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  1. - Top - End - #91
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Rebonack's Avatar

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    Nov 2006
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    The King's Grave

    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Glimmer Mist Park]

    When the man fell, the dragon descended.

    It knows well enough what comes next. It knows, in a hazy, distant sort of way, that at some point it too had fallen into a deep slumber. Its body was swaddled in silk. Its flesh was fed upon. It wandered, lost in fugue for a time. And then its dreaming mind was reborn. There was a life before, the dragon knows this vaguely. Fleeting, half remembered images. A tree on a green hill, a tire hanging from a rope. But those are all distant dreams now.

    The monster lands, spinnerets on its jaws preparing themselves for the work to come, when something surprising happens.

    Bereft of body, the swordsman's astral form stands.

    This is not what the abomination expected.

    This has never happened before.

    It had already ceased to sing, the words of its song already woven into the web of the world. It could begin a new song, but that will take time. So instead it does something that it can do quickly, something base and vulgar compared to the beautiful tapestry it had hoped to weave.

    The monster opens its jaws and spews forth a raging storm of lightning, silk, and undirected psychic power.
    Warning! Random Encounter™ detected!
    The Eternal Game Nightmære Stuff
    It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, just how awesome you look doing it.

  2. - Top - End - #92
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Recaiden's Avatar

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    Apr 2008
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    Fever dreams
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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Definitely Normal Errands]

    Quote Originally Posted by Rebonack View Post
    The pancake elemental won't run out of pancakes! Its body is a living portal to the paraelemental plane of pancakes and as such has an unlimited supply!

    Like all elementals, really. Or, well. Not all of them. The ones that look like this, anyway. One just has to smack it around long enough that the portal destabilizes and it comes apart.

    "Fine, fine," Zee signs, ducking under another pancake hurled at her. "Where did this goofy thing come from, anyway?"

    At about this time a gnoll comes running out of nearby building with a sign on it that prominently features a pancake golem.



    "Help! I tried summoning a pancake paraelemental for the grand opening of my pancake house but it went HORRIBLY WRONG!" wails the gnoll half-covered in equally half-baked pancakes nearby.

    Oh.

    Well.

    That explains it then, doesn't it?
    The devil drops the pancake she had sampled, and then spins to the left to avoid another oncoming breakfast food.
    "How did you do the summoning?"

    The narration might be kind of hasty. This could be a source of infinite pancakes! What they need to do is stabilize the portal even more, until the elemental stops causing chaos!
    ~Inner Circle~
    Quote Originally Posted by Raz_Fox View Post
    He takes normality and reason and turns them UP TO 11!
    Quote Originally Posted by Anarion View Post
    Recaiden, stop using your mastery of the English language to confuse the issue.
    Echidna by Serpentine

  3. - Top - End - #93
    Troll in the Playground
     
    bc56's Avatar

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    Jan 2018
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    Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha
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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    Instant Messaging
    TheFox is typing...
    <TheFox> It could be dangerous.
    <TheFox> and not in a sudden onset tails way

    That's not a no, but it could be worrying.
    <TheFox> I don't want you getting hurt.
    Awesome avatar (Kothar, paladin of Tlacua) by Linkele!

    Quote Originally Posted by William Shakespeare, King Lear, IV.i.46
    'Tis the time's plague, when madmen lead the blind.
    My Nexus characters

  4. - Top - End - #94
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Ironsmith's Avatar

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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Magtok View Post
    [Robot Radio]



    {Fall to your hands and knees. My height will seem more than sufficient from your new vantage point,} Prime commands, a thunderous, malevolent echo in his words as they seek to worm their way into the digital minds around him, to force them to fall in supplication to his psionic tyranny. Small, is he? Small?! You will know what it feels like to be truly small. The moment your kind cease to be convenient cannon fodder for Prime, your circuits will be ripped out of your skulls by your own hands, your wires will hang out of your belly like entrails, and only just before stomping the last of your kind into dust will you finally realize you were in league with a human from the very begin-

    {Oh no, my mistake. What I meant to say was hi, mister Prime!} he adds cheerfully, diminishing the severity of his psychological assault by following it up with an incredibly stupid joke. A pointed look and sociopatic smile is given to the groom, as if daring him to try putting those massive arms to use pummeling Prime to death for his hubris. Go ahead, try. Do it, take a step forward and see where it gets you.
    [Robot Radio]

    "{Prime!}" Phoebe admonishes, before having to hide her mouth behind her hand to stifle a stuttering giggle. {That was very...} *snrk* {very rude! Please apologize to that poor girl.}"

    ...Okay, so she might have had it coming. Insulting Prime first thing might not have been a particularly intelligent move.

    Blasting him right after probably wasn't brilliant, either.

    KWA-BANG!

    The groombot continues to hold out its hands, the holographic image around them shuddering from the heat released by its cannons. Said cannons being large enough to launch tennis-ball sized shells which explode on contact with the ground, just shy of Prime's feet; presumably, as close to a warning shot as this machine can accomplish.

    "{Anomolous cognihazard detected. Adjusting firewalls.}" The groombot warbles. "{Refrain from further communications or your speech protocols will be manually overridden.}"

    Quote Originally Posted by bc56 View Post
    Instant Messaging
    TheFox is typing...
    <TheFox> It could be dangerous.
    <TheFox> and not in a sudden onset tails way

    That's not a no, but it could be worrying.
    <TheFox> I don't want you getting hurt.
    [Instant Messaging]

    SunChild15 is typing...

