Chapter 10
From DALpedia
Posted by: Xorlak on Friday July 21st, 2006
The short lizard man rubbed the gem on the top of his wooden staff nervously, waiting for his lord to take notice. The room was so dark. Much darker than even his kind was used to...
Finally the black throne before him turned, pivoting smoothly as if on air. The outline of the black armored Retan came into view as the seat turned to face the scaly prime minister of Mizar. Retan leaned back in his seat, his attention finally turned away from the cloudy glowing orb in the center of the room. The crimson eyes from under the helmet piercing...
"You may speak, Grav."
Grav sighed inwardly, for the past ten minutes had been an awkward silent wait.
"Thank you, my Lord... I have personally come to report that the serum is nearly complete, and results will be presented to you as soon as possible..."
"Excellent. Though, I don't care much for the wait..."
"Noted, my Lord. We shall redouble our efforts..."
"Do that."
The chair slowly swiveled around. Grav remained in his spot for a moment before turning and making his way towards the heavy black doors.
The two guard-lizards shut the doors and followed the prime minister down the misty torch-lit hallway. One of them spoke in a whispering hiss.
"Are you sure that was wise? We're not exactly ready..."
The smaller lizard struck him in the side of the head with his cane, nearly knocking the warrior lizard down.
"SSILENCE! We shall be!"
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday July 22nd, 2006
Rink was sleeping on the branch of a tree. He woke up, and spotted Duilin, training, practicing swinging his mace and his fists, and tossing fireballs at rocks and trees. Rink, hopped off the tree and looked at Duilin. He could sense a large amount of guilt in him.
Duilin was feeling terribly guilty for turning on them; he felt like he didn’t serve the trust Rink and Zeros’ gave him. He remembered what Zeros’ once told him: embrace your demonic side but don’t forget your human side. Abodahon made Duilin focus too much on his demonic magic, so he is going to work on his neutral natural-human elemental magic. He may as well stick with the wind and fire elements as his skill in those are satisfactory already. However he is going to stop using dark magic altogether, he’s going clean from it. He already has his demonic side to worry about so he doesn’t need another evil teasing him from the inside.
"Duilin." Rink said in a greeting matter.
"Oh...hey." Duilin replied, he stopped practicing.
"You okay?" The imp asked.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine..." Duilin replied.
"Great, me too."
"Hey...listen. I just can't get over how sorry I am about earlier." Duilin turned around, and looked up. "I just can't believe how stupid I was..."
"Hey, man. Don't worry about it." The little imp said in a comforting way. He stepped next to Duilin, and turned his head up and looked at his friend.
Duilin looked forward. "Well, I should really, like I don't feel right anymore. Like I betrayed you guys, really I did, I don't deserve to be with you guys."
"Duilin, I've known you for five years, I know compared to my and Zeros' life time that ain't much but it's more then enough time to really get to know somebody. Now, I'm going to be honest with you, you're a very manipulative person, but that's because well, it's natural with demons. It's okay, just remember, to think for yourself. Remember that we're fighting for good guys here."
Duilin took the shard of metal with the Romme symbol on it, from his pant pocket, and flipped it in the air and caught it. He looked at once more before tucking it in his pocket.
----
"God, it seems like I've been here for days, but it's barely even been a few hours." Marshal groaned, as he sat in his prison cell.
The small trap door opened up, and a hand with a scoop plopped down something that barely even looked editable. It looked like something in-between mashed potatoes and dirt.
He didn't eat since he was at that one revolutionary building yesterday so he took the tray and began to much the food like substance. It tasted exactly how it looked, but with a hint of stale added to it.
As Marshal ate his crappy food he thought of something. Perhaps he could escape by summoning up something, like with his own magic he could probably copy the aura of something without his amulet. Now if only he could remember some of the aura patterns. Yes, a gel, a very simple creature.
"Okay, let's see...yes..." Marshal batted his fingers about as if he was composing music in his head and writing the notes. Suddenly a blue spectre was cast from his hand and it formed into a small gel creature. Probably if he quickly repeated the pattern and put more magic energy into it, he could probably get a bigger one, yet he was tired and this monster would do just fine.
Now to wait for them to pick up his toilet bucket...
//My new Angel dude will come shortly.\\
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday July 22nd, 2006
"I slowly smiled, and drifted away from the man.
-"Excuse me for a second. I have some matters to attend to. Oh, and if you think of escaping, don't. I can see every move you make, no matter where you are." //btw. Spartan, when you get back, that's your dude I was talking to.\\
I floated up to the crumbled plateau. The dead were living again; their thoughts were pouring in, mixing with my mind. Interesting. The Nightshade?
Cult mechanics, social structure, clothing, poetry, blah, blah, blah. Boring. Are cults really that un-evil? Wait... there's something. Technology. What is this... "Gravity Vortex"...?
I quickly scanned over all the thoughts for mentions of this device. Indeed not many knew what it did or how it worked. The experience of some "Iron Wing", however, proves it most powerful. I had a number of my underlings get the mirrorlike orbs.
Suddenly, a message struck my mind. Looks like someone's using the M-Grid from Kandarin. It seemed to be one of my advisors.
-"Hail to thee, Marshal of Kandarinian Souvereignity, master of life and death, Lord of nature, our divine mona-"
-"Quit with the ass-kissing already. What is it?"
-"Lord, General Arvin deems it approperiate to use the Enigma machine. He is powering it up. You just need to give us the final word."
-"What the hell are you using that for? That thing gobbles up half of Sizri's arcane already, just by sitting there. We've never even tested it!"
-"Lord, I know, but-"
-"Oh, does it have something to do with that maggot I felt flying over there?"
-"Yes, Lord, I wouldn't-"
-"Activation denied. I'm coming. Warp."
As I angrily barked the last word, I realized I was talking out loud, whereas the M-Grid is used through the mind. Oh well, it's not like anyone saw me. The channel was closed, anyway.
I quickly deconstructed the rest of the living corpses, having all their memories in my own mind. Their body parts quickly reassembled into larger creatures, all winged or otherwise able to get across the ocean. We made our way back to the homeland."
--- --- ---
Horus was ripping through the woods like a knife through hot butter. Energy, energy... Energy is all he needed, and it was the one thing that he never had enough.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! The enormous maul was more effective at clearing trees than a wildfire. If one wanted to find Horus, one would not find much difficulty in that. All he needs to do is follow a trail of destruction, topped off with some half-decayed bones...
Suddenly, the huge figure froze in place. The stone ears on a stone jackal-like head moved a little. Yes... a fresh aura, passing right over him. The entity's aura revealed her to be a young female, riding a rock propelled by telekinesis. // = Cyan\\ Aura... Telekinesis... Youth. These things meant that the Converter would be quite satisfied tonight.
Horus slowly lowered to his fours, freezing again as he reached his final position. An iris opened in his back, allowing a long purple rod with a black glass-like coil around it to rise through the opening. It made a faint click as it slid into position, following Cyan through the sky. Small black sparks began to jump between the coil and the rod.
Whoosh. A rather minute black lightning erupted from the inside of the coil, right in the space between the glass and the rod. The lightning was aimed dead at the stone Cyan was flying on. The cannon retreated back into Horus, the stone iris closing right after it.
--- --- ---
-"Damn! They've got Marshal."
Ein quickly morphed into a moth, and flew right after the group through the thick black fog. While on his way, he established a telepathic link with Tesla.
-"Hey, any news on Marshal?"
However, a powerful barrier seemed to be blocking that message. Wherever Tesla was last at, it's extraodrinarily magically powerful... and even scarier, most of that power was coming from a point, a single source. What could eminate so much energy?
Posted by: Trent on Saturday July 22nd, 2006
Tsu and Aura entered an inn in some random city ((<img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />))... Aura was in one of her casual outfits... A black sleeveless shirt and a long black skirt. The armor had been put away upstairs in her room. Zion and Xenai, who were sitting at a table, looked over. Xenai gave an upward nod and was the first to talk.
"How'd your little date go? God knows you two needed some relaxation."
"We didn't get any relaxation," said Tsu.
"Huh?"
"It was disasterous," said Aura.
"Yet amusing," added Tsu.
"You'll have to tell us about it," said Zion as the two walked over and sat with them at the table.
"Ugh... Some other time... The only thing that worked was going to sleep."
Xenai snickered, and the two immediately interrupted before he could get anything out. "No!"
"Fine! Bite my head off!"
"I will!" Aura tried to look menacing by making chomping motions, but with the Zerobi gone, she simply looked cute.
"Well... Nothing we can do except relax until Zeros' comes to get us," said Zion.
"Boring..." Xenai rolled his head.
"Don't have a choice, bud."
"Yeah, whatever."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Saturday July 22nd, 2006
//Ahh a new chapter with new ideas....\\
The rock crumbled beneath Cyan and she fell to the ground....
-----
Nick still standing in hell training. Flinging the swords all around his body.
The night before he learned something he learned he was not his own being but an incarnation of a great demon his so called "Father". He only learned that at the point him and Calavous fused together. Nick stood in the same place doing the same thing. Like a lifeless body but a lively mind...
----
Cyan hit the ground some of the impact was taking away with some telekinesis but wasn't enough....she died. Calavous body resting at Bandervil now disapeared....
//About the Friener and the whole Fallongian npc group you guys can do what ever you want to them.\\
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday July 22nd, 2006
//Laus went into another demension back in Chapter 7 Trent.\\
The big burly prison guard, came over to Marshal's cell door, he opened up the trap door, and took out the toilet bucket. He looked inside, as he often does, for an unknown reason.
He noticed some sort of blue-ish gelatinous liquid inside. Before he could ask what Marshal eats, the gel jumped out of the bucket and grabbed the guards face.
The large man attempted to pull the small gel from his face, yet it kept a strong sucking grip onto him. Soon the gel began to crawl bits off it up his noise and began to suck out his brain.
The smaller guard noticed this and ran towards the big guy's aid. The large man fell to the ground, and the gel crawled away from him. The smaller man, looked at the big guy's concaved face.
Meanwhile the gel snatched the key from the big guard's belt and slides it into the keyhole (an monster of course does not have the intelligence to do this, but you must remember that Marshal can fully control the things he summons).
The door is kicked open and the small guard glares at Marshal. "Well, well looks like you don't need that silly sapphire in the first place!"
"Well, not really, but I don't feel like wasting my time explaining the logics of my magic to such a small man, with a small brain and probably some other small things as well."
The man growled in rage and then grabbed the hot iron that was fortunate enough to be in his reach. He jumps at Marshal and thrust the hot iron at Marshal wile he was reaching towards him. Marshal kicks the man; right before he reaches him, and he falls and hits the oven the iron pole was in.
As the guy lied down on the ground in pain, Marshal stomps his foot down on his chest, wile he walks by. He looks around the room. It was a small hallway, with two other cells yet the doors were open and the cells empty. There was a stair way to the left that likely lead to more rooms. On the wall in front of him, was a map of the place; it seemed to be a large prison tower. It had some basic information that this was a place were the held war criminals and prisoners of war.
"Interesting..." He said to himself. He then looked to his right, and what do you know, all his stuff was there, piled up. "God, you're as stupid as you are ugly." He said to man, groaning in pain. He picks up his armour plate chest and puts in on, and slips on his plate legs, puts on his badass gloves and boots, and grabs his summoning amulet and places it around his neck. He then grabs his belt with his supply of bullets and his machinegun.
He checks his gun, apparently they were messing around with his gun, trying to find out how the thing worked. It had a few scratches on it, and he noticed a few empty bullet cases were on the ground. He also noticed that his supplies of bullets were slightly less then they were before he was captured.
He then headed towards the staircase. However the man grabbed Marshal's ankle on his way past him. Marshal turned his head and looked at him. "You know, I was going to be nice and let you live...but."
Marshal pointed his gun and fired a bullet at his head. He noticed that the gun made a slightly different sound when he fired it, and it was smoking a bit more then it usually did. "What in the world? I think I'll need to get Tesla to get me a replacement..."
He then stepped down the stairs, looking more at what the fools did to his weapon.
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday July 22nd, 2006
Horus stood back up, and leaped over to Cyan's motionless corpse. Dead isn't as good as living... but it will do. He kicked the corpse, just to make sure she was dead.
She sure seemed dead to him. Horus picked the body up, opened his mouth and shoved the whole thing inside of him, pushing her right into the Converter.
Almost immediately he felt his power getting back to him... Yes... a strong one this one was. However, the Converter is ever so greedy, it will want more before it had its fill. Horus got back down on all fours and started galloping in the general direction of Bandervil.
Posted by: Trent on Saturday July 22nd, 2006
//Fine. *Goes and retcons it.*
Posted by: Dippy on Saturday July 22nd, 2006
The two orcs, Shaak and Kraig were in the newly finished fort inspecting the facilities.
They entered the armoury and saw a large variety of swords and spears. They weapons looked like they were recycled with bolts and chain links seen within the metal as if they didn’t quite melt in the smithy.
"Where is my Trident?" Shaak asked one of the weapons specialists.
"And my axe?" Kraig added.
"Well they are being upgrades at the labs."
"We have labs?" Kraig asked, he was surprised at how many things were in the newly finished base.
"Yes, you may want to stop by there and see what they are doing. But in the meantime, check out this!" The orc points to a rather strange weapon. It had three barrels attached by triangular spokes and had two wheels on the sides.
"This sir, is the Orc Mercenary Group Transportable 3-Barreled Heavy Gatlling gun. Or the OMG T3H Gatlling gun."
"that, that is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!" Kraig looks at the machine with almost a tear in his eye.
"It uses any piece of scrap metal as ammo. You see you put the metal in the grinder at the top and it smashes it into little bits and then blasts them at the enemy. The only down side is that it is horribly inaccurate so it is mostly useful for large crowds."
they leave the armoury to head to see the rest of the base when they see somthing on the horizon. It was the albatrorc rider they sent out to get a Cyclops egg. So they waited a little wile until he landed in the fort.
"Sir! I have the Cyclops egg you requested." The rider said, as if he had been waiting days to say it.
"Did you get the super uhh… growth... stuff." Kraig asked
"Yes."
The orcs looked at the giant egg. It was about 5 feet wide and 6 tall.
"Well. Take it to the stables and keep it warm." Shaak ordered.
"Yes sir!"
"Now what do we do?" Kraig asks
"Wait for Kronoses orders." Shaak replied.
"I'm gonna see the gun again!" Kraig runs back to the armoury.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Saturday July 22nd, 2006
Nick heard a portal being opened as a new soul came into hell a figure of a girl one that looked like she practiced magical arts. He jumped through the portal landing a little south of Bandervil. He got up and looked around. seeing some beast with a jackel-like head a few 20 feet infront of him.
Posted by: Trent on Saturday July 22nd, 2006
// Dippy wins forever. I'm waiting for Zeros' to post so I can do something useful. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />
From Dude Man: Stop making comment only posts, remember the new rule. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' />
T's rebuttal: If Zeros' did anything, I wouldn't have to. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday July 22nd, 2006
//Ah, DM already close to abusing his powers. That's the DM I know\\
"I had arrived back home, just to catch sight of that excuse for a fighter zipping away into the distance. //Tesla is going to some place that starts with "A", right?\\
Even from a distance I could see Kandarinian coasts, fully prepped for assault. Looks like they were trying to fend off an army or something. Ah well, it is better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.
Now, since my army was already mobilized, it's best if I do something with it. It would be best to clean up the small garbage calling itself "villages" scattered all over the Continent, perhaps attracting some pathetic do-gooder to "bring an end to Kronos' evil reign". Meanwhile, the fallen defenders of the villages will simply add to my army. Talk about killing thousands of birds with one stone, and then bringing them back to life! Hmm, undead birds. My genius often surprises me myself.
Deep in my thoughts, I did not notice that I reached Kandarin. I slowly lowered myself onto the ground and phase-shifted back to reality. Through my summons, Arlin, the Elder and Roland were already waiting for me.
-"Hello, gentlemen. Do tell me of the state of my military."
Arlin, who was busy unsuccessfully trying to hide his embarassment, spoke first.
-"It seems that the incoming enemy... uh... feared our mighty defences and fled... my Lord."
I pierced him with a cold stare.
-"I think he left because he was about to shit himself laughing with the level of preparation you ordered! It was one man! Eurgh..."
Arlin's head sank.
-"Yes, my Lord."
-"Anyway, to other matters. Roland and Mr. Elder, how are things on our little pet group coming along?"
The Elder and Roland exchanged a cryptic look from each other, and turned their attention back to me.
-"The one called "Ein" is coming to Kandarin. He should not be much of a problem. Roland has it figured out."
-"I'm sure he does. Roland, what is the plan?"
Roland's expressionless face... er... stayed expressionless.
-"Ein, despite being a common human, is able to turn himself into a giant moth. Me and the Elder thought up of a solution to our little upcoming moth problem... Perhaps some open flame, from a certain type of lizard...?"
I grinned.
-"Can you do that?"
-"I believe I can. We retained our summoning powers even after the descention."
Hmm, Roland seems to be genuinely with me.
-"Very well. You know, you may be looking to a full independence from me soon enough.
Now it was Roland's turn to grin.
-"Thank you, my Lord."
With that, I left the group and entered the nearest building. The family residing inside the small pyramidic home dropped down to their knees and bowed.
-"Lord! To what do we owe such a blessing?"
I was somewhat annoyed.
-"I need to use your M-Grid device. Oh, and while you're at it, please, get off the floor!"
The couple sprang to their feet as if the floor had burnt them.
-"Yes, master!"
Forgetting about the family for the time being, I approached the transparent orb. I reached out for it, and put my had on it. At that exact moment, I shifted phases, effectively merging into the stream, and exiting in the lab where Kraig was admiring his new cannon. I slowly drifted out of the orb.
-"Hello, Kraig."
I turned away from him for a second, towards the exit from the lab.
-"SHAAK?! GET OVER HERE!"
My attention was back with Kraig.
-"Anyway. Due to a slight... mistake... of one of my high-ranking officers, I have an army deployed. I want you two to get them over the ocean to the Continent and begin raiding all smaller towns and villages you can find."
