[Nexus] Outside XXV

[Gullara]

[For Him, Her & It==> Luna Beach]

So they go to the beach which have quite some visitors on a day like this. None of them are vampires however, every visitor is purely human. This of course makes Astrana and Valente stand out quite a bit. Even if this is the nexus they are currently the oddest thing around at the moment.

There are indeed a number of changing boots at the beach. Valente may know there is a jetty a bit into the forest by the same lake however. If he wants more privacy that is.

"Huh, we mainly used our lake to wash clothes and fish in. I guess you don't need that though." The tiefling says as she observes the beach.

Valente seems rather uncomfortable. In fact, he has been since they've been out in the sun. Understandable really. He's determined to enjoy himself though.

The vampire has one arm around Astrana, and the other has a large beach umbrella that he purchased before leaving the city. Presumably Astrana has the towels they clearly brought, of course.

"Not really. We've got machines and stuff. There is some fishing on the river though." Valente glances toward the changing booths. "I guess we can get changed now." He can't wait to see her in that bikini again.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Peaceful Field]

"You see the patterns on him? Those are my mark. He was the first thing I'd ever made that way, and I wanted to make it clear he was one of mine, so that if Rael told me to leave no-one would think they were still part of The Nest. I made him just over two years ago, right before we came here from T'lansa Brae. Over time, he ended up becoming a friend."

(Deadtime)

[Rebonack]

[Forest]

Over logs, across streams, scrambling around trees-

-And hewing through the ones that are small enough.

Amil plows through the forest, her camouflage forgotten and any attempt at stealth far from her mind. She knows full well the racket would probably scare away all the things she doesn't want to deal with and potentially attract something she does.

Because right now some blind aggression would be really cathartic.

Oh hey.

An owlbear.

The Tyranid Siren gives a long, ringing cry before hurling itself at the ridiculous predator, her form a whirling storm of slashing claws and gashing scythes. Suffice to say the dumb animal never knew what hit it.

And now what's left is getting nomed.

Om nom nom nom!

[Mr. Moon]

Forest

"... Avatar." Comes a tired and annoyed voice. A red-haired young lady makes her way around the corner of a forest path, leaning heavily on an elaborate staff. "This is getting ridiculous. We're completely lost."

She has sunburnt, pale skin, green eyes, and her nose is dusted with freckles. Her flaming red hair is a mess of tangles and is in dire need of a good combing. Her steps were slow and tired, as if she'd been walking for a long while and wasn't used to walking for long periods. She opens her mouth to complain further, but all that comes out is a strangled cry of surprise.

Staggering a step backwards, Alley grits her teeth. She'd just walked into the psychic zone of something she'd hoped she'd never walk into. It was deep and endless. She had to brace against it to keep from being sucked into it. It was hungry and evil and it terrified her.
"Avatar?" Alley says quietly. "There are tyranids here."

Whatever it was, it was far enough away that she couldn't see it or hear it. But that could just mean it was one of those ghost things that ate brains or it was watching her from the forest or a thousand other equally horrible options.

[Rebonack]

[Forest]

The little fox living inside Alley's head probably would have responded if not for the sudden... nothing they had just run into. Now that isn't a feeling that Avatar has encountered before. And quite frankly it's disturbing. New things for someone like him are often cause for concern. And if it's a new thing from Alley's universe all the more reason to be worried.

Because Alley's universe seems to be really really mean.

Maybe we can go around it? that small voice suggests. It might not have noticed us yet.

The psionic black hole suddenly vanishes, pulling away at alarming speed.

The forest goes dead silent.

Maybe not...

Meanwhile!

Amil feels something... something on the periphery of her senses. What exactly, she isn't sure. But it felt almost as though the Hive Mind had tried to wrap its mental talons around that speck of light and smother it. She moves away from the exploded owlbear carcass and slinks off into the underbrush, her skin shimmering and warping as she vanishes from view. As she pulls her Synaptic presence inward.

She's curious now, you see.

Is there someone else out there?

[Mr. Moon]

Forest

Alley bites her lip, peering apprehensively into the forest. The path before her seemed to stretch, laden with lurking raveners and hungry carnifexes and every other horror story she'd ever heard.

The psyker shudders, holding her staff in front of her. Oh, it's noticed us already. She says, switching to an inner, mental dialogue with the fox daemon. I... Avatar. I'm a member of the Inquisition. I'm the only one on this Emperor-damned planet who has the knowledge to investigate. I have to. There is a quiet, wavering fear to her thoughts. Alley doesn't say it outloud as she forces herself to take a careful step forward, cautiously probing for any further sign of the void, but the message is clear.
I don't want to.