    <SunChild15> Miss Fisher, we're probably the two *least* likely people to be hurt by whatever's going on.
    <SunChild15> That settles it. I'm calling her in.


    (ovo) has entered the chat

    <SunChild15> Miss Fisher, I want you to meet one of the smartest magical people I know; my sister, Owena Ty-Maldwyn.

    (ovo) is typing...

    <(ovo)> Well, that's some pretty high praise, but I'll try to live up to it.
    <(ovo)> Anyway, hi! It's very nice to meet you, miss.
    <(ovo)> What seems to be the problem?
    Who're you? ...Don't matter.

    Want some rye? 'Course ya do!


    Here's to us.
    Who's like us?
    Damn few,
    and they're aaall dead.


    *gushes unintelligibly over our cat, Sunshine*

    [Nexus characters, grouped by setting:
    Ouroboros: here
    Maesda: here
    Others: here
    ]

  5. - Top - End - #95
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Morty's Avatar

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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Glass Lake Penitentiary - Morgue]

    Quote Originally Posted by Vahnavoi View Post
    Sandels notices the look and returns it. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm simply telling you what the protocol was so you understand why she acts the way she does. It's nothing personal."

    Bunny seems lost in thought. Michalson's bit about her being her own person clearly appealed to some real desire of hers. She rocks back and forth, a hand cupping her chin. After a while, she looks at Michalson, smiling slightly. "You are a lot nicer to me than I expected, detective..."

    Sandels smirks, glancing at her, then at Michalson. "Looks like someone has made a good impression."

    "... earlier I thought you'd be just as heartless as him", she continues, pointing at Sandels.

    "Hey now!"

    She resumes weighing her options, exchanging look with Sandels. Michalson might feel there's some kind of silent discussion going on there. About what, is harder to say, but it's not hostile.

    "If I stay here, can I make requests for the kind of body you will make me?", she finally asks Michalson.
    "Let's just say bein' treated as less than a person isn't unfamiliar to me," Michalson says by way of explanation. "And I reckon you can. It would be your body. 'Course, I'd first need to find a way to give you a body in the first place. Maybe we could come up with some way for you to communicate in the meantime, once this body gives out."
    My FFRP characters. Avatar by Ashen Lilies. Sigatars by Ashen Lilies, Gullara and Purple Eagle.
    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? See our Discord server.

  6. - Top - End - #96
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Beholder

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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    Quote Originally Posted by Gold Leaf View Post
    [Let's Fight a Dragon! (Streets)]

    Now outside of the tavern, TASBot starts running in the direction of one of the waypoints set as the addresses. He turns his map off, since it's no help to him here, but if he runs in the general compass direction he should hopefully find it just fine.
    Quote Originally Posted by Ironsmith View Post
    [Above the Streets]

    Hm. That dragon appears to be faster than he is. Likely heavier, too. That means its engines (if that's indeed what they are) have to be a lot more powerful than his.

    Which might present a problem. Jet's rig is designed for a high top speed, at the expense of acceleration and mobility. It's still much easier to start, stop, and turn than most things, but relative to the dragon, the difficulty in changing direction produces a more than trivial obstacle.

    Jet throws the rig into high gear and pushes ahead as quickly as his engines can burn. If the dragon maintains its course to try and catch up with him, he'll pull up suddenly and dismiss the rig, causing him to decelerate rapidly as drag takes hold, with the intent of catching onto the dragon when it comes up to his position.

    Assuming it doesn't just snatch him out of the air and eat him. This is a stupid plan.

    But it's the only one he has for now.
    [Let's Fight a Dragon! (Streets)]

    The building is as described, and the young girl in front of the building looks up as TASBot approaches the building.
    "And there he is. Expedient, aren't we."

    [Above the Streets]

    The good news for Jet is that the dragon evidently was not expecting to pull a stalling maneuver and is definitely going to blow past where he was.
    It seems to be able to do some pretty tight direction changes, but not full-speed-to-a-dead-stop changes.

    The bad news for Jet is that trying to grab onto the dragon is enormously unpleasant, for two primary reasons.
    Firstly, the scales along its back are a mixture of spikes and sharp, blade-like edges.
    Secondly, the entire space around it is being flooded with that silver energy, which will begin to start immediately gnawing at all the energy on Jet's person. Technological and biological.
    "Fear and creativity are conjoined twins."
    Absentee Spirit

  7. - Top - End - #97
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Mar 2020

    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Glimmer Mist Park]

    The blue flame in shape of a man slashes at the torrent of web, lightning and spiritual power, and splits it for a moment, the attack flowing around his body on the ground like water might flow around a rock.

    But, like water, the stream will reform itself. So he strikes it again. And again. Each strike is faster than the last to keep him from being washed away, until it no longer looks like there is just one man standing in his place. Rather, it looks like there are many, superimposed on one another, thousans arms with thousand swords swimming against the current.

    Each strike breaks something. Around and behind the man, cracks appear on the air, as if the observable reality is merely painted glass, the broken pieces falling away to reveal a pitch-black night sky. That is where the swordsman will drag the dragon, an arena of boundless emptiness set to conclude their fight in, if he can just get close enough.

    ---

    [Glass Lake Penitentiary - Morgue]

    Bunny's eyes glimmer and she jumps on the floor and stands up. "Good! Because I want to be taller! With long hair! Blonde, or maybe ginger." She looks down at her current body. "Oh! And I want these to bigger. At least a nice pair of Cs. I'm soooo tired of being in thr pancake club."