I paused, closing my eyes, and sending orders to my undead operatives in Qim's factories. Re-opening my eyes, I found another technician in the room, eyeing me carefully. I ignored him.
-"A number of transports were arranged for you and the army at the Kandarinian Industrial sector of Qim. You will also find Clockwork Scorpions there. Quite useful toys on the battlefield."
Still expecting Shaak, I moved my head closer to Kraig. My eyes thinned.
-"Now, here's the real part of the deal. No mercy. Kill children, abuse maids, torture men. Absolutely no mercy. Make it known that there is a new power. Splatter everything with blood, burn houses down, whatever. That's your art right there. Am I making myself clear?"
Posted by: Dippy on Sunday July 23rd, 2006
"Yes, Sir... er, Kronos."
Kraig waits until Kronos leaves.
"That’s the first time I’ve seen you kiss ass to anyone." an orc technician said modestly.
"Get back to work!" Kraig shouted, not to be made a coward.
"Was that Kronos I heard?" Shaak said as he ran into the building.
"Yes, and he gave us a mission."
"What is it?"
"We go to the shores of Kandarinian, pick up some clock bugs, cross the ocean and kill shit."
"Is that what he said?"
"Umm... yes."
"Whatever."
The two go outside and head toward the briefing room to inform the troops.
"Please report to the briefing room for briefing... Please report to the briefing room for briefing..." The nasal voice of the orc on the loudspeaker repeats.
"Shut up"
"AARRGGG!"
"That is really annoying!" The orcs cry on their way to the briefing room.
"All the more reason to hurry up!" Shaak explains to the troops.
"Thats why you do that eh? It's still annoying as hell though." Kraig grumbled.
"Sir, come quick!"
"What?" Shaak and Kraig respond.
"The egg! It's hatching!"
The three run to the stables to see the colossal egg rolling around cracking. The after a little wile the egg split revealing what looked like a giant foul smelling baby.
"Wow, look at those big strong arms and those powerful legs and those evil piercing eyes. Wait, eyes?!?" Kraig notes in shock.
"Are you sure it was a cyclops?" Shaak asked, also in shock.
"I'm sure." The orc said.
"But the cyclops' got two eyes!" Shaak exclaims.
"It's not a cyclops! It's a... Byclops." Kraig said
"Should we return it?" The orc asks.
"Screw that, everyone has a cyclops but we are the only ones in the world who have a Byclops." Kraig said proudly
"Well, you take good care of the uhh... Byclops. We need to breif the troops now." Shaak reminds Kraig and they head off.
"I'll use that growth potion, it says it should make it mature in about ten hours. Okay? Shaak? Kraig? Man I need a smoke."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Sunday July 23rd, 2006
Nick left the seen in a hurry to leave the destroied scene of Bandervil. He didn't want to run into the Aspyes again. He assumed the Grey Empire was completely gone maybe a few patches of armies and such. But little did he now that he was right. By the time he finished thinking of this theory he was lost in an unfimilar place.
Posted by: D. Ein on Sunday July 23rd, 2006
Horus stopped. Not too distant, he saw the towering Bandervil... and a LOT of live auras inside. Dinner time.
He dropped down to his fours, deploying his cannon. A low hum around it began to build up... smaller lightnings fried some trees around him. The cannon was aimed at the fortress' high walls.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Sunday July 23rd, 2006
Nick continued going northwards passing by Bandervil. He went into the shadow of the walls. He looked at the Souls Bane. He felt the power course through his demonic blood. He disapeared into the shadows. //soz i fixed\\
Posted by: Trent on Sunday July 23rd, 2006
//Sorry about that comment only post. I just can't do anything until Zeros' tells my characters what needs to be done. Dippy still wins forever, though.//
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Think maybe we should go look for him?" piped up Xenai with an idea.
Zion took a short break from reading a newspaper to glance at his vulgar friend. "Maybe. Don't think those two are up to it, though." He canted his head toward Tsu and Aura, who'd fallen asleep, heads on the table.
"Oh, great. Should we leave 'em behind?"
"We're staying."
"Dammit, Zion!"
Posted by: D. Ein on Sunday July 23rd, 2006
//Arg, burton, not yet! Horus didn't open fire on the walls. That was supposed to be a charged attack.\\
The black energy continued to build up inside the coils. The hum was also taking a higher pitch.
Posted by: Dude Man on Sunday July 23rd, 2006
"Duilin do you hear something?" Rink asked.
"Yeah, sounds like some high pitched humming noise." Duilin replied.
"Hey, where’s Zeros'?" Rink questioned looking around.
"You know, he was hear a second ago..." Duilin answered.
"Guess I'll just go check it out myself, like seriously, how bad could it be?" Rink shrugged. He then fluttered off towards the direction of the sound.
Meanwhile Duilin leaned against the tree, Rink was resting on. He slowly looked around, seeing if he could spot Zeros' anywhere. Suddenly he sensed an aura.
"Hmm..." Duilin thought out loud. "Now...this seems like of familiar." Duilin however, was still not quite as sensing auras as Zeros', and maybe not even Zion and the bunch. But Duilin somewhat recognized the aura, from not to long before.
Duilin stepped forward and looked around. He could sense somebody was hiding behind some of the broken walls...or maybe 'in the shadows'. He remembered he sensed a demonic aura from earlier...
---
Rink fluttered to wear he heard the sound, only to see a giant machine charging up a huge blast. "Sweet mother Gaia!" Rink snapped in a startle.
He quickly dived behind a rock. Now, what the hell was that? Some sort of machine-like thing? He then peeked from under the rock, to get a better look at it.
Holy smokes, it is a machine! It seems to be charging up a whole blast of dark energy. I wonder what it wants? Obviously he can tell by the energy it's charging that it's not around to talk about the weather.
Rink then flapped his wings back towards Duilin, as quickly as possible.
-----
"Yeah, I seriously don't know enough about how this things works in order for me to know what's wrong." Marshal grumbled. "I'd be nice if Tesla told me how these things worked..."
He then arrived on the second floor, this floor had several more hallways, and several more rooms, and several more guards.
There was a man, wearing a beige and red coloured uniform (or whatever those Kandie-Sov guys wear). He had a large belly, a full thick beard, and a baldhead. He was sitting on a wooden stool, staring at the wall, when he spots Marshall coming down the stairs.
"Now what in the great name of Kronos, are you doing here!" The man exclaimed.
Suddenly a man wearing a similar uniform, but with a cleaner build, and short blond hair runs in and points at the man, who questioned Marshall. "How dare you use our great ruler's name in vain!"
"Well, hey wait a darn minute, I did say 'good' name, didn't I?" The bearded man said in defence.
"It does not matter! Do you have any idea what Kronos has done for us? You think you can go about using his name in any way you wish!?" The blond haired man said back.
Suddenly another man, shorter then the blonde, with red hair, shouted and pointed at the blond haired man. "You have just said his name in vain as well!"
"What do you mean?" The blonde hair man said trying to defend himself. "All I said was: 'Do you have any idea what Kronos has done for us?' I was just mentioning his name."
"Well, still. You can't just say 'Kronos' freely, he is our great ruler!" The red haired man said.
"Ah ha!" The bearded man shouted, pointing at the red haired one. "Now, YOU have just said his name! How about that?"
"W-Well..." The red haired man said trying to defend himself now. "I had my reasons to...you see..."
Meanwhile Marshall unlocked all the prison doors on the floor while to two different coloured haired people began to argue. The prisoners then snatched some things they could use as weapons and began to run through the floors of the tower, releasing the prisoners (Not that when I'm finished the post, they will not be done yet.)
Posted by: D. Ein on Sunday July 23rd, 2006
"I was walking peacefully through my city back to the citadel that is my palace, when I finally began to notice a spirit leaving my city. Odd. No one is due death today... Someone must've killed one of my men!
By the looks of it, the death came from somewhere in Undecimus. That's where most of the barracks and prisons are. Ah! There we go, some escapees. I sent a small jolt of my energy to the particular prison, and continued walking."
---
As Marshal was releasing the prisoners, a loud groan could be heard from the stairwell. A horrid-looking undead was crawling up the stairs! There was a bullet hole in his head, as well as the bird-shaped Kandarin symbol branded on his back, still smoking. The zombie had a freakish smile on his face.
-"You know, I was going to be nice and let you escape... but."
A number of live guards armed with brutal-looking crossbows showed up the same way, from up the stairs. Some more undeads were following.
-"If you know what's good for you, surrender. Maybe we'll kill you quickly that way. On the other hand..."
The guards chuckled, exchanging menacing grins.
-"Personally, we'd actually like it more if you resisted capture."
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday July 24th, 2006
//Hey what about the big guy who got his brains sucked out by the gel?\\
Marshall looked at the guards and the zombies surrounding him. He then grinned. "Well, personally I'd actually like it more if you all consumed your own fecal matter!"
Marshall then held out his left hand, his right hand still holding his gun, and then his amulet began to glow, and a large blue spectre flew from the amulet and into his hand, and the spectre balled up in his hands, then faster then you could blink, the spectre exploded into a swarm of blood sucking bats. They began to swarm around biting (yet not killing) the guards and zombies. They flew in the guards' faces, to able Marshall's escape.
Marshall then waved them goodbye in a mocking way, as he slid down the railing of the stairway.
"Viva la Revolution, you fascist scumbags!" He laughed as he slid down...
Posted by: Dippy on Monday July 24th, 2006
Shaak and Kraig enter the briefing room stage and see the full ten thousand orcs and 120 ogre shock troops. It looked like an ocean with all of the swords and spears waving around. The noise of the crowd was immense, you could barley hear your own voice so you had to speak louder causing an eternal cycle of yelling.
"Now i'm sure you're all wondering why you were sent here." Shaak starts, the crowd is not paying attention at all. "Our client Kronos has given us a mission." The crowd still carries on in their conversations.
"Could you please listen!" Skaak barks, but still not one of them turns their head.
"LISTEN UP YOU LITTLE SHITS OR I'M GONNA RIP UP EVERY ONE OF YOU UP LIKE A DWARF AT A BARBIQUE!" Kraig yells out the loudest bellow he could muster working like a tsunami of shut-up across the crowd.
" *Chough* Well um... now that I have your attention, Kronos has sent us on a very important mission. We are to go to the Kandarinian Industrial sector of Qim and rendezvous with the Kandarion army. We with load up onto the transports and sail across the ocean to our destination. Now, here's the fun part: we are released onto thousands of acres of villages, civilians, and unburned crops. We are sent to make it a wasteland, needless to say, it's an open buffet of the juiciest smoothskins you've ever tasted, but remember orcs: no racism, they all deserve to die equally!" Shaak is met by a wave of cheers by the thousands of orcs.
"That was a great speech, but... Do we get to bring T3H Gattling guns?" Kraig ask like a child wanting his toy.
"Of coarse Kraig, now to business. What do you say we bring all but about a hundred orcs for guards, all of our shock troops, the fleet of a hundred albatrorcs, and I think we can get the smithies to make about a hundred of those OMG T3H Gatlling Guns." Shaak lists.
"Me likes!" Kraig grins.
"Sir, Sir, Your weapons are ready!" An orc R&D worker pants, the sweaty nerd looks like this is the first time he has seen daylight in months.
"Lets go Kraig."
They walk into the musty innards of the labs a few more nerds are tampering with little odds and ends.
"Greetings Shaak, Kraig."
"Why did you say his name first?" Kraig asks, not liking to be upstaged by Shaak.
"Uhh... I don't know, I guess it just sounds better." The scientist stutters.
"Anyways, where's my trident?" Shaak changes the topic.
"Ohh, yes hear it is, as you can see I fixed it up with a little something."
"What something?"
"A Lighting Orb Launcher! You see it shoots a little ball of electricity out of the end that may cause paralysis or death." The scientist explains.
"Cool, but what the hell is electricity?" Shaak ponders.
"And for you Kraig we have the Sonic Terrainian Fissure Upgrade. It emits a sonic blast into the ground that opens up a fissure and engulfs the target." The scientist explains.
"Umm... so it makes a... uhh... what’s a fizzer?"
"It's called a fissure, and basically what I mean is you hit the ground and it makes a crack in it that can swallow the enemy." The scientist tries to reach Kraigs dense mind.
"Okay... Would it make a crack in the skull of some smoothskin at a bar trying to bum a smoke offa’ me?"
"Uhh… I guess."
"Cool" Kraig grins and takes his new weapon.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Monday July 24th, 2006
//Dippy always adds comedy to this rp. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /> \\
Nick continued north completly passing Bandervil. "So where to go?" He asked himself. "Maybe where ever the wind takes me." he thought.
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday July 24th, 2006
//Oh come on, what about me! I'm just as funny as Dippy in some of my posts!\\
Rink fluttered down on the ground next to Duilin. "Du-Du-Duilin...There's like this...huge crazy machine thing!" The imp exclaimed, pointing back in the direction he came from.
"...and?" Duilin asked sounding barely interested.
"It's charging like...this huge...dark...energy...blast thing."
"Hey, where's Zeros'? Shouldn't he be telling us what to do right about now?" Duilin asked.
"DUILIN!" Rink shouted sounding annoyed. "There is the huge ass machine-like thing with a dog head and it's going to shoot a blast the size of Draven's ego in our general direction, if we, sorry, YOU don't do something about it!"
"Why me? Can't you?" Duilin said grinning.
Rink crossed his arms, and looked at Duilin in the eye. The one foot little imp looked rather annoyed.
"Sheesh, okay, I was just kidding. So let's see this magical machine thing." Duilin then walks off, and Rink follows beside him, flying about five feet in the air.
Posted by: D. Ein on Monday July 24th, 2006
The cannon was charged to the point of making a nice wide gaping hole in the wall.
What? What's this? Two more auras to the west...?
Another low grumble from inside Horus' body, the cannon turned with lightning speed towards Duilin and Rink's position. The black beam erupted from the cannon towards them. If it were to miss, it would still make a reasonable hole in the ground as well as a small shockwave.
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday July 24th, 2006
Duilin grabbed Rink and jumped to the left, avoiding the main blast, he landed on the ground shielding his friend, and the explosion was able to scorch his wings. "Ahhhrrrgg..." Duilin growled. He then slowly got up, leaving the imp on the ground. He dusted himself, the back of his shirt and his wings had burns of them. "Rink, hide. If I get in trouble, get the others."
Duilin took out his mace, which he had his holster attached to his belt. He then spun it around, and then ran towards Horus, he assumed that since it had to charge up the blast that it would take awhile. "Brace yourself tick-tock, I really liked this shirt!" He then jumped into the air, front flipping, he then flew downwards as he fell towards the ground; he swung his mace at the mighty machine.
Posted by: Haraldur on Monday July 24th, 2006
//Clarification: Laus is, currently, a small island on the Eastern coast of Alterna.//
Posted by: Zeros' on Monday July 24th, 2006
// <Coughs> I should check back sooner... <Scratches his head> Sorry. \\
Zeros' was actually floating near Duilin and Rink, cloaking in a technique that let him stay invisible, as well as completely hide his aura. It was rather simple to do, but it took him some weeks to fully master and prefect it, even as old as he was. It was rather useful, though, especially for stealth missions.
He was fortunte to be near enough to Rink's comment about Draven's ego and quietly snickered. He quietly moved forwards, wanting to see how Duilin did without his help. In the meantime, he sent Rink a telepathic message.
No worries, Rink... I'm am nearby enough to help you two out if you need it. I want to see how Duilin fares by himself without anyone, but yours help, if you wish to help him. he quietly telepathed to Rink, making sure to keep his aura depressed still.
In referance, he also sent a telepathic message to Zion, seeing as he seemed to be the most logical of the bunch.
Zion, I want you and your companions to come to Duilin's position... eventually. You can take your time. I'm with him, but I want to see how much he's grown. If he needs help, I'll help him. Take your time getting here, but don't rush yourselves. he told - who he decided - was the most logical of the four.
He had also moved around behind Duilin, but about two hundred feet away, ready to help him if he needed it.
Posted by: Ulmec on Monday July 24th, 2006
For an island in the middle of noware, it seemed as though this one can suite a Golbin Warlord very well, it had running water, a vlcano and a mountain system leading all across the island. Ulmec stared at the mountains with a large glee for he knew that it would be the best place to build.....and hide an army of millions.
"I wonder what would the rest of the Goblins say if they saw me now."
He approached a small cavern just down the beach and looked in, all he say was rock and water, with a few climbs down the sense of safety came to be and began to mutter incantations.
" Islgiath Mordgul Aletgh Daguld Islgiath Mordgul Aletgh Daguld ". Over and over and over and over he went. after a good hour or 2 of muttering, around 20 naked creatures appeared from the darkness of what was once a peaceful Cenotae. After carefully inspect the creatures he peared into the cave, it was smoldering and the water had turned into such a thick mud it could almost be walked-upon.
"What biddings do you have master?", Ulmec turned around to see one of his newly create goblins. Finally, in a brief second, he muttered a few words......."We got work to do"
Posted by: Trent on Monday July 24th, 2006
He perked up a bit. "Got a message from Zeros'. We're to go to Duilin's position!"
"At last! Action!!!" Xenai literally sprung out of his chair and ran out the door.
"H-hey! Hold it!"
"Uhhh... Why so much noise?" Aura slowly raised up from the table, looking at Zion with eyes half-open.
Zion's eyes fell on her. "Go change and get your swords. You probably shouldn't wear that armor, either. It'll weigh you down."
"Uhm... Okay." She lightly shook Tsu. "Wake up. We have to go."
"Uhhhhh... But Mommy, I don't want to go to school today, I want to stay home and bake cookies with you..."
She kickz0rs him. "Wake up!"
"Gah!"
A few minutes later, the three guys were standing outside waiting for the woman.
"Why'd you tell her to change? Now we're waiting on her. Who cares if I accidentally happen to position myself underneath her?"
"I care." Tsu frowned a really exaggerated frown at Xenai, the kind where he knew that Xenai was joking, but didn't really appreciate the joke.