[Rebonack]

[Forest]

Maybe we should find our way back to the City and round up your friends? Avatar suggests. That would be safer than trying to find this thing alone. Especially when you're exhausted already.

But then it might be stalking them already.

Maybe it already is.

After the scuffle with that hate-demon Alley was already run ragged. Can she really take anymore?

But... if you need to find it... I'll do what I can to help.

A loud crack of a breaking branch rips through the stillness of the forest. Like a thunderclap in the tense silence.

Avatar is nervous. And understandably so. He's been broken off from the rest of himself. A mere splinter. His power isn't even a fraction of what it was originally and he's not even sure if he would survive Alley getting killed.

Meanwhile!

Amil stalks closer, slipping silently between trees and avoiding loose brush as much as possible. Brush makes sounds. And so fallen branches.

Like that one that just snapped when she stepped on it. The Tyranid snorts at the sound. She'll have to be more quiet than that... Has to make sure that things are.

...

Oh geeze is she ever stupid.

Stop thinking like a Tyranid, Amil! Think like a human!

Within the span of minute seconds or so she's shed several hundred pounds in the process of slimming herself down to a humanoid shape, go so far as to reduce her extra arms and tail to nothing more than armored nubs. While it would be clear that she isn't human in bright light (and equally clear that she's a Tyranid) in the darkness? As things are now?

Her Synapse is kept reined in as she walks through the darkened forest without much thought toward stealth.

"Hello? Is someone out there?" she calls into the trees. "Can you hear me?"

[Mr. Moon]

Forest

I know. Alley replies, almost snapping at the far-fox. Almost. She grits her teeth and clenches her fists around her staff, making her way further towards the source of the anti-presence. But leaving now would just mean I'd be turning my back on it and you and I both know it'll just use that as an opportunity to attack. Right now, my best chance is to face it head on and hope it's just the start of a genestealer cult."
It's unstated that the chances of her making it out of this safely even if it is a genestealer cult is abysmally small.

When the snap fills the air, Alley gasps quietly and jumps, spinning to face it. She lifts a hand, creating a dim and weakly glowing orb of light around it. She tosses it gently forwards, but can't send it very far. The meagre light is barely enough to peer into the forest, but maybe it'd be enough to scare off the tyranid?
Probably not.

Almost as soon as Alley seems to decide there's nothing there and drops the light, a voice comes out of the forest. Coming from the same direction as the sound. Alley takes a nervious step back, frowning. Tyranids... Tyranids don't talk... She thinks. Or at least... she was pretty sure they didn't talk. Usually they were too busy killing everything to say anything. "Hello?" Alley replies, softly. "What are you?"

[Murkus]

He nods.
"Do you want a blanket? Maybe some hot chocolate with peppermint?" he asked, worried about her wellbeing.

"No. You are warm enough." Molodai says comfortably. The summer night can't be too cold anyway. The fey turns her head, looking John in the eye and spreading her lips in a smile.



((*pokes Moon for Lost Coast*))

[Rebonack]

[Forest]

Avatar steels himself. As he is now his ability to impact the world around him is pretty darn limited. Aside from a few tricks with dream essence and, well... that's pretty much it right now. At least without a body. He could make a new one, but that would be pretty taxing...

Maybe even impossible.

Better to get what's left of the old one back.

Alright. Let's do this then.

And then! A voice?

That doesn't sound like the sorts of monsters Alley has been imagining.

Amil, meanwhile, gives a rather audible sigh of relief. Almost more like a gasp. "Oh thank God you're not a monster. I thought for sure something would jump out of a tree and try to eat me if I spoke up. I felt something really weird nearby... Like a little mental star. Was that y-"

And then ball of light!

A humanoid shape right at the edge of the illuminated area holds up a hand to shield her eyes. "Wow, I guess so."

And then question!

"I'm Amil. Amil Wightson. I'm... well... A human. A mutated human? The Nexus decided to vomit weird all over me after I avoided it for five years."

[Mindfreak]

"No. You are warm enough." Molodai says comfortably. The summer night can't be too cold anyway. The fey turns her head, looking John in the eye and spreading her lips in a smile.



((*pokes Moon for Lost Coast*))

The Brick House
He looks back and smiles. He tries to wrap his arms around her in a way to bring her closer to his chest so she'll be warm enough but so she can still see the stars.
"Would you like me to tell you the names of the stars?"