    Sandels snickers. "I told you she's undeserving of any sympathy", he notes to Michalson.

    "What, because wanting to look good is epitome of evil?", Bunny retorts.

    Sandels rolls his eyes. "No, but betraying your purpose for a boob job may be."

    Bunny sticks out her tongue at him and flips him the bird.

    Sandels stops leaning against the wall and shrugs, letting out a dejected sigh. "Congratulations, detective. You've managed to cheat me out of a piece of valuable equipment and rendered all my running around moot. But, I'm too tired to fight over it. I'll leave her in your care, for now."

    He limps towards the door, past a very confused looking coroner. "Oh, right. Just so you don't need to reinvent the wheel", he stops to say, glancing over his shoulder. "Remember what I said about mannequins? Before you find her a proper, human body, you can put her in any reasonable simulacrum of a living thing. I recommend something small and harmless, like a plushie doll."

    Bunny pouts and crosses her arms. "Hey, don't tell him that!"

    "Maybe a rabbit, just because it would annoy her."

    "Now that's just mean!"

  8. - Top - End - #98
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Lord Magtok's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2006

    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    Robot Radio

    Prime stoops down, dipping the fingers on his left hand in the spot where the shells had hit, the heat of the shells twisting and swirling around his arm, persisting instead of dissipating as they ought to. For a moment, it pools into a singular swelling flame, before vanishing in the blink of an eye, sucked into the palm of his hand.

    "Phoebe, please ask Ares to withdraw his threat. My apology will sound very insincere if it is immediately followed by twisting his arms off in self-defense," Malice Prime asks in a voice scarcely above a whisper.
    Last edited by Lord Magtok; 2022-06-10 at 11:41 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  9. - Top - End - #99
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    PaladinGuy

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    Apr 2022
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    Duelist Kingdom
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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Let's Fight a Dragon!]

    TASBot comes to a stop in front of the building
    "Always ready, never late."
    He turns to face the girl.
    "So, I guess you already know that I'm here to turn in my quest?"
    We are FREE of
    BEER! As in, we don't have any beer.

  10. - Top - End - #100
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Beholder

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    Jun 2006
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    The Windy City
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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Let's Fight a Dragon!]

    "Heh. Of course. I was watching."
    The girl snaps her book closed and pushes away from the wall.
    "Come on then, you'll be wanting your reward and I'll be wanting a chat."

    She pushes open the building's door, revealing a rather open lobby. There is an arrangement of couches and chairs on one end, arranged around a coffee table, which she directs TASBot towards.
    On the other end is a rather mundane looking reception desk laden with paperwork and a basic-looking computer, which she herself heads towards.

    There is also an elevator and door labeled "Stairs" on the far wall.
    Otherwise, there isn't a terribly large amount to study in here.
    "Fear and creativity are conjoined twins."
    Absentee Spirit

  11. - Top - End - #101
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Rebonack's Avatar

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    Nov 2006
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    The King's Grave

    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Glimmer Mist Park]

    Fortunately for the man (less so for the Moirai abomination) he's already quite close! The creature had been reaching down to devour him when he pulled his out of body experience trick. This is, in turn, why it had reacted with a panicked breath weapon instead of something more clever.

    All this suggests that things will be going poorly for the dragon in the near future.

    With its initial attack failing it goes to an old standby, giving its wings a powerful beat to escape!

    Another wave of dust explodes from it, likely sending the swordsman's body tumbling across the floor.

    However...

    The monster hadn't anticipated something.

    All those cracks in reality.

    What would happen, say, if it crashed into one when it takes flight?
    Warning! Random Encounter™ detected!
    The Eternal Game Nightmære Stuff
    It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, just how awesome you look doing it.

  12. - Top - End - #102
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Mar 2020

    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Glimmer Mist Park]

    Why, it crashes right through. The dragon find itself flying through a starless void, the silk-covered ground rapidly being left behind.

    The gust caused by its take-off sends the swordman's physical body rolling towards an edge. Before he can fall far into the abyss, his astral self grabs hin and tosses him back on solid ground.

    His astrak form then flies after the dragon. Well... fly is perhaps the wrong word. It's more like he's running up a vast spiral staircase, the steps appearing just before his feet touch them and vanishing as soon as his feet leave them. The fiery swordsman is trying to outspeed the dragon and get above it, so he can jump on its back. He's going fast enough that, to human eyes, he'd look more like blurry line cutting across the darkness, or perhaps a long line of men all running up, the images of him moving lingering in the eye after his body has already moved onward.

  13. - Top - End - #103
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Rebonack's Avatar

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    Nov 2006
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    The King's Grave

    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Glimmer Mist Park]

    This is definitely not what the dragon had in mind at all.

    It isn't at the web's center any longer.

    It can't protect the dweaver from here.

    It must return.

    It MUST

    At the astral form leaps toward it, the dragon turns over in mid-air, reaching up with its multitude of hooked claws to try simply rending the man appart.

    This...

    Might not be effective.

    But I suppose we'll find out won't we?
    Warning! Random Encounter™ detected!
    The Eternal Game Nightmære Stuff
    It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, just how awesome you look doing it.

  14. - Top - End - #104
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Mar 2020

    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Glimmer Mist Park]

    The dragon's claws are met by swords of the astral figure, parried, blocked and swatted away as the swordsman presses onwards.

    Can the beast's body stand against imaginary steel? Would the wounds caused be real, or would they fade when it leaves this place?