"I can hear you, perv." Aura finally emerged, in a white t-shirt and blue jeans, her scimitars sheathed on her back.
Zion and Tsu laughed at their idiot friend, who was presently grumbling with another exaggerated frown as Zion sought out Duilin's location. "It's no biggie. Zeros' told me that we could take our time. There he is." The three guys took off in that direction as Aura pulled her hairpin out. Zion looked back at her. "Oh, no. This is too troublesome. Tsu, can you take her to Seijin like I did for you?"
"No problem."
Zion and Xenai took off toward Duilin's location, while Tsu took off toward Seijin's cloud with Aura on his back.
Posted by: D. Ein on Monday July 24th, 2006
//Whoah. Lookin' like i'm about to get a hella lot of attention. Also, Ulmec, an army of millions is not really allowed in DAL (if you were going to make one). The top for an active army should be around 100,000.\\
Duilin's mace scraped the sandy armour, not even putting a dent in it. A grumble almost like laughing came from inside Horus, and he retracted his cannon into his back.
He took his maul off his back, where it was hung up by the handle, and slammed it into the ground in front of Duilin. A massive shockwave resulted, probably knocking Duilin over.
Then Horus froze. Two more strong auras, approaching at a high speed. There was also something else... Something in the air some distance away. He couldn't quite put his hand on what it was... probably a bird or something. Nothing to be worried about.
He snapped back to reality, and placed his maul in a defensive position. Meanwhile, the cannon inside his back began to charge up again, emitting a low hum.
--- --- ---
"I entered my vast citadel, and continued walking to the Sizri operational centre. There, some of my minions were already waiting with the gravity orbs, as well as some very confused scientists.
-"Ah, I am guessing you are wondering what those orbs are for." I was the first to speak. "These need to be examined thoroughly. Use the highest level of caution while conducting tests on them. They should prove a rather valuable resuroce, if we open the mystery behind them."
-"Yes, my lord, but... what are they?"
-"Well, if I knew, I wouldn't be asking you to find out, would I?" A small lie never hurt anyone. Besides, if he would be successful, there is a chance that we could produce our own weapons of this grade.
Before leaving the Sizri compound, I activated it's M-Grid commorb.
-"Undecimus; Orc district; Briefing room."
My image popped up in the middle of the orc-flooded area.
-"Before you depart, you should know that there was a jailbreak in Undecimus. Try to leave some men to apprehend the prisoners; possibly even an OMG T3H Gattling gunner. The leader of the jailbreak is probably armed and should be considered dangerous. Warp."
The code word ended my hologram.
---
//Damn, completely forgot about Ein!\\
Ein was now at the Kandarinian shores. He quickly morphed back into his human form, trying to avoid all possible detection.
He landed in what appeared to be a wide bay, with some signposts offering directions. The most repeated one said "Jovil". That must've been the name of the place where he landed.
The sides of the streets were filled with very strange-looking houses - most were of a tall pyramidic shape, with what looked like a pole coming out of the top. Ein snuck inside one of them.
This particular building was rather small, and empty. No one was inside it, however, it appeared to be living quarters - there was a bed, a wardrobe, a study, and some other insignificant things. He opened the wardrobe, and changed his clothes to the first set he found inside.
He now appeared as a normal Kandarinian citizen - a black shirt with many folds, black pants, and beige boots. The shirt had some sort of a bird-like symbol on it - the owner was either very patriotic, or the leader of this place was a true tyrant. Ein walked out onto the street.
Posted by: Ulmec on Monday July 24th, 2006
//Army of millions is just an expression//
Work, a thing that Goblins hate but are best at( besides combat), what pain it was to uproot all those trees, pretty soon, Ulmec returned from a scouting mission in the mountains to find 3 of his archmages enchanted another goblin pit.
"Since when have we been so eager to work my brothers?" They all answered at the same time," Since we have benn so safe from the oustide world my'lord!"
Ulmec sat down to think, "why are my goblins afraid from the outside world?" This was a question that needed fixing for Ulmec knew that a goblin who is afraid is not a good fighter. The only person who know was the creator of goblins himself,Huget . but sadly Huget is long since passed into the other world. It seems that he will have to use this army which seems to have a......Mans Soul! Ulmec jumped up with a childish glee and began to cheer as he realized that all he needed was a orc mineral to complete the goblins.
" Gable, get me the a sample of our golbin-mineral."
"Master, are youess sure, tis' very dangerous to bring out mineral?"
" Do it, for i Ulmec command you!"
" Yesssss master Ulmec."
Gable was the first Goblin Ulmec create so Ulmec had more emotion over him than any others. Although he was just another goblin, Ulmec had treated him with much respect and has transformed him into a very good figher. Most of his inspection has to do with walking around the base. Finally, Gable returned with the stone but the examination was interuppted with a goblin returning to announce that a long lost enterance to the mountains has been discovered.................
Posted by: Dippy on Monday July 24th, 2006
The orcs look in confusion at the spector of Kronos.
"Well, you heard him. I will send platoons 2-9 to deal with the situation. You may take 5 T3H Gattilng guns with you. Leutenet Harek, you will lead them." Shaak breifs the squad of 400 orcs.
"Four hundered? Just for a jail break?" Kraig questions.
"Better safe than sorry Kraig, besides, we have orcs to spare."
The orc soliders got ready to go to Qim. They loaded crates up with weapons, food and varies other supplies. The stablemaster loaded up albatrorcs into their cages and the uhh... Byclops into a cage. The creature had already visably grown, the stable master had also given him a name: Thor.
After everyone had packed their bags they set off toward Qim. The other group headed toward the jail break to lay down the law.
Posted by: Trent on Monday July 24th, 2006
"Zeros' seemed to stress taking our time," said Zion. "We need to give Tsu and Aura a chance to catch up anyways."
"Yeah, fine." Xenai frowned. The two then slowed down a bit.
--- --- ---
//For the record, Seijin's an NPC right now.
Tsu and Aura arrived upon the cloud. Aura looked around, mystified. "Whoooaaa..."
Seijin turned to see them. "Looks like you two have made up."
"Yeah... Um... Aura needs to fly."
"Well, I guess I have to... No, forget it. It's my job simply to decide if the person's worthy. I don't have to give any test. I feel no traces of the Zerobi in her, so I will give her some wings." He waves his hand, and a pair of translucent, ethereal angel wings appear on Aura's back. They're pink. Aura looks back at them and flaps them a bit.
Seijin continues to describe the wings. "The wings are for energy enhancement. Enhancing the energy, in turn, enhances the person it belongs to. They will appear when you need more power. But you don't really need them out in order to fly. You know how to fly now. You just don't know it. When you leave the cloud, just do it like it's natural, and you'll be fine. You can now also detect energy signatures. You can't detect them very well yet, though."
"T-thank you, sir." She bowed to him, and walked over to the wall of the cloud, her wings fading out. She looked to Tsu. "Um... Will I be okay?"
"I'll catch you if you mess up. So don't worry."
"O-okay." She gulped and jumped out. Suddenly, the information she needed appeared in her mind. She flew around in a circle with a "Woo-hoo!"
Tsu floated up behind her. "I see you like it."
"Yeah, a lot!"
He felt around for Zion and Xenai... "Alright, let's go." ...And took off in that direction, at a moderately slow speed so that Aura could get used to it.
"Okay..." She touched her hairpin... Don't really need it, but she'd keep it anyway 'cos it looked good. She followed Tsu after that brief pause.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Monday July 24th, 2006
Nick heard the explosion of the walls and became visable again. He started running very fast coming upon what used to be the crimson capital. "What the hell was that?" he said looking back at the Bandervil. He sensed a few aruras that he may have encountered in the battle of Bandervil. "I wonder......"
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday July 24th, 2006
"???" Duilin was then tossed in the air, and then hit the ground, due to the shockwave caused by Horus, yet he got back up and shook his head a bit.
"Crap..." Duilin mumbled. He then heard a humming sound from the machine's cannon. "Oh no you don't!" Duilin then charged up lightning energy into his mace. Bolts of lightning circled the blades at the end; wile the entire mace had a slight yellow glow. Duilin then dashed towards Horus smashing his mace towards the chest of the machine, the effect would likely cause electricity to jolt through Horus.
---
Marshal then arrived at the next floor. Two guards jumped up and stepped towards him.
One guard pointed towards Marshall "In the name of-"
Marshall then shot at the guard, taking him to the ground. He didn't want to hear him say 'Kronos' and then he'd have to endure another stupid argument.
The other guard simply stepped back. Marshal kept his weapon pointed at him. "Give me the keys." Marshal demanded.
The guard took the key chain from his pocket and handed it to Marshal. He then checked on the other guard who was shot.
Marshal then unlocked the doors; a couple prisoners then tied up the two guards.
"Who are you?" One prisoner asked.
"Marshall Royle, I'm with the Revolution."
"Oh yes, I can see by your armour colour. Some of us are with the revolution as well. A few of us were taken prisoner during the battle of Ugran. It was kind of odd being taken away by zombies."
"Zombies, yes I have noticed a lot of zombies lately. An old group I was with, the Blue Minotaur, was sadly turned into zombies, perhaps there is a connection."
"Perhaps, Blue Minotaur are summoners, correct? I did see some zombies summoning monsters during the battle."
"Ah ha. So this must be the place that houses the necromancer. By the way, do you know who Kronos is?"
"Yes, he is the ruler of this place, they seem to have a ton of respect for Kronos, I believe he is the necromancer of the group. I've heard that they are extremely dangerous, being a necromancer is a very though thing to do. So, anymore questions?"
"No, at least not for now. Thank you, you've been more then helpful, now let's get to the other floors and save the rest of them."
"Wait, but they are sure to have noticed all of this, what if they attack us?"
"We'll have to take arms and fight back if we wish to live. I can summon monsters so I may be able to protect most of you."
Suddenly they could hear the group of guards coming down the stairs.
"Uh-oh..."
Posted by: Dippy on Monday July 24th, 2006
the Orc mercenary group thunders across the land of Kandarion. The sea of spears, swords and helmets wave around like a... sea... of... chivalry... ner.
Civilians look in awe as they see the orcs pass by.
"That’s the second biggest orc army I've ever seen!" A man cries.
"Third for me." another replies.
"OMG it's the OMG!" A little boy shouts.
"Wow, look at all our fans," Kraig says with pride " it's a pitty we are all droping salt on their farmland so nothing will ever grow again."
"Yes, but what is one orc to do?" Shaak plays along.
They both burst out in a evil laugh. As they approach the industrial sector they see the giant smoke stacks spewing pollutants into the air.
"So this is how clouds are made." Kraig looks in wonder.
Shaak gives Kraig a dumb look "You are the biggest dolt in the universe!"
"Hey! ... What's a dolt?"
Posted by: D. Ein on Monday July 24th, 2006
//Arg... I know i'm kind of breaking the rules here by posting three times a day... but this is way too exciting to just leave off!\\
The mace made a hollow "clunk" when it hit Horus, electricity zapping through him. Although it dealt him no serious damage, he definately felt it. Even though he did not use electricity as his main power source, he was designed to feel it when he came in contact with it. In other words, Horus + Electricity = Pissed-off Horus.
The cannon continued humming, hightening in pitch. Horus swung his mace just in front of Duilin, not hitting him. He continued spinning around his own axis due to the maul's momentum, gaining speed. As he reached a certain speed level, he jumped up, whipping his speeding maul right at... Rink! //he's hiding nearby, right?\\
Still spinning in the air, Horus fell back down, aiming his fist at Duilin's face.
--- --- ---
Ein walked through the street, rarely seeing any citizens. He walked up to a passing one, hoping to ask him some questions. Since he did not know how the greetings worked in this strange place, he just let the person do the talking. It turned out to be a rather nice looking young woman.
-"The Lord prevails, friend", she spoke, as Ein advanced towards her.
-"The Lord prevails. Listen, I'm from a different part of... er... this place, could you show me around?"
The lady was somewhat confused.
-"But this is the capital. Surely you've been here before. We must all pay tribute to the public executions that take place here." Her face visibly darkened when she uttered the last sentence.
-"Oh... right, I meant I have never been in this particular part of the capital. However, I was looking for a different place. I wanted to visit a friend... he works at that one place... you know? Where they keep the prisoners?"
The citizen started to suspect something.
-"We do not work, we serve. Who are you? Answer now or I will summon the guardians."
Ein's overly active imagination started buzzing. His parents always told him he was good at acting.... He dropped down to his knees and burst in tears.
-"Oh please, my lady, have mercy! *sob* I am but a cripple! *sniff* A year ago, in a tragic accident, a... brick fell on my head, and knocked me out! *sob* I only awoke yesterday, alas, with much of my memory gone... *sniff* Please forgive this humble cripple... *sob* Shall you call the guardians?"
The girl was visibly moved and convinced. She smiled.
-"On the contrary. Please, what is it you wanted to know again?"
-"Where do they keep *sob* the prisoners... My friend who serves there is said to have taken over my home... I *sniff* wish to reclaim it from him..."
-"All of the prisonyards are kept in Undecimus, the main military center. It is right down this road, over the bridge. However, I am not permitted to talk to strangers for this long. I must go. My name is Amaya, if you wish to find me again, speak to the allocation officers."
-"Thank you, milady. Good day and thank you."
As she walked off, Ein could not help but feel guilty for lying to such a good person. Whoever attacked them at the Continent was obviously not the consensus of the main population of this place... Apparently nice people exist in countries ruled by Necromancy.
---
"After handing the scientists the gravity orbs, I retired to the Council chamber. Therce, amongst the usual members, Arlin was present. I sat at my throne, overlooking the room.
-"Well, gentlemen... I want a full report from you on what happened while I was gone. I want to go into details when it comes to the part where you were "attacked"."
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday July 25th, 2006
//whatever, its 2 updates per character per day. Plus it's a 2 post a day recommendation.\\
Rink made a quick teleportation, leaving a small puff of smoke at his former and current location.
Duilin was hit right smack in his face, he flew back several feet and smashed into a tree braking the main trunk.
Duilin slowly got back up; he was quite a determined person. "Oh ha ha..." Duilin growled sounding pissed. "Big mistake, you hunk of junk, that just got me started!"
Duilin's mace began to glow; he lifted it up in the air. Several bolts of lightning shot from Duilin's mace into the sky. A strike of thunder was heard, and the lightning bolts then blasted back down, striking the ground around Horus, most of the thunderbolts flew done at Horus.
(Yay Thunder Rage, or whatever it's called.)
Posted by: Burton_projects on Tuesday July 25th, 2006
Nick stoped when he sensed a fimaliar arura in the east. One from redvik. He turned east and kept moving. "Guess i'll pop in to say hi...."
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Tuesday July 25th, 2006
//Yowza, finally back from my trip, and ready to resume.\\
The other man had left Alex alone on the icy cliff. He dared not make a move towards escape, heeding the stranger's words. Putting his backpack down in the snow, he sat down on the ground, his back against the rocky wall, and waited patiently.
"Interesting things happen in these mountains..." Alex mumbled to himself. "And to think I was expecting a dull passage through Glacia...so much for that."
When Alex said this, he was surprised that an ex-merc would ever say that. He remembered the good days, fighting for whatever side had the most money...that is, until the war was over. Albeit he was paid handsomely for his work, the money just didn't fill the void. He missed the thrill of the kill. He wouldn't find much work during peacetime except as a merchant, which he thought he wouldn't be very good at.
Suddenly, Alex remembered the weapon he was planning. He reached into his bag and pulled out the blueprints and looked them over. It was nothing like any normal person would ever see. It was not a sword, battleaxe, longbow, or anything similar. Alex himself was slightly mystified by the marvels of engineering that would go into it. Once complete, it would make swords and crossbows obsolete. This weapon could rule a sword-based battle with large jets of flame hotter than any flaming arrow, and just as portable. It was a flamethrower.
This amazing feat of engineering had a portable fuel supply on board the weapon, and would use pressure to propel large streams of fire at the enemy. The fuel used could be any hydrocarbon, such as gasoline, kerosene, or perhaps even methane. Alex knew that these fuels could be obtained by fractionalizing crude oil. However, how to pressurize a gas into a liquid to use as a flame propellant to shoot the fire was a challenge. To Alex's knowledge, there was no way to pressurize a gas...unless he could design a way.
Alex caught himself. His mind was wandering, thinking about secret things. He did not know if this stranger could read his mind or not. He immediately supressed all thoughts about it. He stood up and noticed that there was no sign of the man anywhere. Maybe he forgot about Alex. Maybe not. Alex took his chances and picked his backpack up and resumed on his way down the icy mountains.
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday July 25th, 2006
//welcome back, DS!\\
The lightnings struck Horus from all directions. He collapsed down on the ground. A grinding noise came from inside, kind of like heavy breathing.
The maul at Rink's position suddenly started to move on itself, as if attracted by a giant magnet, towards Horus. He grasped it and got back up.
The heavy maul seemed to be as light as a feather in Horus' hands. He drove it all the way backwards, then slammed it right down at Duilin's direction.
Meanwhile, the cannon continued to hum, hightening in pitch as it went...
--- --- ---
Ein reached the prison complex. It was a large, very grim-looking structure, with tall spires. The doors were heavily guarded by zombies. The only way to get in seemed to be the windows up top...
He took a bolt out of his quiver. A strange-looking sigil appeared on the ground even before he touched it. He simply drove the bolt around the edges of the sigil, tracing it.
The sigil was complete. It was quite strange, at that - once completed, it stopped glowing, not the other way around. Ein carefully stepped in the middle.
WHOOM! A powerful updraft wind threw Ein upwards, right into the window.
-"Aaaaaaaaaaahhh-oof."
---
"As the council continued to babble on about the internal affairs of Kandarin, I could barely keep myself awake. Might as well have some fun while at that...
I sent a weak energy pulse towards the mountains where I came back from a few hours ago."
---
As Alex continued his path down the icy slope, an undead in a red cloak freed himself from under the ice.
-"Ahh... did... I... ssssay... You can... Go...?"
