing signs of incredible age. Two of the largest, though, are a green, its yellow spectral eyes surveying the group, and a sickly-looking blue, who seems much more interested in Malice than any of the others.

After a silent moment, there is a voice, like slowly tuning into a radio station. It is deep, and thunderous, but the speaker also seems to be wounded. There is a marked pain in their words.

"This is the one? Speak, mortal. Are you able to fix that which is both flesh and machine, bound together as one by both sorcery and science?" Most likely, this is the blue dragon speaking, but it's difficult to say where the words are coming from exactly.


Malice sighs, his eyes heavy with poorly-concealed disappointment. To just about anyone else, this would surely be the highest of honors, rebuilding the dragons that would conquer the world, but to him and his gargantuan ego, it feels like an insult. They would make him their mechanic, their dragon repair boy. A humble little pet technician, rather than the unstoppable criminal genius he is meant to be.

"[You see? This was all a waste of time. I told you, did I not? They could hear the desperation in your voice, the need to be a part of something greater than yourself. Surely you saw this coming,]" Grigori Rasputin gravels in his native tongue, comfortable speaking such treason knowing that none of the CAVE people gathered here could possibly understand a word of it.

[I did see this coming, and don't call me Shirley,] Malice answers defiantly. Rasputin sighs, realizing that if Malice is using puns like that, puns that don't translate into the language they're speaking at all, then he's obviously using the translator again, and never bothered learning how to actually speak Russian. Ugh, typical Malice hubris.

"I am flesh and steel, machine and magic," he finally answers the dragon. "There is nothing I could not build or rebuild, given the time and resources." He really believes it, too. That's why he's so comfortable chattering with his minion instead of answering right away. One such as him owes no fear or subservience to these lizards. The dragons likely won't be pleased with this, but Malice isn't overly concerned with what the dragons think. He isn't about to enter a relationship where submission is expected of him. Better the scalies understand their place now, rather than later.