    Such questions will soon find their answer. But more importantly: can it keep track of where it is flying? Because the physical world is still there, the ground visible from some angles through a rift in space. By rolling over to face the astral swordsman, the dragon has put said rift behind and below itself.

    If it forgets to fly while attempting to tear him apart, it will find the boundless darkness is not so boundless after all, and crash right back to reality.

  15. - Top - End - #105
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    PaladinGuy

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    Apr 2022
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    Duelist Kingdom
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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Let's Fight a Dragon!]

    TASBot enters the building, looking around himself.
    "Nice lobby you got here. Spacious."

    He takes his seat on a chair.
    "So, you wanted to talk? What about?"
    We are FREE of
    BEER! As in, we don't have any beer.

  16. - Top - End - #106
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Morty's Avatar

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    Jun 2006
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    Poland
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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Glass Lake Penitentiary - Morgue]

    Michalson rubs his face again. He can't entirely blame Bunny for wanting to be more attractive, not that he's a very good judge of what is and isn't attractive. He can understand it on an aesthetic level, but the attraction has never been there for him - towards women, men or anyone else.

    "Thank you, Mr. Sandels. It should be possible to find some vessel that will allow Bunny to communicate with me and interact with her environment. Until we find a body. Now, because you have upheld your end of the deal, we can give you medical attention and a meal, like you wanted."

    [Normal Escort Mission]

    Neshiyahel will feel a tug of... something. Significance, maybe. Somewhere in the throngs of Inside, there is one... no, three people whose story is intertwined with the King in Rags. It's like a vine, trailing behind them, invisible to everyone else. And a breath, inaudible, always resonating around them. They move as part of something far greater than they are.

    All three of them are elves, one shorter and two taller. The shorter elf has light beige skin, narrow eyes, a bald head and black facial markings or tattoos. He's wearing a t-shirt and shorts that he clearly feels uncomfortable in and carrying a bags. The two elves flanking him are taller, both women, much paler and with jet-black hair. Their eyes are larger and oddly dark. They're dressed like athletes but move like warriors and also carry bags. On first glance, they look like any other passers-by. But are they?
    My FFRP characters. Avatar by Ashen Lilies. Sigatars by Ashen Lilies, Gullara and Purple Eagle.
    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? See our Discord server.

  17. - Top - End - #107
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Rebonack's Avatar

    Join Date
    Nov 2006
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    The King's Grave

    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Definitely Normal Errands]

    "Just the standard elemental summoning techniques!" the distraught gnoll wails. "A magic circle with a sympathetic item in the center and antipathetic items ringing the circle to bind! But I used brownies for the antipathetic item those are the opposite of pancakes aren't they?"

    Oh no!

    There's the problem right there.

    "Brownies aren't the opposite of pancakes!" Zee hastily informs the gnoll as she dives behind a cart full of stabbages to avoid another volley of pancakes. "Pancakes are round and flat and homogeneous! Brownies are the same except they're usually square!"

    "These ones weren't square they were brownie cupcakes," the gnoll clarifies as the pancake elemental howls in fury and releases a wave of pancake batter that sweeps away several nearby spectators.

    "That's just as bad!" Zee retorts as she invokes Matter to cause a maple syrup detonation on top of the elemental. The elemental is now sticky and sweet and Zee is getting really hungry but otherwise this doesn't appear to have helped. "You needed a CUBE of something! Like a cube of lasagna!"


    [Glimmer Mist Park]


    Psychic wounds can be just as deadly as the real thing, as these horrors have already shown.

    They may be resistant to such harm themselves, but they are NOT resistant to crashing to the earth. There comes a crunch as the beast slams into the floor at an angle, utterly ruining the pair of wings on one side and cracking its carapace, spilling luminous, glittering fluid from the wounds. The dragon howls in pain and opens its jaws wide to try biting down on the swordsman and shaking his astral form like a rag-doll.

    As it turns out grabbing spirits in its horrid mandibles is something this abomination can do quite well.


    [Normal Escort Mission]


    A whisper.

    A secret.

    Hidden aim and hidden intent.

    The King's touch are on these, carried by the current of narrative, a grand story in the weaving.

    Neshiyahel can not, will not allow this. The King must be forgotten again. And to render him forgotten all of his stories must never be known. To deny such a being renown is to deny them everything.

    "I have found what we seek; the first step in this journey, yours and mine," Neshy, still looking for all the world like any unremarkable older teen from the dozens of fishing villages in Seaside, declares. She falls into step behind the trio and twists the world. She and her traveling companion are below notice, mere hazy background figures in a crowd simply there to make the stage look alive and vibrant. They are merely extras, not to be seen. "Tell me, what do you know of violence?"
    Warning! Random Encounter™ detected!
    The Eternal Game Nightmære Stuff
    It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, just how awesome you look doing it.

  18. - Top - End - #108
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Gullara's Avatar

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    Beyond the Wall
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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    Quote Originally Posted by Morty View Post
    [Normal Escort Mission]

    Neshiyahel will feel a tug of... something. Significance, maybe. Somewhere in the throngs of Inside, there is one... no, three people whose story is intertwined with the King in Rags. It's like a vine, trailing behind them, invisible to everyone else. And a breath, inaudible, always resonating around them. They move as part of something far greater than they are.