The undead was brandishing a questionable sword, covered in rust and half-eroded. He swung it at Alex.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Tuesday July 25th, 2006
Shocked at the attack, Alex lost his footing and slid down the ice slope, the undead's sword missing Alex's face by mere inches. Alex careened out of a control...
"Whooaaaaahh!!"
...and right into a snowbank.
"Urgh!"
Picking himself up, he withdrew his scimitar from the hilt. The undead was stumbling and hulking towards Alex, slowly but surely. Just then, Alex realized he was without his armor.
"Great...the one time I decide to travel light," grumbled Alex. It was a one-on-one sword fight. Alex noticed that the sword in the undead's rotting hand was rusted and well beyond repair, but very jagged in places. It appeared to be painful should Alex get hit. Alex stepped out of the snowbank, half-freezing, and stood his ground.
The undead got ever closer. There had to be someway to easily destroy it. Alex remembered someone who easily destroyed a zombie with something called a "shotgun." But what was such a weapon? This was no time for useless thinking. Alex took a swing at the undead.
The undead blocked Alex's strike, the rusty sword holding up impressively, despite its condition. The undead then took a slice at Alex's arm, making a small cut.
"Urgh! You'll pay for that," growled Alex.
Alex raised his scimitar and sliced the undead's left arm off, which was easy to do considering he was a deteriorating zombie. The undead roared and took another swing at Alex. Alex leaped backwards and was somehow able to keep his footing on the slick ice. He slid back a few feet and then leaped forward, now bringing his sword down on its right leg. The undead lost its balance and fell backwards onto the ice, letting go of the rusty sword.
Alex walked up to the undead and raised his sword.
"Any last words?" Alex said.
"Tarren Silenthium Naar Grith," mumbled the undead before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.
Alex breathed a sigh of relief. He had won this consolation. He then turned his attention to the wound on his left arm. It was not bleeding seriously, but the rusty sword might have infected it. Alex reached into his bag and pulled out a medical kit. He treated the wound with an antiseptic and then tightly wrapped it with a bandage. The antiseptic would kill any pathogens that might have been introduced, as well as function as a basic painkiller.
"Tarren Silenthium Naar Grith," repeated Alex. He had no idea what these words meant. Perhaps it was the undead's native language, or maybe words to summon a demon. Alex didn't know. He picked up his things and sheathed his scimitar, pondering the mysterious utterings of the undead.
Posted by: Ulmec on Tuesday July 25th, 2006
Ulmec sat on the horse wandering endlesly through the mountains. "Where is the end of this path?"
"Almost there master", After about half an hour of travel they came to the end of the path, Ulmec sat in amazment of what he saw. It was a wall, a cliff wall 300 feet high, on it was writing in the ancient language of orcs.
"Amazing....."
"I told you sir"
How such a wall was carved by orcs was amazing but the interesting part was where it was positioned. looking down he saw a cavern decending to the very core of the island. Jus tin front was a bridge half-destroyed but still walkable. The goblins led Ulmec across the bridge and inside to find around 100 orcs watching them with interest.
"How could these orcs come to be without a wizard or mage?"
Then, in amist the endless talk a lone figure emerge out from the dorrway. Ulmec bowed imediatly for he knew exactly who this person was...... Huget.
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday July 25th, 2006
//DS, just to let you know shotguns and flamethrowers have already been introduced into DAL. Well, one character used a flamethrower back in chapter 2, but shotguns have been not to uncommonly used by people with the Crimson Empire. But I suppose it would be fine if you invented a flamethrower.\\
Duilin jumped backwards and increased his distance with a flap of his wings, to avoid the large maul slamming down at him.
He heard that it was making a loud hum. "Damnit, how can I stop it from doing that?" He examined it, and well, he couldn't figure out anything. "Guess I'll just have to kill it."
Duilin held back his free hand, he figured that lightning worked a lot on it, so small bolts of lightning circled around in his hand and then formed an orb. "Heads up!" Duilin called, he then tossed the lightning orb like a baseball, aiming for the machine's head.
----
As the group of guards arrived down the stairs, a group prisoners were armed, they held torches and short swords. Marshal was at the front of the group, pointing his gun at the guards.
They stopped dead in their tracks. The two groups stared at each other.
"Enough of this!" The short zombie guard shouted. "Kronos will protect us, kill them!"
Marshal fired seven shots at the zombie's head, eventually taking it off. Wile he was shooting the guards and prisoners clashed swords. The prisoners holding torches threw them at the zombies, burning them up.
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday July 25th, 2006
Horus shielded his face with his hand. The ball lightning hit his hand and dissipated across his entire body. The glyphs on it flared brightly, and the glow they eminated took a lighter shade of purple.
He dropped down on all fours again. Another hollow roar-like sound followed, and two metal spikes popped out of the top of his ears. He dug the ground with his rear left leg, in a manner of a bull preparing to attack.
After yet another grinding noise, Horus charged right at Duilin. If he were to be successful, he would end up impaling him. The cannon, however, continued to charge up. It was almost overcharging, black energy sparks were flying from the circular aperture in his back.
--- --- ---
Ein was walking through the prison, when he heart gunfire. This nation doesn't seem to be using guns... Marshal!
He ran towards the noise, where Marshal was gunning down the zombies. He shot one zombie's head off with his signature crossbow, and approached the prisoner group.
-"Miss me?"
Posted by: Zeros' on Tuesday July 25th, 2006
Meanwhile, Zeros' was observing the battle from nearby, He was worried about that machine, but he would jump in if it fired again. He wasn't sure what the machine did exactly, but he knew it wouldn't be very pleasent for anyone to get hit by.
He nodded to himsefl, watching Duilin's progress. If Duilin had met this man earlier in life, he would of surely lost the battle. He slowly floated around the battlefield, moving out of the way of stray attacks. It wouldn't do for himself to get hit, would it?
Posted by: Trent on Tuesday July 25th, 2006
Zion and Xenai had slowed down to the point where they were completely stopped. Tsu and Aura then caught up.
"Ah, good to see you can fly now," said Zion. Aura grinned back at him.
"Can we get moving now?" asked Xenai, nervously scratching the back of his head. "I got this bad feeling about this bad kinda somethin'."
"A bad feeling? Alright, then..." said Zion. "We're off!"
The four of them took off toward Duilin's location...
Posted by: Burton_projects on Tuesday July 25th, 2006
Nick reached the coast. He put his hand in the water. Feeling its cold chill. " To cold to swim." he said as he stood up. "I'll have to run across it." He said with a quiet whisper. He looked towards the north-eastern direction seeing a island covered in fog....." I guess thats where im going." He continued to reach his destination.
Posted by: Ulmec on Tuesday July 25th, 2006
//Check out Ulmec profile at DALpedia to understand the next chapter\\
Ulmec pulled out of his bow to finally grap some breath for he stopped breathing the moment Huget emerged.
" It is an honor to have you here Huget"
Huget gave a few words, " I believe you are the guest in my house, or is this now your land?"
" No my lord, i am willing to give you all my service's but in turn i will need some help"
Ulmec watched Huget who started to walk alongside the cliff looking down into the cavern as if it was his first visit here. After a few paces he turned to the side of the cliff where Ulmecs armies were hard at work constructing more caverns and other buildings to house the many Goblins coming out of the pits. Huget had a change in his face as he walked back to the orcs who were watching him.
"Siruith Magfal Olenko!" with Hugets last words, a beam of light fired from his mouth, thorugh the doors, into the temple and BANG!!!!! with a swift ball of fire, all orcs and the temple itself were destroyed, not even ashes or boulders remained. the entire inside was just obliterated, leaving a newly formed plateau.
Huget began to speak, " This, is my thanks for you finding me"
The mighty warrior Ulmec who was a smart goblin as well as a smart fighter looked very puzzled. "why would he destroy the temple to create a plateau for no reason and say this is his thanks?" Then, Ulmec looked around and after a minute or so he realized what was happening, Huget had created a perfect foundation for a vast castle that could rise along the side of the mountain!
"Thank you Huget" Huget who was pleased at what he just saw turned back to Ulmec and simply smiled, Ulmec understood this as a Your Welcome. Then Huget turned back to the goblin base below in the valley and spoke.
" There is a great deal to be done before we can begin movements" Ulmec once again looked puzzeled as if he had no idea what Huget meant. another though began to run through his head, " i can't believe that the great Huget is assisting me in my work. Huget muttered a few magic words and then a long piece of silk came into Ulmecs hands. A flag!
" This is the new symbol of the goblins" Huget spoke but Ulmec was amazed on the beauty of this flag, it was perfect and just as he had imaginged a banner.
<img src='http://www.fotw.us/images/f/ficomord.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
Now, with new insperation, Ulmec rose and started to walk down to the camp with Huget just as 2 great rulers should walk. after reaching the bottom he was a magnificent wall being raised and a thousand goblin warriors fully armed in a nearby field waiting for orders. Ulmec told the architects of the wall to make it higher and have occasional spikes on it and went on into the field where the goblin army was standing. He spoke in a soft voice but due to Hugets magic it was amplified so all could hear it.
" March to the mountains, kill all who oppose and ally with any thast support our occupation of this island!"
And with that, the army moved far away and was lost in the mist of the great mountain......
Posted by: Burton_projects on Wednesday July 26th, 2006
//I don't care if im posting 3 times a day its the next day in my time zone, and nice Dan.\\
Nick ran swiftly over the water as if it where a peice of land. He would reach his destination in a matter of time. Time meant nothing to him anymore knowing his lifespan was unlimited. (unless he was killed by some one) Material posesions meant nothing. He would probaly get rid of he demonic weapons once he reached his destination. Nick watched his feet as he ran over the clear blue water. Water dripped from his shoes eveytime he lifted his feet. Time felt slower for a second when lost his balance. Then continuing to move.
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday July 26th, 2006
Duilin beckoned the machine as it charged towards him. A little bit before Horus was about to ram into him, Duilin jumped into the air, he flipped backwards so he was facing Horus' back. He then fell down; smashing his still lightning enchanted mace right down onto Horus' back.
----
Marshal took a few steps away until he was at the back of the group of fighters, so he could reload his gun. Then he heard the voice of his friend Ein.
"Ein!" He said in amazement. "You've made it! Excellent. Ein, how'd you get here? This place is crazy we've got to try to leave. Have you heard at all from Tesla, Haraldur or the other comrades?" He asked his friend.
The prisoners and guards continued to brawl. Guards and prisoners from other floors began to fight as well, the entire tower as soon in a large battle.
Posted by: D. Ein on Wednesday July 26th, 2006
Horus, driven by his own momentum as well as the force of a Duilin slamming his mace into him, flew right into a tree, knocking it down. Horus himself also smashed into the ground head-first, at a high speed. Now he was quite annoyed.
He stood up, and turned around, facing Duilin. The mace impact didn't do much; the cannon was covered safely by an aperture. However, Duilin simply doesn't know when to die, it seems. Horus stared right into his opponent's eyes, and for a second, he almost seemed alive to himself...
...but no matter. Duilin was but another opponent, a bit too big to be gobbled down by Horus. Besides, the girl he consumed earlier still provided plenty of power. Her initial soft tissues were already broken down. Only bones remained. Alas, those do not store much of the victim's life force.
Horus made a harking sound, and spat out Cyan's bones right at Duilin. Quickly, while his opponent was (likely) disoriented by this... turn of events, he dropped down to his fours and deployed his nearly overcharged cannon. It fired.
A loud piercing scream-like sound was heard from the cannon. The dark energy burnt most of the trees around Horus just by firing. The black lightning projectile arced over the burnt landscape right at Duilin.
--- --- ---
Ein grabbed Marshal by the sleeve, and dragged him away from the prisoners.
-"I'll answer all questions later. Listen, outside, I saw a large Orc legion massing up towards this place, not to mention the guards already stationed outside. The freed prisoners will serve as but a distraction for us to escape."
His face, now uncovered from his hood, turned bitter.
-"I know it's wrong... but if we stay, we will not survive. We MUST get going, you hear me?"
---
"The council finally stopped rambling. Now time to listen to Arlin's apologies... Somebody kill me now."
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday July 26th, 2006
Duilin stared at the bones. It seemed to that this machine eats people, and perhaps wished to eat Duilin now.
It was quite a depressing sight, actually. He then turned his head up, and looked at the large blast flying towards him. His eyes bolted wide open as he spotted it.
"HEY!!" Said a high voice, seemingly out of nowhere a large white feathery winged creature popped right in front of Duilin.
"Ahh, just like Zeros'." Rink said grinning. "Jumps in a just the right moment...wait a second."
The winged one had a shield of light blue energy held in his hand, it was about two feet wide. The blast stuck the shield; he was blown backwards and smashed right into Duilin. The two winged people flew back several yards and piled down in the ground. The entire ground was scorched, several remains of the fortress were flying all over the place, Rink had to run out of the way, and was knocked over by the shockwave off the blast. A rock hit his head. "Oww...." He rested his eyes. "That smarts..."
The area of Bandervill looked very different from how it did before the entire attack. With several large craters all over the place. Not a blade of grass is left, just scorched earth. (Due to the effects of Chapter 9 and the current battle.)
The new commer stood up, with a perfect stance. It appeared to be a human with eagle like wings, wearing a toga and a headband made of leaves. It had a strange shine of light around him and a bright gold ring above his head. He was carrying a long golden rod. He looked like he was quite young, yet tall for his age.
"I am the great Aegidius!" the person spoke; he had a very soft, but heroic sounding voice. "I am an Angel sent by the great Gods and Goddess of Paradise in the capital of Olympus! I have assigned to: Defend the world from abominations that are in threat of destroying this world."
He spun his rod, and held it by the end and pointed it at the machine. "THAT is one of them. Its purpose in life is to only kill others in order to power itself. It has no use, other then to end the lives of others. Solution: It must be removed with full force. It is not alive, therefore no harm what-so-ever would be caused by destroying it."
Duilin still lying on the ground rubbed his eyes and shook his head rapidly. What the heck was this?
The angel stood in its position. Only his arms moved as he put the rod behind it's back, it seemed to just float in place, he held his hands and arms out like he was holding a longbow. Suddenly a longbow made of a magic-type of crystal materialized in his hands. He aimed the bow at the machine. An arrow of a light blue coloured energy appeared as he fired the bow, and the arrow flew towards the exposed cannon.
----
Marshal hesitated. He couldn't just leave them. He wasn't selfish.
Marshal steps forward, a blue spectre blasts from his amulet to his right hand. He throws the spectre right at the group of people, causing a strange blue explosion, knocking the guards back, as the explosion cleared up, it turned out that what he through was a large group of jel monsters (not gel, mind you). The jel monsters proceeded to consume the brains of the guards in a similar matter that the other gel did. However, since Marshal had a lot of energy and his amulet these jels were quite strong. Half of the jels combined together and made an Oooze. The gelatinous monsters and the prisoners then rushed upstairs ready to take out the rest of the guards. The prisoners gave a few extra stabs at the bodies, and burnt the corpses.
"Hopefully, they'll be able to live..." Marshal said. "But we've got to comeback and help them when he gets the others, okay. Now, how in the heck are we going to get out of here?"
Posted by: Burton_projects on Wednesday July 26th, 2006
Nick was almost at the gates when he saw the well prepaired defences. Two guards faced him.
" I'm sorry no one can enter or leave."
"Don't tell me shit, I really don't care I'll enter one way or another."
"State your name and buisness!" The guard demanded.
"I'm Nick of the Grey Empire and I've come to see your master."
The guard whispers to the other.
"There is nothing left of the Grey Empire. I doubt that you are part of it."
"I'm a survivior of the battle in bandervil, but I doubt you ever heard of it. Now let me in."
The Guards opened the gate slowly and Nick entered. He stood looking at the magnificent architecture of the buidings. The gate silently closed behind him.
Nick saw a woman pass by. "Excuse me milady who runs this place?" Nick asked
"Oh, Kronos, I guess you arn't from around here."
"Thank you and your right. But where is he?"
"There!" she pointed to a towering citidel.
"Thank you and good day." Nick now stared at the massive tower.
Posted by: D. Ein on Wednesday July 26th, 2006
The guard who let Nick in stood looking dumb, while the other guard on the opposite side of the gate shouted right into his ear:
-"WHY THE HELL DID YOU LET HIM IN?! Guards! Bag this idiot and bring someone who actually has some balls! Also, get a squadron to apprehend Mr. Commando who thinks it's funny to disturb the Lord like this!"
The other guard looked at the shouting one, just before getting clubbed by another one on the head from behind and dragged away. A different guard was posted in his place. The rest of the guards entered the courtyard with Nick in it.
-"You there! Halt!!!"
The alarm was activated. An extraordinarly loud fog horn sounded, resonating through the pyramidic buildings. The small gathering of guards pointed their lances at Nick. One of them spoke.
-"State your business here, or become like rot-brain over there", he said, pointing to an undead guard. The remains of his brain were seeping through fissures in his skull.
---
"Strange. The alarm sounded, I wonder why...?
-"Excuse me, gentlemen."
I quickly shifted phases, and floated through the solid walls out into the courtyard. My guardians were positioned around some teenage-looking kid. Hey... I saw him before... but that did not change the fact that I was very, very angry. I pointed a shaking hand at him.
-"You... how DARE you just walk in here?! Listen, you half-breed, if you don't want your pretty head stuck onto my citadel walls, you WILL tell me what you are doing here. Otherwise, I will make SURE you are to be made an example of..."
I slowly lowered my head at the guards beneath.
-"Why was his presence not detected? WHO WAS IN COMMAND OF THE COASTAL DEFENCES!?"
The guard I was looking at probably pissed his pants three times over.
-"Uhh... General Kovan, my Lord..."
At this point I was so furious that my eyesight was becoming darker. I had trouble speaking, for I was being choked by my anger.
-"Assemble... the citizens... at the square. Drag Kovan over here... alive... and bring out... the bone machine..."