[TechnoScrabble]

Missile Mountain

The robots don't detect any communication within the base, but that might just be because it's inside a mountain. As for teleportation, that one is slightly easier, as there's a huge anti-teleportation field around the entire base, excluding the airlock.

Hamlet

There's traces of large amounts of magic in, well, everything. Ridiculous utterly shenanigan inducing amounts. Nothing is exactly glowing with power, it's all just faded radiation from the huge magical kersplosion that nearly destroyed the entire town, but still, eek. Oh, and the soil has lots of iron in it. Yup.

M

More robots are starting to approach missile mountain. It probably has something to do with the two ships lowering themselves from orbit two kilometers away.

[Beans]

[Peaceful Field]

"You see the patterns on him? Those are my mark. He was the first thing I'd ever made that way, and I wanted to make it clear he was one of mine, so that if Rael told me to leave no-one would think they were still part of The Nest. I made him just over two years ago, right before we came here from T'lansa Brae. Over time, he ended up becoming a friend."

(Deadtime)

I see... She holds her new-ish friend close, rubbing her back comfortingly.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Peaceful Field]

Karyana is held. Eventually, she stops crying. "Thanks, Zwei. I needed that right now."

Meanwhile, the D'Lattu says: "Yes. That would be the one."

Karyana shows up as a short vampire, probably somewhat too strong for her size, even with vampiric strength, but nothing like the Quill Wolves or D'Lattu.

[Beans]

[Peaceful Field]
The undead gal smiles.
Glad to help.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Peaceful Field]

The vampire smiles back. Weakly, but a smile. Her voice, sounds... Well, it sounds like she's just been crying, which makes sense. "So, do you have anything that would help you track something that doesn't have a scent, give off body heat, or really most other things we could use?"

[Beans]

[Peaceful Field]
She shakes her head.
Just the standard undead darkvision, sorry.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Peaceful Field]

"That's okay. Don't worry about it. S'Kanthos can probably find her with a Trump anyway."

[Beans]

[Peaceful Field]
She nods.
Okay... anything you want me to do?

[Lady Serpentine]

[Peaceful Field]

"I don't know. I'm not doing too well. What are you thinking?"

Zwei might notice that Froskiir is twitching slightly. Or not. Whichever.

[Beans]

[Peaceful Field]
I dunno...
She keeps holding her, then blinks, pointing to Mr. Twitchy over there.
Um, hey...

[Lady Serpentine]

[Peaceful Field]

Karyana follows her pointing. Both see, apparently, that his lower hind leg is moving. Not much, but it's moving.

Karyana leaps toward the nearest D'Lattu, and pulls her over to the nearly dead Quill Wolf.

Unless stopped, she'll pull a knife, slice open the D'Lattu's wrist, and begin using the blood to heal Froskiir.

[Beans]

[Peaceful Field]
She just watches the vampire girl work, staying quiet.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Peaceful Field]

The D'Lattu looks scared, almost. They're not often used for this. That's what the humans that have debts to work off are for. She's not struggling, but there's something about her expression.

The blood from the four-armed woman quickly flows through the air, entering the Quill Wolf through a large shrapnel wound in his stomach. Pieces of the FragFish's crystalline shell begin to fall out of various places they were lodged in, and some of the minor wounds are healing rapidly.

[Beans]

[Peaceful Field]
Zwei watches with great interest.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Peaceful Field]

His upper (right) front leg twists and pops, as the broken bones come back together. His chest expands, his fractured ribs reforming. More pieces of FragFish fall out of him. His spine ripples as it heals. He now begins to howl in pain.

The burns begin to heal, and where he lost quills, he grows scales in their place. The shrapnel wounds eventually seal themselves.

The wound on the D'Lattu's lower left wrist finally seals itself. She looks, if possible, even more grey, almost white. She's lost almost all of her blood, and is probably near death, though on the "Not quite going to die" side of it, rather than the "Dying now" side.

[Beans]

[Peaceful Field]
She winces, standing to help the D'Lattu sit down slowly.

[Lady Serpentine]

[Peaceful Field]

Karyana will try to help Zwei with helping the D'Lattu sit down.

[Murkus]

The Brick House
He looks back and smiles. He tries to wrap his arms around her in a way to bring her closer to his chest so she'll be warm enough but so she can still see the stars.
"Would you like me to tell you the names of the stars?"

Molodai allows it, looking into the sky and giving a childlike nod. "I would like that."

[Beans]

[Peaceful Field]
She smiles at them both.
Alright, now what do we do?