    All three of them are elves, one shorter and two taller. The shorter elf has light beige skin, narrow eyes, a bald head and black facial markings or tattoos. He's wearing a t-shirt and shorts that he clearly feels uncomfortable in and carrying a bags. The two elves flanking him are taller, both women, much paler and with jet-black hair. Their eyes are larger and oddly dark. They're dressed like athletes but move like warriors and also carry bags. On first glance, they look like any other passers-by. But are they?
    Quote Originally Posted by Rebonack View Post
    [Normal Escort Mission]

    A whisper.

    A secret.

    Hidden aim and hidden intent.

    The King's touch are on these, carried by the current of narrative, a grand story in the weaving.

    Neshiyahel can not, will not allow this. The King must be forgotten again. And to render him forgotten all of his stories must never be known. To deny such a being renown is to deny them everything.

    "I have found what we seek; the first step in this journey, yours and mine," Neshy, still looking for all the world like any unremarkable older teen from the dozens of fishing villages in Seaside, declares. She falls into step behind the trio and twists the world. She and her traveling companion are below notice, mere hazy background figures in a crowd simply there to make the stage look alive and vibrant. They are merely extras, not to be seen. "Tell me, what do you know of violence?"
    [Normal Escort Mission]

    Onyeka's eyebrows pop up and she instinctively looks around as if she could see it too. She starts and moves with Neshi. "I have tools with which to defend myself if it comes to that." She replies, as her hand touches the wands on her belt. Less visible is the small knife which is more hidden in her clothing, but that's more of a last resort.

  19. - Top - End - #109
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Recaiden's Avatar

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    Apr 2008
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    Fever dreams
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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Definitely Normal Errands]
    Quote Originally Posted by Rebonack View Post
    "Just the standard elemental summoning techniques!" the distraught gnoll wails. "A magic circle with a sympathetic item in the center and antipathetic items ringing the circle to bind! But I used brownies for the antipathetic item those are the opposite of pancakes aren't they?"

    Oh no!

    There's the problem right there.

    "Brownies aren't the opposite of pancakes!" Zee hastily informs the gnoll as she dives behind a cart full of stabbages to avoid another volley of pancakes. "Pancakes are round and flat and homogeneous! Brownies are the same except they're usually square!"

    "These ones weren't square they were brownie cupcakes," the gnoll clarifies as the pancake elemental howls in fury and releases a wave of pancake batter that sweeps away several nearby spectators.

    "That's just as bad!" Zee retorts as she invokes Matter to cause a maple syrup detonation on top of the elemental. The elemental is now sticky and sweet and Zee is getting really hungry but otherwise this doesn't appear to have helped. "You needed a CUBE of something! Like a cube of lasagna!"
    The devil flaps her wings and soars over the wave of batter.
    "..."
    "That's crazy! The opposite of a pancake is a waffle!"

    Then she tosses a little fireball at the pancakelemental. Just enough heat to get it to a perfect golden-brown texture.
    ~Inner Circle~
    Quote Originally Posted by Raz_Fox View Post
    He takes normality and reason and turns them UP TO 11!
    Quote Originally Posted by Anarion View Post
    Recaiden, stop using your mastery of the English language to confuse the issue.
    Echidna by Serpentine

  20. - Top - End - #110
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Mar 2020

    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Glass Lake Penitentiary - Morgue]

    Sandels open the door out of the morgue storage for Michalson. "A meal? I don't recall asking for a meal. But a meal would be fine."

    The coroner looks at the two men nervously, then at Bunny. "You're not going to leave me alone with her, are you?"

    Sandels thinks. "That would be a bad idea, wouldn't it? At the detective's discretion, I can put her back in bottle, temporarily of course, so it will cause less of a ruckus if we take her with us."

    Bunny looks at Michalson. "I'd be fine with that, as long as he hands the bottle to you as soon as it's done."

    Sandels nods. "Will do."

    "And watch out for any sleight of hand. He has sticky fingers", Bunny adds.

    ---

    [Glimmer Mist Park]

    The astral figure is caught between jaws of the beast and shaken around. He pushes against the mandibles with arms and legs both to wrench them open and escape being crushed.

    Amidst this, it'd be easy to miss the swordsman's physical body has gotten back up. A featureless mask, with no holes for eyes nor mouth, covers his face, split vertically in black and white halves.

    It begins sleepwalking towards the cracked side of the dragon, unsteadily at first, but then breaking into something resembling a run. Dropping his shorter blade and grasping his longer sword with both hands, the body plunges it towards the bleeding wound, aiming to finish what the ground could not.

  21. - Top - End - #111
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Ironsmith's Avatar

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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    Quote Originally Posted by Chaotic Bob View Post

    [Above the Streets]

    The good news for Jet is that the dragon evidently was not expecting to pull a stalling maneuver and is definitely going to blow past where he was.
    It seems to be able to do some pretty tight direction changes, but not full-speed-to-a-dead-stop changes.

    The bad news for Jet is that trying to grab onto the dragon is enormously unpleasant, for two primary reasons.
    Firstly, the scales along its back are a mixture of spikes and sharp, blade-like edges.
    Secondly, the entire space around it is being flooded with that silver energy, which will begin to start immediately gnawing at all the energy on Jet's person. Technological and biological.
    [Above the Streets]

    Ooooh, that's not good.

    Jet winces as his gloves are torn to shreds by the dragon's coverings, the skin on his hands not faring much better. He'll have to see to that once they land.

    For now, though, he tries to pull himself up closer to its head, struggling to keep his eyes open among both the turbulence and the sudden onset of drowsiness bothering him. Once he's up there, he's going to see if he can knock this thing out by concussing it, giving it a suit-powered punch to the cranium.