//From this point on, I'd appreciate if no one got in Kandarin with that much ease.\\
Posted by: Burton_projects on Wednesday July 26th, 2006
Nick looked at the gaurds yelling at him. "My busniness is my own...don't make me kill you..." The peircing sound of the horn hurt Nicks ears. "ahh, Shit what the hell." He said kneeling on the floor. Nick turned around as Kronos spoke. Nick knew him from somewhere. " I am sorry I felt a fimilar arura in this direction I though you where on with the Grey Empire. The Arura Nick felt was right in front of him. Nick walked up to Kronos as he was barking out orders. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you...take these for my apology." Nick handed Kronos the demonic weapons. "Now if you want I'll leave..."
//Btw: ulmec wont be able to post hes in fire Island..and sorry Ein.\\
Posted by: Zeros' on Wednesday July 26th, 2006
Zeros' blinked and then groaned, palming a face into his hand. He dropped his cloaking technique and slowly flew down next to Duilin and his new angel companion, his eyes focused on him.
"What are those idiots at Olympus thinking? Zeus and the others know that Gaian is my district..." he says, looking at the new winged person. Then he turned after saying that, smiling at Duilin.
"Sorry... I wanted to see how good you did fighting this..." he looked over at their opponent. "...person by yourself. And you did quite good," he said, smiling. "But now that I know what he does and how that machine his powered, I can't stand idly by any longer."
He buffeted his wings, then folded them back to his body, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his emerald green eyes boring into Horus.
Posted by: D. Ein on Wednesday July 26th, 2006
Aegedius' arrow hit Horus, but once again it was absorbed by the glyphs. They further lightened in shade.
Great... Now it's three people versus one machine. Ah well. Horus has been in bigger brawls, and he almost always came out the winner. He looked at the three people talking. All against him...
Now one of them is glaring at him. What is this?! He took his maul off his back and patted it on his hand, in a "tough guy" manner.
--- --- ---
Ein and Marshal hurried to the window. It was a long way down - the sigil was barely visible. Ein questionably looked at Marshal.
-"So... yeah. Jump down and try to land in that little thingy down there."
---
"I accepted the weapons.
-"Very well... what is it you wanted? I suppose you're worth of my attention for bypassing my security like this."
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Wednesday July 26th, 2006
//Sorry, Dude Man. I neglected to mention that Glacia, the region where Alex comes from, is technologically behind the rest of the areas due to the desire of a simple lifestyle. Anyway...\\
Alex had been walking for some time, he had caught his breath from the scuffle with that undead. This stranger who stopped him on the cliff must've doubted his motives...Alex didn't even know his name or what he did for a living. Why would he want to make an attempt on Alex's life? Did the stranger know of what he did years ago? Did he find out of Alex's stoking of the war to fuel his ill-gotten gains? It was something Alex was not proud of once he began to think about it. Either way, he would have to be on his guard.
Alex stopped for a second to check his position. Judging from the foliage and less-than-frozen snow, he was about halfway down the mountains. The snowline stopped at three-quarters down, to be replaced with a warm, temperate climate. Hopefully Alex would find the technology he needed to build the flamethrower, and thus have the upper hand in his next encounter.
Alex's thoughts turned to the ultimate anti-undead weapon, the shotgun. It was a powerful firearm, effective only at close range though. Alex had heard of such weapons, but had never seen them. Glacia preferred a simplistic lifestyle without such corrupting technology. Alex had heard rumors of firearms making swordplay obsolete due to the fact that a gun could hit a target from a distance. The shotgun was a special type of firearm though. Alex hadn't ever used one before, but he knew how one worked. A shell full of shot was loaded into the chamber and cocked. A firing pin would strike the rear of the shell, thus detonating a tiny explosive behind the shot. The expansion of the resulting explosion and gases would break the shell open and propel the shot out of the barrel at high velocities. The shotgun was effective at close range, since the shot pellets would disperse over distance. Zombies, with their weak bodies, could be easily destroyed by such a weapon.
Unfortunately, shotguns were very expensive since the resources to build one were very hard to find in this day and age. Nonetheless, there are some out there who are lucky enough to have possession of multiple firearms.
Alex took a deep breath through his nose. The air felt warmer and more humid. He was near the snowline. Mustering up his determination, Alex continued down the icy path, with his hand always ready to draw his sword at any time.
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday July 26th, 2006
//Not a problem at all DS.\\
Marshall stared blankly at what Ein. He looked from side to side, and then looked closely at the coloured dot at the ground.
He then looked at Ein, making a stupid smile. "Okay~~" He said in a childish voice. His face then turned more serious, and gave a 'what, am I an idiot?' look.
"Okay, I'm not that stupid. If I fall that far down I'm dead. There is no way I can even land on that tiny thing. Only a total fool would attempt a stunt like that."
----
"Huh yeah...umm okay." Duilin replied. He was pretty hurt, he rubbed his eyes and looked at the angel. "Hey, that was a huge blast, shouldn't you at least be bleeding."
"Oh, no." Aegidius said proudly. "As I am an angelic guardian, from the great Olympus, damage will not very easily show up on me. I do not easily bleed; it would take a very powerful and sharp blade to draw blood from me. I am pure angelic!" He said brushing the side of his hair with his right hand, giving a grin.
"Uhhh...right. Um hey, could you take my place, I need to go check on a friend of mine."
"Of cource young one, but do not attempt anything. I can tell you are a demon, so by defeault, I do not fully trust demons."
He steps up and dusts himself. "Yeah, half human too." He then walks over to check on Rink.
"Sheesh, Zeros'." Aegidius groaned. "I'm not surprised you picked up another half breed. Did this one go berserk yet?"
He kept a good look on Horus, his crystal bow seemed to have disappeared. He had his rod held in both hands now, ready to fly at Horus on his next move...
Posted by: Ulmec on Wednesday July 26th, 2006
The last of the troops marched into the mist of the great mountains ahead. From that Ulmec turned and stepped of the rock he was standing on. Huget waited patiently in a group of trees behind the rock Ulmec stood on. Ulmec approach him and asked him why was he hiding.
" I fear that showing my face may affect the behavior of goblins"
Ulmec for the fourth time stood puzzled, "Why would that be so?"
Huget sighed and began to explain. Since Huget was the creator of goblins, they are genetically connected to him in a special bond unknown to most others. These type of bonds are only formed when magic and earthly minerals or substances are used in a form of life creation. In this case it was the Orc-Stone and Hugets magic.
Ulmec finally understood" Oahh, now i see it"
"All in good time Ulmec, all in good time"
They walked back from the field and into the main site. The walls are nearing completion and a architects were finishing the foundations for barracks,armories,bunkers,etc.... All seems well. What Ulmec loved was when he saw the primary command bunker already open and occupied by troops. Inside he saw some of the most advanced magical items he has ever seen (Designed by Huget...Duh). They ranged from creature tracking devices to full scale magic defense shields. All of this was designed in magic that is lost now to modern wizards and druids. Only Huget knows what these magics can do and how to cast them.
A lone goblin approached," Sirs,we have finished surveying the plateu and have started construction on a base for your castle, but we will need more rock and iron to complete the castle" Ulmec and Huget looked at each other. Then Ulmec spoke,
"Take a team and teleport to the Grey Empire ruins. Arm yourselves with the "special" armor i have in my private stores. Take all you can and bring it back"
Then, Huget walked over to a goblin pit and began to mumble, a stream of goblins instantly came out and stood at his attention. This move amaxed Ulmec but he stood still not knowing waht will happen. Huget started to think,"I will take these troops and tell them to go into the mountains to use their "powers" to quarry iron and coal to make steel. This should definatly strengthen the walls and castle."
"Go to the mountains and mine all the coal and iron you can"
Without question, the goblins went to the armory, within a few mintues they emerged and began the long march tot he mountains the same way the main army went. Ulmec was very satisfied at the accomplishemtns he had made, he has made his own empire. But still.....he wanted more. What Ulmec wanted was th e ultamite fighters and ultamite armor. Then the armies of the Goblin Republic will march whereever and whenever without question. And Ulmec knew just how to get it.....
Posted by: D. Ein on Thursday July 27th, 2006
Ein smirked.
-"Suit yourself."
He hopped through the window, down, and into the sigil. Just before hitting the ground, he slowly stopped moving. The sigil did its job.
--- --- ---
Horus was getting tired of waiting. With a mechanical grinding noise, he swung his maul at Zeros', with absolute full strength he could muster.
Posted by: Trent on Thursday July 27th, 2006
<img src='http://eon.mysticsoftware.net/holdit.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
The four had arrived on the scene. The "Hold it!" had come from Tsu, who'd be the one to speak next.
"If you're testing people's abilities, then let me step up... That is... Aura and I."
"Me? Wait, you want..."
"Yes, that's right. Zeros', may we?"
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday July 27th, 2006
"What did I tell you!" Marshall groaned. "Total fool!" He then looked around, seeing the others fight. He then looked back down at the sigil. "How about that, he made it."
Suddenly a headless zombie pushed Marshall, and he fell out of the window.
"Ahhhhhhhhh...."
Marshall then decided to aim himself towards the sigil. "Come on..."
He then slowly lowered down as he lowered down onto it. "Phew..."
----
"Rink, are you okay?" Duilin asked. He saw Rink lying on the ground; he helped the little guy get on his feet.
"Rink?" the imp asked. "Who's Rink?" He slowly fell down onto the ground.
"Yeah...he's fine."
"Uhhhgg.." Rink rolled his eyes, in an unnatural way. He kept lying on the ground, on his belly. "Duilin, that thing looks strong, go on, help the guys fight it."
"You sure?" Duilin asked. "I'm not doing much."
"Because you ain't putting enough 'oomph' into it. It's okay if you use your demonic abilities to fight it, that is your strong point, you can focus on upping your less strong abilities later, this thing is going to require a lot of power to fight."
"Okay, by the way. This angel just popped out of nowhere, any comment."
"No. Now go help the others, I've got a major head ache to work off..."
Posted by: Trent on Thursday July 27th, 2006
"Bah. I don't care what you say. I've been wanting to use this again really badly..."
Tsu flung his hand down, and it erupted with lightning. He held the hand out toward Aura, who struck the energy in various places... Compacting it into a swirling ball of electricity.
This attack would be technically perfect. The Spiral Sphere is a compacted, retained swirling ball of energy. Upon contact, there would be a powerful drill effect because of the swirling energy, and it would be continuous because of its being retained. Combining this with the Chidori, a relatively simple technique used to cut through things, is simply genius. The continuous drill effect would be turned into a continuous slicing effect, and powered by electricity, there is also a chance of electrocution or shock. Perfect for this machine like thing that Horus seems to be.
The attack was now fully charged...
Posted by: Burton_projects on Thursday July 27th, 2006
"Well....everyones been telling me that there is no Grey Empire. I'm not just going to sit by watching this war. I'm not joining those damn Asypes and not the dark empire. I want to side with you and the old allies of the Grey Empire. What do you say?" Nick asked Kronos. Nick turned around not waiting for an answer and was going to walk away......
Posted by: D. Ein on Thursday July 27th, 2006
//Still waiting for Zeros' to reply to my attack.\\
--- --- ---
Ein grinned.
-"Ah, I see you decided to come, after all. Well, we'd better get running, before we get captured again... I have a feeling that if that were to happen, we would likely not enjoy it. Come on."
Ein sprinted to the fissure in the wall that he came through originally. He surveyed the area outside.
There was the bridge he used to get here from the other island. Below the bridge was the raging ocean. Seems as though this is an island nation... Also of note was the fog around the whole area. The fog made it impossible to see the more distant islands, as well as adding a creepiness atmosphere to the place. The tall, emotionless pyramidic buildings enhanced the effect. How could these people live here for so long and not go insane...? Seems like the human race can adapt to any environment.
Ein (and Marshall, assuming he follows) came up to one of the smaller buildings. This was the same kind that he got his clothes from; common sense suggests that there would be clothes in there, as well. He drew another sigil on the outer wall of the pyramid. It flared brightly.
-"Stun technique... Should knock out anyone who was inside at the time."
Ein creeped inside the house. A person was lying on the floor, out cold. Same basic premise of the house he saw earlier: a bed, a study, a wardrobe, and other household items. He looked inside the wardrobe, and found another set of Kandarian-looking clothes. It was slightly different than Ein's, but had the same characteristics as his own clothes: a broad shirt with many folds, and same-coloured pants. The overall colour of the clothes was dark red. Ein urged Marshal inside.
-"Here, put this on. Should be easier to sneak by the guards in this place."
---
"I slowly lifted up my fist, then violently thrusted it down. The gate just in front of Nick slammed shut.
-"How rude. You asked me a question, and you walk away. We can't have that now, can we?"
I lowered myself on the ground and phase-shifted into reality.
-"Assuming I let you join... How would you be of help? What will you do to uphold the great cause of Kandarin? Or are you just joining for the paycheck?"
I stared blankly in his eyes.
-"Don't get me wrong, gold is not an issue. However, if you do not believe in the truth that is Kandarinian Sovereignty, do not bother coming to me."
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday July 27th, 2006
Marshall followed Ein to their destination.
"Well, I guess so." Marshall said to Ein. "Haraldur or Tesla can replace my armour and my gun. Besides some scumbags messed around with it, and I have no idea when it will explode in my face next time it fires."
Marshall removes his armour, and slip the new clothing over his old ones. He put the gun and his armour in the wardrobe. He slipped his amulet under shirt. "I'm going to keep this with me, it's irreplaceable now that the Blue Minotaur are gone."
Posted by: Zeros' on Thursday July 27th, 2006
Zeros' looked at tha maul as it swung for him. He didn't move, but responded to his companion.
"Yes, yes... And no. He hasn't going berserk yet, if you must know," he said, while ducking under the maul. He brought up his left forearm and put it on the maul, hoping to send the mail off-balance.
His other hand came off the sword hit and charged a ball of energy in it. He then shoved it towards Horus.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Thursday July 27th, 2006
Nick stoped as the door closed and turned around to face Kronos. "It's not about money any more it's revenge. I can bring you my strength, my stealh, my speed, and many demonic abilities." Nick now looked at Kronos with more intensity. "My one cuase at this moment....and that is to bring down the Asypes." Nick folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "So what do you say?"
Posted by: D. Ein on Thursday July 27th, 2006
//Zeros', the maul was not going from left to right - more like from up down on Zeros', just letting you know\\
The maul slammed into the ground. Horus tossed it aside. His opponents were treating him as a pest, nothing more. Not satisfactory.
He did not have time to dodge the energy ball shoved at him by Zeros'. The glyphs on his armour seemed to absorb it as well, further lightening in shade.
It seemed to Horus that these fleshy creatures did not understand the power of converted tissue... of converted souls, countless of which were circulating through him as nothing but power. Well, time to amaze them, then.
His armour began to unfold - the plates of the strange stone were being shoved aside, as if with a hiss. The deploying armour exposed metal poles serving as bones, tubes with glowing purple liquids running through them, strange ball-like structures for joints, and other things that these people could not possibly comprehend. The largest plate over his stomach moved away, exposing the Conversion engine.
In the same manner as the rest of the armour, the conversion chamber began to unfold. As it moved, incredibly bright light poured from the formed fissures. Just when the first ray of light broke out, the rest of the machinery in the remaining body parts started to do the same thing - they unfolded, letting more light out.
All the passive energy, accumulated by Horus from countless victims, started to seep out of the mechanism, along with the light. No matter how much armour people were wearing, no matter what kind of a ward or shield they would use, they were completely unprotected against it. This kind of arcane power was only helpful to Horus. It was deadly for anybody else who would encounter it.
//No time to update others. I'll do that later.\\
Posted by: Trent on Thursday July 27th, 2006
"What the hell is that?" asked Xenai.
"Something I should probably stop. Aura, do-" "No!"
They all looked at Zion, who then spoke. "That energy, it's too dangerous. Hold onto that attack. It's incredibly impressive, I'll give you that. But if you get near that energy, it will probably kill you. I'll let you know when to use it. For now... Stay away from it."
The four of them obeyed and stood there, watching the energy closely. Tsu held onto the swirling ball as long as he could.
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday July 28th, 2006
"Hah, well that's good to know. Generally I don't trust demons, nor does Zeus and the others, which is sort of why I am here, if you catch my drift. Ha ha." Aegidius says to Zeros'. Apparently they slightly knew each other from the past.
"Now, anyways. I don't think this thing should be taken so lightly, it may be a machine, but I sense that it's got a mind of it's own."
The angel then flung forward his free hand, a dark blue glow surrounded his hands, and soon a visible array of rings blasted from his hands, flying towards Horus. If they hit he would greatly slow down for a small period of time (how ever many posts you want, as long as it's not less then 1)
After he fired the spell he then covered himself with a light green sheild of energy.
//Cookie goes to the person who guesses what DA Magic Spells those were. With the clues I put in, you're a fool if you don't get this, even if you haven't played Dark Age.\\
Posted by: D. Ein on Friday July 28th, 2006
//Damn it, DM! and you said you read ALL the posts...\\
The rings coiled up around Horus, however, without much point. He was not moving anyway, simply radiating the energy piled up inside him. The deeper parts of the mechanism started to leak, too... the area of effect was expanding, crawling forward, very slowly.
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday July 28th, 2006
//The sheild was not blocking the attack, he merely made it to protect himself from other attacks, so next time he gets attack I won't have to dodge it or get hurt, but just for one hit, to be fair.
Anyways, I was confused with your light ray attack, it seemed like he was charging up an attack on my first read, and when I reread it, it kind of just seemed like he was just doing some fancy light show, but I understand now. (It's energy polluting the air.)\\
"Arrg, great Hades, this is exactly why I came here." Aegidius complained, as the energy was blasted at him. "Zeros', we better back up a bit, this thing is tough."
(Come on guys, we gotta have a fair fight here.)
The angel kept his shield around him, to protect him from any attacks that he'd shoot at him. He flapped his wings, and began to fly upwards.
Duilin overheard the angel and flew up in the air as well. Duilin's mace and his left hand had a yellowish glow and small bolts of lightning spinning around.
Rink is further away, and lying on the ground, so he should be safe from the light ray.
"Excuse me, young demonic one. Might I ask that you stay out of the way? You see, this official Olympus Elite Guardian Business, would you mind telling your friends over there the same?" Aegidius asked Duilin, with a grin.
"Okay, one, I'm not young I'm thirty-six." Duilin said back to the angel with a glare.
"Oh wow, really? For a human, you don't look a year over twenty-eight."
Duilin rolled his eyes but ignored the comment, he was aware that his demonic life span made him look slightly younger then he was. "And two, no, I was here first, and I was just doing fine until you showed up. You know, it really pisses me off when people pop up out of nowhere and start attacking either me or even my enemy when I'm in a fight."
"Hmph, have it your way." Aegidius then shot a light cyan laser from his left hand, at Horus, aiming right at the source of were the light was coming from, the Conversion engine.
Duilin continued to charge energy, and Rink continued to rest on the ground.
Posted by: D. Ein on Friday July 28th, 2006
The cyan laser entered the energy field and was quickly dispersed among the entire area, only making the field stronger. The Conversion engine continued to spew out the wasted energy, but it seemed it was running out. The clogged mechanics were becoming clean again, and it would most likely take a lot of victims to clog it up to this level again. It still, however, radiated the deadly energy over the entire area. The remaining trees simply seemed to burn down, without a fire.
---
Ein looked back at Marshall.
-"Yes, we need some sort of means of self-defence. I have my crossbow, but I might not be able to defend you if we get separated, so it's best to keep the amulet either way."
He noticed another citizen walking in their general direction. Ein caught up with him.
-"Excuse me, do you know where I could find an allocation officer?"
The person chuckled.
-"Why, at the allocation office. However, it's break time there, and it just happens that I am an allocation officer myself. I understand it would be hard to tell the symbol apart, through this horrid fog. It's never been this thick before..."
Another passer-by joined in.
-"Yes, I hear it's because the Lord got some sort of a new weather-controller device. I suppose we'll use that to our advantage in the upcoming war with the Crimson Continent."
While they were talking, Ein noticed a small golden pendant on the first person's chest. It looked like a stylized watch. Probably the allocation officer symbol. He, however, still had a question.
-"Yes, I'd like to find a person. Amaya was her name."
The officer turned back to Ein.
-"Alright, just follow me to the office."
Ein was already about to leave, but then he remembered he forgot Marshall behind.
-"Hey, uhh... Darion! Come on!"
---
"What an amusing fellow I've got to deal with...
-"What do I say? Well."
So he isn't joining for the paycheck, but for access to my armies, so he can take down the Aspyes. Ah well, it's still a common goal.
-"Alright. For now, you can be sided with us. We will send armies to crush the Aspyes like the bugs they are, and you may be lucky enough to command the assault on them. However..."
I searched around in the folds of my robes. Ah, there it is. I pulled out a ceremonial dagger, once used by Skorn himself.
-"...if you fail, expect no mercy. Also, right now you are but an ally. If you wish to truly join the Kandarian Sovereignty, you must prove your dedication to our cause."
Posted by: Ulmec on Friday July 28th, 2006
Ulmec had finally asked Huget and he agreed to switch the Orc-stone with his human stone. From then on his goblins were unafraid of everthing. The entire island was turning into a large fort. The foundation at the plateu was complete and some goblins returned from the the ruins of the grey empire with plenty of supplies, all is going as planned.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Friday July 28th, 2006
" Well thanks....but i don't need to be shown mercy i've been to hell and back. The is no mercy in war...." Nick unfolded his arms and opened the door leaving the courtyard. He quickly moved to the market area. " Hmm, need some new blades..." He saw a blacksmith. " Hello fine blacksmith..."
The gruff man looked over at him. "Aiye young lad."
"Who you calling young!" Nicks veins poped out and he held him arm to keep from killing the man. "What ever old man, give me your finest swords."
"Aiye lad." The man went into a back room.
Nick waited for five minutes untill the man came back out. "How much?"
"How much for what young lad." The man looked at him puzzlingly.
"Two of your finest swords......."
"Oh 2000 gold coins for each."
Nick slaped his face. " I don't have that much." He said to himself. "Maybe some other time old man..."
Nick heard two men talking about some jail break in Qim (if i'm not mistaked) "Wonder why that Kronos guy didn't do anything about it....or did he?"
Posted by: Trent on Friday July 28th, 2006
The four slowly backed away from Horus... Xenai frowned, then pulling Eternity Weapon out of Hammerspace ((Yes, that's where he keeps it.)) One, it was an object, not living. Two, it was protected by its own dark energy. This totaled together, it would not be affected by the hazardous energy field.
"Xenai, what the hell are you doing?!" Why Zion would cuss here would never be known.
"Take this, pal!" He held the large sword by the hilt, and launched it forth toward the energy converter, twisting his hand a little bit to put some spin on it. The large sword was now flying toward the converter like a spinning dart.
Posted by: Zeros' on Friday July 28th, 2006
// Actually, my post still works... If it was coming down at him, he could duck and absorb the impact and then knock it off-balance. He might be really powerful, but he can still be off-balanced. \\
The second Horus had started to convert the energy, Zeros' had backed away a sufficent distance. He studied the air and the machine from afar, looking at Horus as he charged...
Effectively, Horus was immoble, at least until he stopped charging the energy. If anyone was to get close to him, they would probably die from the energy he was radiating... But, if any energy attacks were thrown at him, they would only be absorbed...
Which left...
Physical attacks.
"Guys... We need to hit him with physical attacks... Anything containing any sort of magic or ki will be immediately absorbed and converted to energy... But, the problem is, that energy is highly violate to anyone, but that man down there," he said, pointing down towards Horus.
He looked down at his sword and frowned. He could possibly throw it, but it was one of his most prized possessions. It would - of course - reform, but it took awhile and it also took his own energy to do that.
He then blinked and smacked his forehead and groaned. How could he have forgot! He had been relying too much on his ki and magic lately. He slowly crossed his right arm over his chest and slashed downwards at Horus.
From where his arm slashed, a highly compressed vaccum blade flew at him. It contained no sort of energy that Horus could use to convert. It had no ki or magic in it. It was simply a construct of highly compressed natural air and energy.
And since, he pondered, the natural air and energy of the planet isn't being absorbed - at least not from what I can tell - this attack shouldn't benefit him...
Posted by: D. Ein on Friday July 28th, 2006
//10 woots to Zeros' for explaining the nature of the energy. Couldn't've put it better myself.\\
The zooming sword hit the Converter, slightly scraping it on the outside, but not doing much damage on the inside. The Weapon, however, still managed to cut a random purple tube open. Dark purple liquid gushed out, melting right through the ground where it hit. Moving at momentum, the sword went through Horus and was stuck in the earth just behind him.
The vacuum blade greatly threw Horus off. He could not identify the attack's nature, so he made little attempt to dodge it, hoping it wouldn't do much damage when it hit. The blade struck him at the tip of his outstretched arm, moving upwards to the shoulder. Most of the armour plates in the attack's path were sliced off, each dulling the attack just a little. In the end result, when the blade reached his head, it lost most of its momentum and evaporated.
The energy being let out had a certain threshold. When enough radiation was let out (radiation as a different word for energy... not the X-ray type), it engaged in a chain reaction, completely melting every carbon-based lifeform in the area. By the looks of it, Horus had just enough wastes left to reach that threshold...
The Conversion engine continued venting, further advancing the deadly field. Now dead birds were dropping right out of the sky, falling around Horus.
--- --- ---
//Burton: the districts of Kandarin are as follow:
1. Jovil, the capital. This is where Nick is right now, and where the main palace is located. There's also a small port there in a tightly guarded bay.
2. Qim, the industrial region. Here are located a number of ports, as well as factories, and some storage yards.
3. Sizri, the magic research centre. The Kandarinian "superweapon" (The Enigma complex) is located here, as well as all sorts of magic... er... thingies. Yeah.
4. Undecimus, the military coalition. This place contains large military installations, barracks, as well as prisons. This is where the jailbreak took place. It is also where Ein and Marshall are, and it is surrounded by high walls and eleven towers (Undecimus means eleventh in Latin, which I study at school).
Also, you may have already known, but just to avoid confusion: Kronos sent out an armed apprehension squad to capture the prisoners, as well as a nice legion of 400 orcs, complete with OMG T3H Gattling guns.\\
As Nick turned away, the merchant's face changed from "I-don't-give-a-damn-about-anything-as-long-as-it-doesn't-concern-me" to "holy-crap-what's-wrong-with-me". He quickly called Nick back.
-"Oh! Aren't you the new ally our Lord informed me of? Yes, I can see it's you!"
He was beaming.
-"Here, look at these beauties." The merchant took out two beautifully ornamented silvery katanas. The part where the blade met the hilt had a stylized bird sign on it - the unmistakable Kandarinian crest.
-"Compliments of the Lord."
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday July 28th, 2006
"Oh, bloody hell..." Aegidius groaned. "Well, I'm out of ideas. I can't get to close sadly, I don't want to risk it."
"So much for your official Olympus Elite Guardian Business!" Duilin laughed.
"Well, what are you going to do? It's not like you would last any longer in that fog of death then I would." Aegidius snapped back.
"Oh stop fighting." Rink mumbled finally getting up. "It's about time I do something."
The imp walked over to a brick that was formally part of the Bandervil fortress. He then flapped his wings, until he was about fifteen feet into the air. Despite his size, he had a surprisingly good throwing arm. "Hey dog-head, CATCH!" Rink then swung his arm back and chucked the brick right into the Conversion engine...
----
"Oh um." Marshall lowered his voice. "Uhh, yeah. I'm uh, coming."
Marshall then stepped off and followed Ein and the other person. He was pretty uncomfortable since, he wasn't to sure what he was doing and he was scared that they may get caught. Never the less, he followed them.
Posted by: D. Ein on Friday July 28th, 2006
The officer led Ein and Marshall to a larger pyramidic structure, this one looking more like a temple than an office. Inside, the first thing noticed was a huge banner of the Kandarin symbol, spanning the entire wall. Even the pentagram inside the bird looked more menacing than usual.
Below that was another large symbol, the same stylized watch as seen on the officer. It looked like a golden spiral with three coils, and two arrows extending from the middle. The whole thing seemed to suggest organization.
The officer dug in some ancient-looking papers, finally selecting one. He quickly read it.
-"Right... Amaya... yes, we have one like that. Amaya Ryleh, correct?"
-"That's her."
-"Her adress: Kandarin. Sct. 8. Psg. 3. Hs. Nomer 9. Amaya Ryleh. Here, let me write that down for you."
He scirbbled something down on a piece of paper, and handed it to Ein.
<img src='http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/9711/messageqx6.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
Trying to hide his confusion, Ein left the building.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Friday July 28th, 2006
Nick looked at the swords. "Very nice!" he picked them up and sheathed one. He swung the other around, tring to get used to the sleak style. "Thanks old man." nick said as he started to leave once again. He seathed the other sword. "Hmm about that prision break....should i start killing those escapies or leave them? Maybe killing." he said as he started to walk towards the prison.
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday July 29th, 2006
Marshall followed Ein, he kept mostly silent. He watched the officer hand Ein the sheet of paper, and followed Ein outside. "What does it say? Do you know?" Marshall wispered.
Posted by: Trent on Saturday July 29th, 2006
"That goop you just made come out... Is that what's being converted into this deadly energy?" asked Zion as they continued to back away.
"Maybe... But Zero Weapon's over there now."
"Yeah, but I still have Eternity Weapon, Tsu still has Shin Kuon Yaiba, and Aura has her two scimitars."
Zion pulled Shin Kuon Yaiba out of Tsu's scabbard, seeing as how he was a little occupied, and shook it a bit, trying to make it sharp. It didn't obey, but Tsu glanced at it and it became sharp. He then unsheathed Eternity Weapon, as Aura unsheathed her scimitars.
"That's four attacks we can use against him. We'll be unarmed afterwards, but what else can we do? We might as well hit him with them all at once! Let's go!"
Zion threw Eternity Weapon dart-styled, like Xenai did. However, Shin Kuon Yaiba and the scimitars were curved, and couldn't be thrown like that. Thus, they were thrown Strike Raid-style, just spinning toward the converter.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Saturday July 29th, 2006
Nick saw the same men talking. "Hey where's this jail break?" he asked.
"The jail in Undecimus....why?" the man asked after Nick had already left the scene.
Nick ran around trying to find the jail. He say zombies and orcs flooding into this huge building. He looked at the gatling guns. "Uh...They got this under control..." He looked around seeing any escapies. "Hmm....nothing unusaul." He just watched how the Kandarin army worked.
Posted by: D. Ein on Sunday July 30th, 2006
//Burton: Kandarin, not Kardarin. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />
Zeros' and Trent: Just to clear up, the Converter is hollow inside. It's basically a chamber which converts biomatter that falls in it into energy. I'm sorry if I wasn't clear on that.\\
Ein whispered back.
-"I've NO idea... but I think I see someone who does."
He hurried over to a passer-by.
-"The Lord pervails! Could you tell me wh-- Amaya?!"
He instantly recognized the person as the one whom he met earlier. Looks like he didn't have to go to annoying lengths to find out the message, after all.
-"Listen, umm, do you know a place where I and my friend there can stay? I'll explain everything, I promise."
-"You can stay at my home. However, I'd like that explamation now, if you will."
--- --- ---
Rink's rock hit Horus in the converter plate, bouncing off it. The rock made a hollow clunk, and dropped down to the ground.
Just as the energy in the Converter was completely vented, the four weapons struck it. The outer plating didn't begin to come back together yet, so the swords fell into the fissures in the engine. The plates came back together, locking them inside.
Horus realized this, and was not too happy. Almost all of the energy was vented, except in his left arm. He closed up the plates of armour on the rest of his body. However, he reopened the Converter, and took the blades out with his free hand. He threw them behind next to the zero weapon.
Just then, all of the energy was released. It was like nothing words could describe - every single living thing inside the field began to waver before one's eyes, as if made of rubber, and then rush down in a pool of dark liquid. The cloud remained at its present spot, and would still retain its effect for some time before dissipating.
Horus locked down the rest of his armour, and kneeled before the weapons in front of him. He took his maul and carefully put it on top, just so that the hammer part completely covered the weapons (just in case if nobody read Horus' wiki page, the maul is around as big as a person). His eyes slowly dimmed, and he shut himself down. Time for the repair cycle.
Inside the gargantuan mechanism, thousands of smaller spider-like machines were released. They were patching up the damage dealt by the weapons, as well as emitting a very weak energy pulse that rid Horus of Aegidius' attack. A few were crawling out of the hole where Zeros' vacuum blade hit. They gathered the sliced armour plates lying next to him, and fused them back into their original positions, right after going back inside Horus.
There was still some damage to be repaired inside. Horus remained inactive.
--- --- ---
The prisoners beat down the armed apprehension squad beyond the point of recognition. Kronos got tired of resurrecting them over and over, so he just left them rot. After all, the prisoners were simply crawling forward to their own deaths.
The jailbreak was already at the front gates. They were securely locked.
-"Get me somethin' heavy!"
-"Git it youself!!"
-"Hey, if you don' wanna rot down here, you'd bett'r be a team play'r! That log there looks good."
The prisoners took a giant wooden pole out of a pile of like poles, and began battering down the gates.
-"3, 2, 1... *CRASH* 3, 2, 1... *CRASH*"
The large gothic-looking doors crashed open. The prisoners froze.
Outside, a huge legion of orcs was waiting, with five Gattling guns positioned at the gate enterance. They began spinning, raining death down onto the prisoners.
Whoever tried to run was quickly apprehended by their own friends, brought back to life. No one survived.
//dear god... this has to be the lamest post I've made since joining...\\
Posted by: Burton_projects on Sunday July 30th, 2006
Nick watched as the prisoners were aprehended. "Heh what stupid idiots..." Nick looked around tring to figure out where everything was on Kandarin. He ran back to the courtyard.
//Dm: yes, yes, i assumed Kronos was close by becasue he was resurecting the people.....didn'tthink he'd have x-ray vision.
Posted by: Trent on Sunday July 30th, 2006
"Ahh, dammit. That thing's big and it's covering our weapons. Maybe we could all push the thing off?"
"Hmmm..." Zion pondered it. "Tsu, step around and see if the weapons are in this fog."
"Uhm.... Zion..." Attention was brought to the Rasengan Chidori left in his hand.
"What the...!?" It was starting to burn his hand. It would cause too much damage if he held onto it for much longer.
"I need to use it or lose it."
"Aw, man..." Zion started to circle around the fog, staying at a safe distance, trying to see which areas were uncovered, if there were any. "Come on, you two." Tsu and Aura followed him. Xenai stood and did nothing.
Posted by: Dude Man on Sunday July 30th, 2006
//I love how fast Nick can move, he must also have very good eyesight, judging Kronos is in the courtyard of his palace.\\
Aegidius looked at Duilin. "It seems that he'll soon be vulnerable to magic attacks soon. We'll have to wait for the fog to clear up." He then noticed a few of the others flying around. "Hmm, perhaps they are looking for a weak point. I will help, you...keep conducting your electricity..."
Duilin hovered over to Xenai, seeing as he was doing nothing. He kept a good eye on the machine, however and was still charging electricity in his hand and his mace. He turned his head, and gave a joking look at him. "Hey, dare you to touch my mace..."
-- -- --
Marshall's eyebrows rose, as soon as Amaya asked for an explanation. "Oh...well...you see..." He then gently nudged Ein.
Posted by: Trent on Monday July 31st, 2006
The others were still checking for open areas on the fog.
Xenai chuckled. "The thought is so exciting it makes all my hair stand on end."
Posted by: Zeros' on Monday July 31st, 2006
Zeros' frowned when he saw this. He crossed his arms over his chest and thought for a moment... He needed to find out exactly how to get through that armor.
Zeros' crossed his arm over his chest and swung down, releasing another vaccum blade of energy. As that one was flying, he did it again and again, making five of the vaccum blades in succession and spread apart some.
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday August 1st, 2006
Horus had his armour locked down. The blades hit the armour, without doing much (previously, the armour was deployed, so it was easy to slice off - now it's completely covering him, so there aren't any weak points).