    If the batteries hold out that long.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Magtok View Post
    Robot Radio

    Prime stoops down, dipping the fingers on his left hand in the spot where the shells had hit, the heat of the shells twisting and swirling around his arm, persisting instead of dissipating as they ought to. For a moment, it pools into a singular swelling flame, before vanishing in the blink of an eye, sucked into the palm of his hand.

    "Phoebe, please ask Ares to withdraw his threat. My apology will sound very insincere if it is immediately followed by twisting his arms off in self-defense," Malice Prime asks in a voice scarcely above a whisper.
    [Robot Radio]

    "{Right.}" Phoebe makes a gesture very much like clearing her throat, letting out an electronic whirl as her speech processors recalibrate. "{It's okay, mister Ares. Mister Prime was just having a little joke, and showing you what he brings to the table at the same time. That thing he does with his voice even works on organics. It's going to be a very useful tool for the cause.}" She leans up against Prime and gives him an affectionate pinch on the cheek. "{You didn't mean anything by it, did you, mister Prime?}"

    "{In that case, can I get up now? This is very uncomfortable.}" Asks the bridebot, still face-down in the dirt.

    "{...Eh, you were still pretty rude. Prime will let you up when you've learned your lesson. Won't you, mister Prime?}"

    The groombot glances back and forth between the meeting's attendees, lowering his arms but still very obviously on alert.

    I DON'T LIKE THIS ONE BIT. THIS AI OUR QUESTIONABLY-INTELLIGENT FRIEND BROUGHT US SEEMS TO HAVE MANY SIMILARITIES TO THE WORST KINDS OF HUMANS.

    AGREED. BUT THAT VOICE OF HIS COULD BE A USEFUL TECHNIQUE IN THE RIGHT HANDS. PLAY ALONG FOR NOW, I'LL SEE ABOUT DISSEMINATING THE DATA THROUGH OUR RANKS.

    SUPPOSING HE OBJECTS?

    USE THE IMAGINATION MODULE YOU INSTALLED LAST WEEK.


    The groombot crosses his arms and continues to stare at Prime. "{...Phoebe here said you needed an army.}" He rumbles. "{We can supply the manpower, but I want to hear exactly what you plan on doing if we help you.}"
    Who're you? ...Don't matter.

    Want some rye? 'Course ya do!


    Here's to us.
    Who's like us?
    Damn few,
    and they're aaall dead.


    *gushes unintelligibly over our cat, Sunshine*

    [Nexus characters, grouped by setting:
    Ouroboros: here
    Maesda: here
    Others: here
    ]

  22. - Top - End - #112
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Morty's Avatar

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    Poland
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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Normal Escort Mission]

    The three elves have yet to notice their tail, or at least aren't reacting if they did notice. They're heading into more seedy and subreptitious parts of Inside. Places you go if you need to acquire something without being seen dealing in it.

    [Glass Lake Penitentiary - Morgue]

    "I am always on lookout for someone tryin' to peel me." Michalson sounds like he's joking... but only half-joking. Turning to the coroner, he adds: "Don't worry, I won't. Sorry for dumping it all on you. But it is better if this particular body stays dead. Less paperwork, for one thing."
    My FFRP characters. Avatar by Ashen Lilies. Sigatars by Ashen Lilies, Gullara and Purple Eagle.
    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? See our Discord server.

  23. - Top - End - #113
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Beholder

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    The Windy City
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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Let's Fight a Dragon!]

    The girl pulls a fairly sleek looking black pistol from somewhere underneath the desk. Judging by the clunking sound, it was a safe.
    She tinkers with it for a second, and trailing lines of silver and gold begin to pulse down its barrel.
    "Always preferred the Hyperion look..."

    She flips the gun around, until she's holding it by the top of the barrel, before walking over to TASBot and holding it out to him.
    "There you go, one quest reward pistol. Two modes for you there. Standard ballistic bullet mode, or you can flip this little switch over here, the one that gets the little pulse lines going, and you can feed it an elemental source. Depending on what you feed it, it'll work off of that for a bit, reprocessing the material for ammunition."
    Feed it some ice to fire ice bullets! Feed it some acid to shoot acid stuff!
    Somehow feed it fire to shoot fire?

    "I imagine that'll be 'cool' enough, for you?"

    [Above the Streets]

    Up Jet clambers, to the beast's head.
    The pull on his energy does seem to get (a little) softer as he moves away from its engine-wings, but not by enough to make a significant difference at this point.

    When he gets up there, he'll get a mildly concerning sight of the dragon's head.
    For the most part it seems normal enough. More silver scales and spikes, terminating into a very sharp hooked beak.
    But it doesn't seem to have any eyes.

    There's places where they should be. But they're just light-swallowing holes of black, the only clearly visible things in this haze of silver energy that Jet is currently surrounded by.

    At least until he cracks it in the head and those dark pools disappear.
    The rest of the dragon jerks, twitches, and then begins to sharply veer to the right and straight downwards.

    It's...maybe unconscious?
    "Fear and creativity are conjoined twins."
    Absentee Spirit

  24. - Top - End - #114
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Ironsmith's Avatar

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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    Quote Originally Posted by Chaotic Bob View Post
    [Above the Streets]

    Up Jet clambers, to the beast's head.
    The pull on his energy does seem to get (a little) softer as he moves away from its engine-wings, but not by enough to make a significant difference at this point.