The repair cycle continued. Almost all systems were back up and running again. Meanwhile, the black lightning cannon began to charge up, emitting a very low hum...
//I am WAY too tired to update Ein, I'll do it in the morning. Oh, by the way: Great Overlord and Our Moderating Savior DM, do you think i'm going a bit overboard with the machinery?\\
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday August 1st, 2006
//Well, maybe not. Technology is supposed to be low, but from this it looks like it's all powered by magic, and frankly comparing your character to some others, I would not find it that you're going overboard. But don't push it any further (Heh). Great now I'm talking like Xorlak.\\
Duilin smirked. "Well, it wouldn't be smart if you did. I don't know how much power is in this right now. It's kind of numbing my hand, but once that fog of light clears up, I'm going to blast so much lightning into him he won't know what's what."
"You sure, it will work?" Rink asked.
"Well it got him pissed off before so why don't we really make him mad. He had to have been angry for a reason."
"I guess so." Rink replied.
Aegidius noticed that the fog was clearing up but it would take a little wile for it to clear. He also saw that it was charging another blast. "Hah, it seems that he is going to prepare another blast. Not to worry, I will fully handle this."
Aegidius, still with his shield floated in front of the machine. "Come on, you clunky oaf, give me all you've got!"
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday August 1st, 2006
//Nope, you're nothing like Xorlak. His spelling and grammar skills are better than yours. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />\\
Horus was fully repaired. He powered up again, the red glow in his eyes returning back to normal. All the smaller repair machines hid back into sockets inside Horus. He looked up at Aegidius, but did nothing. The cannon continued charging, while the cloud was slowly dissipating - but it was still lethal for everyone who stepped inside.
--- --- ---
Ein was walking along with Amaya.
-"Well, um, you see... I'm not actually from Kandarin. I came here to rescue my friend, Marshall." He pointed at Marshall. "He was captured by Kronos' forces. I couldn't just leave him to be dissected by the Sovereignty, so I came here. I'm guessing by this point you hate me..."
Of all the things one would expect her to do, Amaya smiled.
-"Quite the contrary. It is a noble thing you are doing, and trust me: not everyone fully embraces the truth. The ones that do, however, do it for a very good reason: it is very hard to escape the Lord. He is ubiquitous. He is everywhere. He is, as some put it, the Alpha and the Omega."
Ein was somewhat taken aback by that comment. Was she with him or against him?
-"My own loyalty lies with the Aspyes and Haraldur. Kronos seems to really dislike them."
-"Aspye ideology is the complete opposite of Kandarin Sovereignty. They are like dark and light: they cannot co-exist together."
-"So Kronos will - hunh!"
Amaya elbowed Ein in the stomach.
-"Don't say the Lord's name!! If you are heard, you will be executed!"
Ein groaned.
-"Ugh, alright... so is this your house?"
They came up to a rather average-looking building, just like the rest of the pyramids on the street.
-"Yes. Hurry inside."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Tuesday August 1st, 2006
//Uggh been a while.\\
Nick walked up to Kronos. "Sir, When do we depart?" he asked while tring to catch his breath.
---
Frenier and his army climbed out of the crater. The spoted the group fights. "Charge!" Frenier said. The army ran towards Horus and everyone else. Frenier spoted Zeros'. He flew up into the sky and dived towards his posisition.
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday August 1st, 2006
Marshall looked quite freaked out as Ein explained the entire thing, what was he crazy? He just blew everything. He was really surprised that the woman wasn't enraged and called for the guards. What was going on? He didn't want to say anything but he didn't seem to trust this woman; she was probably trying to get their hopes up and then crush them at any second by summoning those zombie guards of them.
Marshall, still just followed them along, and hurried inside the building. It wouldn't hurt; he'd probably have a better chance hiding inside. Unless there were a group of zombies with that crazy Kronos guy inside. Man, he was creepy...
Posted by: Zeros' on Tuesday August 1st, 2006
Zeros' narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms back over his chest, looking down at Horus. It seemed he was fully armored now. Their previous plan of attack wouldn't work now. Physical attacks would have no effect. Magical or energy attacks would be absorbed.
"So, now, he is like a walking juggernaut... Fully armored and able to absorb magic and energy..." he then side-way galanced at Duilin, "But... How much?" he murmured to himself. Zeros' suddenly had an idea.
He slowly circled Horus in the air, holding out both of his arms. Then, he used both hands to flick little balls of energy - no bigger then a very small pebble. They flew fast, though, looking almost inivisble, if not for the little stream of light they admitted.
Even if these balls were absorbed, they wouldn't give him barely any energy. Each one of these little balls had the energy eqivelent of a speck of dust.
He kept rapidly circling Horus, flicking these little balls at him. He had now flicked over 2,000. He stopped and watched, wanting to see what those would do.
Posted by: Jenia on Tuesday August 1st, 2006
Kerig sighed as he walked, watching the sky rather than where he walked.
He wondered for how long has he walked since his last stop.
His pace was slow and nothing much has happened during the journey so far, and he was beggining to wonder if the land has become more peaceful.
He stopped for a moment to look around, but didn't see anything which was much of an interest to him. Suddenly, he noticed a ruined fort in the distance, sticking out like a sore thumb.
"If you are looking for trouble, that is definetly a place to catch some..." Weloss said. "I see funny flickering lights in the direction of your thoughts, and you know very well what that means."
"But...It might be interesting!" exclaimed Kerig in his mind "You want to see what's going closer up yourself, don't you?"
"I guess so..." Weloss replied "But let's just watch this time. Whatever is going on there, it's most probably not something we would like to get involved in."
Kerig smiled to himself and happily started marching in the direction of the ruined fort.
Posted by: Trent on Tuesday August 1st, 2006
"The fog's dissipating," said Zion. "Find some place on him that isn't covered by that weird armor. I'd much rather you use that attack than lose it. If that attack hits any part of that armor, it'll probably get sucked up."
"Either that, or the damage will be done first," said Tsu. "It's truly fierce..."
"Let's find somewhere on him that isn't armored first."
((So, is anywhere on him exposed? At all?))
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday August 1st, 2006
//As I see it, there are three vulnerable areas on him: the cannon hatch, when it is open; the joints, which are covered in chainmail that is considerably weaker than the rest of the armour; and the mouth, also when it is open. Other than that, he's a tank.\\
Horus decided to make his move. It was getting to be quite boring, just sitting there in the cloud. He grabbed his maul, along with the five weapons beneath it, and jumped up. //I hope those weapons don't have the typical "bond" with their wielders - you know, where you can get the sword to come to you just by thinking about it...\\
Just as he was exiting the cloud, he was greeted by the cascade of energy blasts from Zeros'. The glyphs on his armour absorbed the ones that hit, growing dangerously light in shade. The Kao liquid encased beneath the glyphs was overloading. He still had around six more portions of it, and he hasn't emptied the current one for over four years now. Might as well do that now.
A small iris opened up in the palm of his hand. He pointed it at Zeros'.
A tight stream of bright glowing liquid was released at the winged figure. Kao was highly corrosive when loaded with magic energy, and Zeros' attack almost overcharged it. As it flushed, the glyphs emptied out, becoming the same colour as the armour. New liquid poured in from some kind of container inside Horus. This one was also purple, but almost black in shade.
--- --- ---
"I looked down at Nick.
-"You can depart when ready. I will join you shortly."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Tuesday August 1st, 2006
//guess no one read my post that frenier and his army are going to be attacking horus and everyone around him?\\
"Yes Sir, But what part of your armies shall i take and how will i get there?"
---
Frenier spread his claws and slashed towards Zeros's face as he flew down. His army charged towards the group of people. The soliders slashed there swords at each person (expecaily Horus i hate you ein no im just kidding.) Some soliders had pike some swords and some spears.
//do whatever you want with them.....\\
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday August 1st, 2006
//well, you said they charged, you didn't post an attack like you did now. Also, how could your soldiers survive the energy field? Although it's a bit weaker than it used to be, it will still liquify any normal human.\\
Horus whipped around, furious. How dare these maggots interrupt him?! He extended his hands and started consuming them, one by one...
After the Conversion engine was full with live biomatter, Horus decided it's time for his maul. He slammed it into an incoming soldier. Small fountains of blood and chunks of human splattered across the stone flooring. The other soldiers around him were knocked back by the impact wave.
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday August 1st, 2006
//How many of these Frenier's solider guys are there?\\
Duilin, seeing as how he was floating in the air, watched at the soldiers swung swords at them. He eyed them. "What the hell are you guys doing?"
One soldier then tossed a spear at him, he simply staffed to the left to dodge it. He didn't want to waste his uber-electro blast. He continued to charge energy.
Aegidius did mostly the same as Duilin did. But seeing as he wasn't doing anything he swooped down, and smashed his rod at the solders (lmfao I said rod!!11one). He simply just smashed at three of them, yet he swung forward his rod jabbing into his stomach and flipped him over tossing him into the fog o' death.
Rink, was further away, just watching the battle. He was small and probably nobody even noticed him. He seemed to have a natural talent of being ignored. It worked well for him.
"Oh enough of this, this blast should at least be able to crawl around and get to his weaker points, plus he just got out of the fog." Duilin said. He then grasped the mace with lightning energy being charged into it, with his other hand that was also charging energy. His hair began to stick up a bit from the static. Xenai would likely feel a bit of static energy from where he was standing. He backed up a bit.
"Okay, clunky..." Duilin slowly brought back his mace, he then swung it forward. Stopping when it was pointing at Horus. A large yellow blast of lightning shot forth at the machine, if any of those noob soldiers got in the way of the blast, it would likely just vaporize them and continue going, the blast was quite strong and even hurt Duilin a bit, yet would it be enough to hurt Horus?
//So yeah, even though it was only a 2.5 charged post, because most of my Duilin updates were just talking. But he put a lot of energy into it. But hey, that should be fair considering the damage Haraldur's long ass post attack did, and it wasn't even charged for a single full post.\\
Posted by: Trent on Wednesday August 2nd, 2006
//Right about now, I'm wishing my weapons could just come right back. >_<
"What the hell?! Our weapons! What the hell?! An army!"
"Xenai, let's go!"
"Judgment!" "Damnation!"
Beams of light rained down from the sky, and beams of darkness shot up from the ground, putting many holes into the charging formation. Meanwhile, Aura displayed hand-to-hand skills upon any soldier dumb or lovestruck enough to get near her. Tsu could only stand there and retain the energy burning his hand. He couldn't do anything just yet... The fog wasn't yet gone.
Posted by: Jenia on Wednesday August 2nd, 2006
As Kerig has gotten closer, he noticed two clouds filling the fort ruins.
"That's a riot, numbskull" said Weloss "Probably an army, too. I see funny big bolt-like lights flying around as well, ruining little ones. What..."
"I see these big ones too!" Kerig exclaimed as the light beams from the heavens met and crossed the dark beams from the earth "So pretty!" he thought as he quickened his pace.
He barely realised already that he was close enough for a bloody spear to fly by, which he easily dodged. The spear was clearly not aimed at him, and was probably blown in his direction by some impact.
He came a little closer, and noticed a a small sitting imp not too far away.
Kerig approached the imp and stopped a few steps away from him.
Standing, he turned to the fight scene and asked, as if talking to no one in particular-
"And what is this show about?"
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday August 2nd, 2006
Rink was barely paying attention to anything, he was just cleaning his fingernails with his teeth, when suddenly a person approached him, and he got slightly startled. "Bah!" He saw the person didn't appear to mean any harm, but he kept his guard on. "Who are you?" the imp asked.
Posted by: D. Ein on Wednesday August 2nd, 2006
//argh. Now i gotta dodge like 389457 attacks aimed at me. >.<\\
The electrical blast made its way towards Horus, hitting his torso. Although a lot of it was absorbed by the glyphs filled with Kao, there was just too much energy released at once to fully absorb. The lightning formation zapped through him, fusing some pipes together and disabling an obsidian circuit here and there. The repair mechanisms immediately got to work, cutting up the obsidian and rearranging it.
One of the obsidian plates disabled was the aural detection panel. As soon as it was repaired, Horus noticed another strong aura nearby. He turned around to see a thin pale man. //that means you, Jenia\\
However, just as he was about to go into a more in-depth scan, the two light and dark attacks struck him. He stumbled and fell down, just to get back up, even more pissed than before.
A small aperture opened up in his palm, presumably the one where he flushed the purple liquid out of. He placed the five weapons inside, and they simply slid into his hand. The aperture quickly closed.
A hissing sound made itself known just about then. It sounded like air being pumped somewhere...
The hum from his back kept hightening in pitch. The freshly-consumed souls only added to the power of the upcoming blast.
//woot, charging two attacks at once\\
Posted by: Jenia on Wednesday August 2nd, 2006
"No one, really..." Kerig replied to the imp, grinning in a friendly way. He sat down on the ground and made himself comfortable.
"His name is Rink." Weloss said "Why don't you..."
Weloss was interrupted by Kerig, who started speaking to the imp again.
"You may call me Kerig. So, for how long has this charade been going on,Rink"?
Posted by: Zeros' on Wednesday August 2nd, 2006
Zeros' really wanted to touch that beam of energy, just to see what it would do, but he decided it wasn't in his best health interest to do so. He simply dodged to the opposite side of both the attacks, making both of them miss.
Also, if he was right, the Fenrir guy might be hit by that beam. Ah well... It's his fault for attacking him.
Meanwhile, he blinked down at the soldiers swinging spears and other assorted weapons. He really didn't want to do this, but... They were attacking his friends.
He pulled out his sword from his sheath and it turned a wicked black rotting color with spikes all over it. It also doubled in length and became almost a foot in length. He slashed downwards at the army and five black blades of demonic energy went towards the soldiers below.
// Since you said do whatever... \\
Some of the soldiers managed to evade the attack, but most of the ones in the direct path were immedaitely killed. They had no chance of survival.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Wednesday August 2nd, 2006
//There are about 200 soliders, Then Jason De Gra, Setph writh and frenier.....\\
Nick looked at Kronos. " Sir!" He said tring to get his attention. "How will I get there and who will I bring?" He looked around the courtyard.....
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday August 2nd, 2006
"Um, not to long, but longer then a few other fights I've seen. Those are my friends over there fighting." Rink replied. He then looked oddly at Kerig. "Wait, how do you know my name? I don't recall introducing myself."
"Arg, it didn't do much." Duilin groaned, he slowly lowered to the ground, brushing his hair down with his left hand. "Okay, angel dude, you take my place, do something, to introduce yourself, maybe you'll be worth hanging around us if you can beat this thing."
Aegidius gave a slight mocking look at Duilin. 'Stupid demons.' He then holstered his rod on his back, as it floated behind him. He held out his hands in the motion of holding the bow, and the crystal like longbow appeared in his hands.
A few of the remaining soldiers dashed towards Duilin. One armed with a sword, one with a pike and one with a spear. He spun around swinging his mace (like Link's UP+B attack in Smash Bros.) smashing away at the warriors. Their damaged bodies flew back landing on the ground, groaning in pain.
Duilin then smashed his mace into the ground. Red lightning crawled along the ground and drained the life from the three warriors.
Aegidius flapped his wings so he was floating several yards in the air. He created an arrow of angelic energy and aimed it towards Horus. He noticed that he should probably take his time, so he continued to charge his energy into the arrow.
Posted by: Jenia on Wednesday August 2nd, 2006
Kerig childishly giggled to himeself, which was somewhat of an awkward action for a person like him.
"You could say I overheard you saying it..." He said "So... Nice to meet you, Mr.Rink!"
Kerig twisted his head sideways, cousing a series of light "crack" noises.
"So...Your friends are fighting..." Kerig tried to continue the conversation "Why aern't you helping them, then? No combat skills? What about healing or calling for more help, then? Surely you don't just sit and watch them all the time for entretainment..."
Weloss decided to take a look around and so begun to move his position away from Kerig. His was hoping no one who can see spiritual things is around, as a disembodied aura would be mighty suspicious...
Posted by: D. Ein on Wednesday August 2nd, 2006
Horus' left hand continued to make a hissing noise, and the cannon continued to charge. People were being slaughtered by the tens around him, and cascades of blood were raining down on Horus. He, however, did not care.
Small lightnings covered his feet, and he slowly rose into the air. He stopped as he got to Aegidius' level, and drifted forward to him until he and the angel were nose to nose close. His red eyes stared blankly into Aegidius' eyes.
A low quiet growl came out of the machine. His eyes appeared to thin, almost... and then his growl erupted into a horribly loud roar right in Aegidius' face. He kicked down right at him, probably knocking him to the ground, and went down with him. As he was flying through the air, he whipped out his maul and aimed it squarely at Aegidius' chest.
--- --- ---
Ein sat down at a table in Amaya's house.
-"Well, you see..."
He quickly sent a telepathic message to Marshall. "Go outside and look for the palace - this is about to get very very boring..."
He began explaining the situation to Amaya.
---
"I chuckled at Nick.
-"Bit late for the briefing, eh? Well... you are to report to Qim's port district. There you can find a transport readying to go to the mainland. However.... I am surprised you would have a problem getting over. I found no boat whatsoever at the site where you entered Kandarin. That only leads me to assume that... you can cross water without any means of transport?"
Posted by: Trent on Wednesday August 2nd, 2006
Tsu was still waiting for an open spot to emerge (in other words, the cannon hatch). Aura was busy defending her lover, and Zion and Xenai were still casting.
"Guys... That guy ate our swords through his hand."
"What?! Son of a bitch!"
// I hope you plan on giving them back. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />
Posted by: Burton_projects on Wednesday August 2nd, 2006
"Yes sir I ran across....but what about the soliders are they at Qim? Unless you want me to go this assignment alone.....?" Nick looked down at his scruffy torn clothing.
---
Steph and Jason attacked Dullin with there weapons. Frenier Just missed the cloud. He turned around facing Zeros' back. He jumped back up and stabed towards zeros' back.
Posted by: Zeros' on Thursday August 3rd, 2006
Zeros' sighed and shook his head. He brought his huge sword back swiftly and parried Frenier's attack. He also briefly glanced in Weloss' direction, but paid him no mind, seeing as he wasn't doing anything harmful to his allies... Or... Aegidius, he guessed.