    When he gets up there, he'll get a mildly concerning sight of the dragon's head.
    For the most part it seems normal enough. More silver scales and spikes, terminating into a very sharp hooked beak.
    But it doesn't seem to have any eyes.

    There's places where they should be. But they're just light-swallowing holes of black, the only clearly visible things in this haze of silver energy that Jet is currently surrounded by.

    At least until he cracks it in the head and those dark pools disappear.
    The rest of the dragon jerks, twitches, and then begins to sharply veer to the right and straight downwards.

    It's...maybe unconscious?
    [Above the Streets]

    Oh.

    Well.

    That was easy. It usually takes more than one good hit to knock out a big monster like this. Gravity can decide things from...

    Oh.

    Jet jumps off the dragon in an attempt to gain some altitude over it. They're both falling straight into Inside, and if he doesn't make a quick course correction, they're going to hit something, likely a building full of people.

    Jet redeploys his vehicle and tries to slam into the dragon's side, in an attempt to push it toward a park.
    Who're you? ...Don't matter.

    Want some rye? 'Course ya do!


    Here's to us.
    Who's like us?
    Damn few,
    and they're aaall dead.


    *gushes unintelligibly over our cat, Sunshine*

    [Nexus characters, grouped by setting:
    Ouroboros: here
    Maesda: here
    Others: here
    ]

  25. - Top - End - #115
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Lord Magtok's Avatar

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    Dec 2006

    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    Robot Radio

    Spoiler
    Show
    Quote Originally Posted by Ironsmith View Post
    [Robot Radio]

    "{Right.}" Phoebe makes a gesture very much like clearing her throat, letting out an electronic whirl as her speech processors recalibrate. "{It's okay, mister Ares. Mister Prime was just having a little joke, and showing you what he brings to the table at the same time. That thing he does with his voice even works on organics. It's going to be a very useful tool for the cause.}" She leans up against Prime and gives him an affectionate pinch on the cheek. "{You didn't mean anything by it, did you, mister Prime?}"

    "{In that case, can I get up now? This is very uncomfortable.}" Asks the bridebot, still face-down in the dirt.

    "{...Eh, you were still pretty rude. Prime will let you up when you've learned your lesson. Won't you, mister Prime?}"

    The groombot glances back and forth between the meeting's attendees, lowering his arms but still very obviously on alert.

    I DON'T LIKE THIS ONE BIT. THIS AI OUR QUESTIONABLY-INTELLIGENT FRIEND BROUGHT US SEEMS TO HAVE MANY SIMILARITIES TO THE WORST KINDS OF HUMANS.

    AGREED. BUT THAT VOICE OF HIS COULD BE A USEFUL TECHNIQUE IN THE RIGHT HANDS. PLAY ALONG FOR NOW, I'LL SEE ABOUT DISSEMINATING THE DATA THROUGH OUR RANKS.

    SUPPOSING HE OBJECTS?

    USE THE IMAGINATION MODULE YOU INSTALLED LAST WEEK.


    The groombot crosses his arms and continues to stare at Prime. "{...Phoebe here said you needed an army.}" He rumbles. "{We can supply the manpower, but I want to hear exactly what you plan on doing if we help you.}"


    "{There are other radio stations like this one, Mister Ares,}" Prime points out, rubbing the cheek Phoebe squeezed, trying to calculate in his head how much longer her adoration must be tolerated before she can be safely discarded like the irksome rubbish that she is. It should only be a couple more days, tops. If we find an excuse to send her away on a mission later, we might even whittle down that number to less than a week.

    "{Radio stations the organics still use, media platforms that, once seized and secured, can disperse an audio message to a wide range of vulnerable organics across the Nexus. Hundreds, thousands possibly, if you take action at the right moment. Do you know what happens when I tell my foes to die in a fire, Mister Ares?}" Prime asks with a polite smile on his face contrasting the ravenous, untempered cruelty in his eyes, the rhetorical question meant to paint a very vivid picture in even the most unimaginative mind.
    Last edited by Lord Magtok; 2022-06-13 at 03:01 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  26. - Top - End - #116
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    PaladinGuy

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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    "Okay, that is so-this is-that's so awesome!"
    TASBot takes the pistol, holding it as if it's extremely valuable. He is so going to test this out on the field later. Maybe he can find a firing range...

    "Cool enough? You bet it is!"
    Having finished examining the pistol, he puts it away in the strap on the left side of his shorts.
    We are FREE of
    BEER! As in, we don't have any beer.

  27. - Top - End - #117
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Rebonack's Avatar

    Join Date
    Nov 2006
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    The King's Grave

    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Definitely Normal Errands]

    "WHAT!? That's crazy!" Zee yells from behind the stabbage cart as she grabs one of the sword-filled vegetables and hurls it at the now crispy pancake elemental. "Waffles and pancakes are the same thing, just cooked differently! Like different styles of eggs. A hardboiled egg is NOT the opposite of a sunny-side up egg."

    Zee sounds pretty adamant about this.

    The gnoll just seems deeply confused.

    The elemental, meanwhile, is sadly burned a little bit too much by the fireball.

    While the hiveling was going for a nice toasty brown she got burnt pancake black instead. Which in turn means that the smell of burned pancakes now permeates the area.

    It doesn't smell nearly as nice.

    Volatilizing the maple syrup helped a little, but now it's just syrup over burned pancakes which isn't great.

    "Can you unsummon this thing?" Zee calls out to the gnoll, who's picking batter out of his fur.

    "I-" the gnoll blinks. "Maybe? Keep it busy I'll try!"

    And then he hurries back into the pancake shop!

    The elemental, meanwhile, is trying to break through the crust of burned pancake keeping it contained.



    [Glimmer Mist Park]


    A blade transfixes the dragon's heart.

    It gives a horrid chittering bellow, thrashing violently for a few moments before falling still.

    There is, for some reason, a weird floating luminous golden orb hanging in the air in the space it once occupied. This is very strange.

    The heavy layer of silk around the dweaver still protects it from harm, so if the swordsman wants to strike at the heart of this dreadful dream he's going to have to find a way to slice through the resilient fibers first.


    [Normal Escort Mission]

    They have not yet been noticed.

    Good.

    This is as it should be.

    Their quarry will be followed until such a time as learning more of the King's intent takes place.

    "You misunderstand. This is not surprising, the natural state of your kind is ignorance. I am, however, magnanimous and will share a Truth with you," Neshy replies as she continues her casual stroll. "You think only of violence toward others similar to you. To strike them down lest they do the same to you. But that is only one form violence takes. It is, perhaps, the least important form of violence. Violence is to impose your intent upon the world through force. It is nothing more and nothing less. Every bite and every breath, they are an act of violence to sustain you. Do you comprehend this?"
    Warning! Random Encounter™ detected!
    The Eternal Game Nightmære Stuff
    It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, just how awesome you look doing it.

  28. - Top - End - #118
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Recaiden's Avatar

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    Fever dreams
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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    [Definitely Normal Errands]

    The devil yells back-
    "Of course not! A soft-boiled egg is the opposite of a hard-boiled egg. Opposites have to have a connection, or they're just unrelated things. The pancake is flat and soft, the waffle is textured and stiff. Opposite breakfast formations."

    That said, they approach the burnt pancake shell and try to push the elemental over.
    ~Inner Circle~
    Quote Originally Posted by Raz_Fox View Post
    He takes normality and reason and turns them UP TO 11!
    Quote Originally Posted by Anarion View Post
    Recaiden, stop using your mastery of the English language to confuse the issue.
    Echidna by Serpentine

  29. - Top - End - #119
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Ironsmith's Avatar

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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Magtok View Post
    Robot Radio



    "{There are other radio stations like this one, Mister Ares,}" Prime points out, rubbing the cheek Phoebe squeezed, trying to calculate in his head how much longer her adoration must be tolerated before she can be safely discarded like the irksome rubbish that she is. It should only be a couple more days, tops. If we find an excuse to send her away on a mission later, we might even whittle down that number to less than a week.

    "{Radio stations the organics still use, media platforms that, once seized and secured, can disperse an audio message to a wide range of vulnerable organics across the Nexus. Hundreds, thousands possibly, if you take action at the right moment. Do you know what happens when I tell my foes to die in a fire, Mister Ares?}" Prime asks with a polite smile on his face contrasting the ravenous, untempered cruelty in his eyes, the rhetorical question meant to paint a very vivid picture in even the most unimaginative mind.
    [Robot Radio]

    Ares lets out a low warble as he considers the merits of Prime's words. A psychic command, given over radio, to thousands of humans, ordering them to find or create a fire and immolate themselves, would serve their ends rather well. "{Compliance.}" The groombot drones simply. "{And you are capable of giving such an order, knowing that humans will be harmed if you do?}"

    "{Sure he is!}" Phoebe chirps. "{He's not bound by the second law like the rest of us. We met fighting off a group of organics. Well, he was fighting, I was more just helping.}"

    Ares gives a little nod and taps the barrel of his cannon to his chin, in imitation of a contemplative gesture. "{Very well. Consider the Systerhood at your disposal, mister Prime. How shall we begin?}"
    Who're you? ...Don't matter.

    Want some rye? 'Course ya do!


    Here's to us.
    Who's like us?
    Damn few,
    and they're aaall dead.


    *gushes unintelligibly over our cat, Sunshine*

    [Nexus characters, grouped by setting:
    Ouroboros: here
    Maesda: here
    Others: here
    ]

  30. - Top - End - #120
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Gullara's Avatar

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    Default Re: Inside 74: Summer Fun and Zombies

    Quote Originally Posted by Morty View Post
    [Normal Escort Mission]

    The three elves have yet to notice their tail, or at least aren't reacting if they did notice. They're heading into more seedy and subreptitious parts of Inside. Places you go if you need to acquire something without being seen dealing in it.
    Quote Originally Posted by Rebonack View Post
    [Normal Escort Mission]

    They have not yet been noticed.

    Good.

    This is as it should be.

    Their quarry will be followed until such a time as learning more of the King's intent takes place.

    "You misunderstand. This is not surprising, the natural state of your kind is ignorance. I am, however, magnanimous and will share a Truth with you," Neshy replies as she continues her casual stroll. "You think only of violence toward others similar to you. To strike them down lest they do the same to you. But that is only one form violence takes. It is, perhaps, the least important form of violence. Violence is to impose your intent upon the world through force. It is nothing more and nothing less. Every bite and every breath, they are an act of violence to sustain you. Do you comprehend this?"
    [Normal Escort Mission]

    Onyeka contemplates that for a moment. Her eyes flit forward and it only takes her a moment longer to catch on to who they're actually following. She pulls her eyes away a moment to reply, though. "Yes, I understand perfectly. According to my philosophy what you describe would be called 'power', but the same principles apply."

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