"What an amusing man... Attacking someone while thier back is turned," he tsked and quickly spun around, rapidly sheathed his sword as he went. He moved in close to Frenier and quickly jabbed rapidly at his abdomen, throwing several hundred punches in a few seconds. He knew that no one could evade them all, no matter how fast one was.
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday August 3rd, 2006
"Well, I'm not to strong as you can see by my size, plus my magic is limited to only casting fireballs and performing short ranged teleportation. If I tried to fight..." He pointed at the gigantic machine. "That thing would likely have to put less the no effort into crushing me. Plus well look at my friends, especially the one with the scars, wings, trench coat and platinum hair, they are quite strong, if they need help, then yeah I can go call for it. Yet sometimes I do even throw in a ‘punch’ or two to help them out."
He looked at Kerig, he seemed quite strange. "So, what's your story?"
--
Aegidius was kicked back down on to the ground. He almost lost his grip on his bow, but he was able to keep hold of it in his right hand, with the charging arrow kept in it. Wile he was on the ground he saw the machine aiming it's maul down at him, he lifted his arms and swiftly rolled to left a few feet, just avoiding the maul.
As he rolled away he got back up and fired the charged angelic magic arrow, aimed right at the joint of Horus' left arm, where he noticed that the armour was weak there.
--
Duilin jumped in the air avoiding both their weapons he then swung out his legs and kicked towards both their heads, wile he was in the air.
----
Marshall got the message and looked at Amaya. "Hey you know what. I feel like I need a walk. I'll be back shortly." He opened the door and left, but stuck his head back in. "You kids take care." He winked at Ein and then left.
Posted by: Jenia on Thursday August 3rd, 2006
Kerig smiled and continued to watch the fight as he spoke
"Nothing much, really... "He said "I was just walking around and we noticed a mess over here...And we were curius so we came closer..."
He leaned backwards a bit and asked, quite innocently : "What coused this mess? Did someone not pay up after a game of poker?"
Weloss was alreay at the center of all action.
He saw a big chunk os souls gathered together in one place...But it was unnatural, as it seemed that they are all being half released into death by a force invisible to him. And whatever that force was, all the puny little people as well as the larger, more powerful abnormal souls, were targeting it.
"WHAT A MESS!" He loudly exclaimed, but his voice was like a telepathic flood in all directions and nothing more.
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday August 4th, 2006
//Now is Weloss like visible right now? I'm kind of confused about him, isn't he supposed to be a spirit possessing Kerig?\\
"Hah, to be honest nothing started this up. Just your average everyday crazy psycho going around attacking people then a group of soldiers jumps in and start to attack us." Rink replies, getting a slight laugh at the end. "This sort of thing happens all the time to us, we've come to get used to it. That's why I was kind of jumpy when you approached us."
Posted by: Jenia on Friday August 4th, 2006
//Non, Weloss is just joining forces with Kerig and shares his power with him. In every other way Weloss is an independant spiritual entity that can go wherever he wishes, but he is invisible and unheard physicly... So no, he isn't seen. Soldiers and lightning can fly through him since he isn't in the physical realm\\
"Ah...I see..." Kerig sighed "Kind of a heavy tank for your avarage everyday psycho, don't you think?" He asked, still sounding quite innocent "Did you try nagotiating? Maybe hypnotizing or brainwashing him into stopping?"
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday August 4th, 2006
"No, it's appears to be a machine." Rink replied. "I don't think it is even alive; it doesn't even talk or anything. I'm not sure how a machine can move around like this. I've never seen anything like it. Perhaps it's more Aspye technology, or there's another force out there. Do you know of the Aspyes?"
Posted by: D. Ein on Friday August 4th, 2006
//Sorry if I miss some of the incoming attacks at Horus. Might've forgotten about them while typing\\
The arrow struck Horus in the arm joint, piercing the shoulder axle and thus making the arm fall off. Horus growled, and picked it up with a very annoyed look. He jammed the arm back into its original position, and closed his eyes.
A bright flare flashed at that precise point, and continued growing into a purplish brightly glowing orb. The axle began fusing back to the arm...
Horus put his hand up in a defensive position, and kneeled down to the ground. The axle continued fusing back, it would take some time before it is finished. However, better to make all repairs while one can. Meanwhile, the cannon continued charging, and the air inside Horus' hand continued hissing...
//Trent, you'll get your weapons back very soon, I promise. Just as long as the weapons don't suddenly somehow turn into nukes and vaporize everything in the general area of the entire continent, all in one post, mind you\\
--- --- ---
"I slowly floated through the ocean below me in a phase-shifted condition. The ocean was horribly black, as if the water somehow consumed the matter from the night skies. The faint lights of my army were seen from my position... It seems that my orc legions were in place, all prepared, as well as the normal soldiers. As I got closer, I began to distinguish the ghastly outlines of the Clockwork Scorpions, their wind-up keys shining in the moonlight. I floated into the middle of the scene, before some sargeant finally noticed me.
-"Atten-SHUN!!!"
He turned towards me, and bowed down.
-"We are in position, my Lord."
I grinned a very very evil grin.
-"Good... begin the advance."
A loud fog horn sounded, and the large force slowly began crawling forward. The Scorpions, along with the rest of my army and the OMG, grumbled and were set in motion. It was as if... a large beehive, but not airborne.
I looked around at the terrain. Very hilly, occasional trees, mostly cut. Perhaps there's a populated outpost here somewhere...? Populated or not, this is a very good strategic point. We should set up camp here later for the night.
A scout on the frontlines took out his spyglass, and surveyed the area. Spyglasses... I should get those dorks at Qim to build me a giant spyglass so I can burn cities down from afar. Those fortresses everybody's been talking abou-
-"Sir... Village! Dead ahead!"
The scout's words resonated through my thoughts. I barely surpressed a scowl.
-"Good, good... begin assault maneuvers."
The army continued crawling forward. They were deathly silent, even the OMG. It seems as though the OMG were almost as well-trained as my own troops...
The village was heavily fortified, with one major flaw: the walls were wooden. They were patrolled by armed sentries, wielding brutish-looking crossbows. The army was almost at the village gates, as a sentry noticed the moonlight on the helmets of my legions. A loud alarm horn sounded.
-"To arms, my brothers! Defend thine families, thine wives, thine children!"
The OMG in general grunted, and brought one of the Gattling guns forward. Three orcs began to spin the wheel that set the barrels in motion. The ammo belt got gobbled up by the cannon, which was ejecting rains of brass on the other side. The air suddenly smelled of gunpowder.
The walls were almost instantly torn down, the old creaky wood defenseless against the cold metal of the bullets. The defenders were getting ripped to shreds by the steel wall of projectiles. I smiled, and my heart filled with warmth as I listened to shrieking screams from the village..."
--- --- ---
Ein continued explaining the whole thing, wandering around the room.
-"...and then I rescued Marshall out of the prison, and tried to find you."
He sat down on the nearby bed, tired of walking. Amaya was eyeing him closely, with a very strange look.
-"...then that creep at the allocations gave us the wierd slip of paper, and then we saw you walking down the --"
Amaya didn't let him finish. She slowly wrapped her hand around Ein's neck, and pressed her lips against his...
Ein didn't resist.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Friday August 4th, 2006
Alex had finally crossed the snowline. He had officially passed Asgarnia's borders. The white snow was replaced with green grass, the dry cold air with warm humid air, and the craggy rock path with a fresh-paved concrete road. From the mesa Alex was standing on, he could see the vast city of Asgarnia, perhaps the finest city in the region. Excited to reach civilization again, Alex started down the concrete pathway.
Asgarnia was a unique city. The town was home to a group of eccentric and wise inventors who were also mages. They were capable of harnessing a power far beyond any current technological equivalent. This energy could be used to power various revolutionary tools and devices that the townsfolk used for everyday work. Because of this, the town was well-defended. The magical power could be focused into both offensive and defensive positions. A large tower in the center of town uses the energy to project a large dome-shaped shield of magical energy around the town which could block magical attacks and most range attacks. When in wartime, this shield would almost always be up. Only residents of the town could pass through the shield, as their magical auras are identified by the magic as friendly, and therefore are allowed to pass. If friendly strangers wanted to get in, they must first be searched, questioned of their motives, and then given a temporary pass through the shield.
Asgarnia also had its share of offensive emplacements as well, being stationed on a high wall that circles the entire city. Various installments include small cannons which focus the magic's energy into a directed blast, which can be fired through the shield. Another weapon is a larger cannon that fires somewhat of a "magic mortar" that is affected by gravity. The explosions from the mortars are about 25 feet in diameter.
Most citizens of Asgarnia wonder where this energy comes from. Only the mages themselves know the true source, but some say they have been able to tap into an unseen source of energy, as abundant as air or water. Of course, this is kept a secret to prevent hostiles from figuring it out themselves. However, the residents of the town have unlimited access to this magic. Some have used it to make their lives easier by using it to animate such items as brooms or sickles to perform manual labor for them. Others use it to power mysterious inventions that would not work under normal laws of science. It is rumored that the mages were working on a handheld version of the energy cannons mounted on the city walls. It is also rumored that they might be perfecting a sort of armor. "Powered armor" they call it, with the magic as its power source.
Alex knew that he would find help with his flamethrower here. Compared to Asgarnia, Glacia was centuries behind. Perhaps he could finally trade in that old, dented Runite armor for something better. He hoped he could get his hands on this unique magic-powered armor. With overpowering zeal, Alex started down the path to Asgarnia’s gates.
Posted by: Jenia on Saturday August 5th, 2006
Kerig placed a finger on his chin, as if wondering.
"I think I'v heared of them once..." he said, unsure of himself "They are the guys who don't like nobles, kings nd the such and want give everyone cheese covered pepper, right?"
Kerig then lowered his head as he decided it can't be "No, wait...they want to give everyone tights...No wait, that's not right either...Was it lights? Flights? Fights? No no no..."
Kerig was feeling somewhat uneasy. He knew that if Weloss were here, he could simply ask him what those "aspyes" are, and Weloss would know from the nearby sitting imp, thinking about it. Nevertheless, he had to try to remember, even though he could simple ask the imp anyway.
"I think it was rights." he finally said "But if they build something like this, I don't see how they could achieve any of their goals..."
Kerig noticed something which cought his interest in the scene before him
"Besides, aern't those soldiers in league with those so called aspyes?"
Kerig knew it was a long term guess, but he took the chance anyway. He enjoyed taking risks, and always had fun taking them regardless of the result.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Saturday August 5th, 2006
//sorry I was gone for a while...\\
Nick followed Kronos as they raided the village. "My turn now!" Nick ran passed the clockwork scorpions and the OMG. He took out one of his swwords and started attacking people.He created a ball of dark energy and threw it at a small guard tower. The supports burned and it tilted towards the left. The men inside it fell out along with there weapons. There was a eiry craking sound and then *Crash* the tower fell over all together crushing another house.
//Ein you never said when Kronos got on the boat or whatever..
Dm one post down: yes you can...i said that like 20 posts ago.\\
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday August 5th, 2006
//Burton you going to update Steph and Jason, or can I since they're NPCs?\\
"Haha." Rink made a slight laugh. "Well, they're trying to make everyone equal and such, with no rulers or anything, but they also want to expand the use of technology with magic." He points at the machine. "And well that looks like a fine example of it."
He looked at the soldiers. Their equipment wasn't nearly as advanced as the Aspyes, plus the Aspyes fought much better. Most of these warriors looked quite sloppy in fighting, except for the one fighting Zeros', looked more experienced.
"No, those can't be the Aspyes, I'd be able to tell. The Aspyes are nothing like this." Rink said.
//EDIT: Oops forgot Marshall.\\
-----
"Now I wonder where this palace would be. I've got to find out what these creeps are up to, and see what they've got." Marshall says to himself. A few people look at him suspciously as he walks by.
He comes up to some lady simply just standing in the middle of the road, with a big grin like she's pretending to be happy.
"Excuse me my lady, but do you know where I might find the palace?" Marshall asks her.
She points near the general direction of a large building, which was clearly visible towards everyone seeing how gigantic it was. "There!" She says sounding like she just helped out an extremely important person in a very dear way.
"Uhh...thanks." Marshall walks by, and shakes his head, trying to get that deranged person out of his mind.
A man quickly runs up to the happy woman, like he needs to go somewhere, and fast. "Um, hey, erm, do you know where the rest rooms are?"
She points in a random direction. "There!"
Posted by: Trent on Saturday August 5th, 2006
//Nah, they don't do that. By the way, is the cannon hatch open?
"What's these guys' problem?!" Xenai had stopped casting. He was using up too much ether and decided to stop.
Zion stopped too. "That's a really good question."
"I'm gonna go find out!" He cracked his knuckles and ran in the direction of Zeros' and Frenier.
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday August 5th, 2006
"I saw Nick wreaking havoc upon the small village.
-"FOOL! Get back! We're about to deploy the rest of the Gattling guns, so if you don't want to get ripped to pieces, you'd better find a spot somewhere around here. Otherwise, I'm not collecting your brains for you!"
--- --- ---
//The hatch is closed right now, and it's not really a hatch, it's more like an iris or an aperture - like in a photo camera, you know?\\
Horus sensed motion behind him, but did nothing to avoid it. Chances are that they will not attack him while he is being repaired. The cannon was almost overcharging, and the air was hissing at a slightly lower rate now.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Saturday August 5th, 2006
Nick heard Kronos from afar as the orcs set up the guns. Nick ran back towards Kronos and the army. "Sir why don't you just let me destroy the village by myself?" Nick distingished a ball of energy in his hand. and put his sword back in his sheath.
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday August 5th, 2006
Steph and Jason were both kicked in the face by Duilin. They dropped their weapons and held their faces in pain.
Duilin landed on the ground and grabbed both the warriors by the back of their heads and smashed them together knocking them both out cold.
Aegidius noticed that his arrow was able to knock his arm off. He could probably do a lot more damage if he were able to charge more power into it, however he'd likely get attacked in the process. There were the others around him, yet there were also those warriors around. Well, maybe he could talk something into the demon/human.
He sent a telepathic message to Duilin, assuming he was familiar with that sort of thing. 'Excuse me, but I don't mean to pry but could you distract the machine for me? Just ignore those stupid warriors. Please?'
Duilin chuckled. "Allrighty then." He flapped his wings and he jumped into the air, and landed closer to the machine.
"Yoo hoo!" Duilin called. He then tossed a fireball at Horus' head to get his attention. "Over here!"
Posted by: Jenia on Sunday August 6th, 2006
"But..." Kerig wondered "What's the point of making a machine of mass destruction?"
Weloss has already returned from his small expedition.
"Where were you?" kerig thought.
"I looked into what's inside." Weloss said "From what I see, a bunch of fools and a few non-fools are fighting some life-eating souless entity."
"That's interesting..." Kerig kept thinking "But the scene is getting boring. Why don't you spice it up a little?"
Weloss was startled "You want me to do WHAT!?"
"Sure" Kerig kept thinking "You won't be detected, it is impossible to harm you, and it would be funny to see some of the weaker ones suddenly going into blind rage and have their weapons engulfed in celestial flames just because you struck your finger at their soul..."
"I guess you are right..." finally agreed weloss "I haven't had this kind of fun in years. I might not have another chance."
Weloss was quickly off again, and pretty soon soldiers started going into blind rage at random. Their eyes shone in a mysterious tone of red, green or purple, and their weapons were ungulfed in otherwordly looking fire.
Kerig sighed. "What a sight!"
Posted by: Trent on Sunday August 6th, 2006
Xenai arrived at the scene of the fight. "Yo!" Projected in Frenier's direction. "You in charge of this circus here?" Gestured to the other soldiers. "'cuz if you are, I want to know why the HELL you attacked us!"
His dark blue wings appeared, and his true power was now released. He'd need it if he didn't want to look like a total weakling compared to Zeros', which he wasn't anyways.
Zion noticed that Tsu was rather intent on Horus' cannon. "...You do know that you're probably going to take very heavy damage if you attack that part, even with your wings out, right?"
"Yeah, I know. I don't care if I get hit, as long as I hit first."
"You'd better brace for impact then, as soon as you go for it."
"..."
Idiot... I guess I'd better watch out for him.
Posted by: Zeros' on Sunday August 6th, 2006
// Since Burton hadn't updated Fenrir in three days... \\
Zeros' sighed as his attacks hit and he turned towards Xenai. He shrugged and pointed towards the man who had just been knocked out by his attack.
"I think I knocked him out with all those punches..." he said and shrugged again. "Oh well," then, he turned back towards Horus and narrowed his eyes.
"That man... That cannon on his back is containing more energy then it can handle," he said, eyeing the place where the cannon was supposed to be.
Posted by: D. Ein on Sunday August 6th, 2006
//Zeros', unless Zeros' can see through metal, he can't see the cannon yet - it's beneath a hatch.\\
Horus dismissed the fireball as it were made of leaves. The Kao didn't even change its shade.
His arm fused back to the axle. He moved it around a bit, flexing it and seeing if it was fully operational. It seemed to work fine.
He stood back up, and froze. There was an aura nearby... a rather strong signal coming on a low frequency. Probably a hidden entity... however, it appeared to be in phase-shift, so he could most likely not harm it. On the flip side, the Kao in the glyphs would prevent any such entity from harming Horus, so he didn't worry about it too much. He turned around facing Aura, and lifted his hand up in a "halt" manner.
The air stopped hissing, and the aperture opened. Almost instantly, her blades were blasted at her at an incredible speed, propelled by the compressed gas inside the arm. Without moving his arm, he turned around to Tsu and shot the Zero Weapon at him, then to Zion shooting the Eternity Weapon. Finally, he turned around to Xenai, and sprinted towards him, stopping just behind his back and aiming his hand at his head. He hated attacking people from behind... //just to clear up, this attack was not shot yet.\\
The cannon in his back emerged in an upright fashion, and blasted a black lightning at Kerig nearby. Less enemies, less trouble...
//Please respect both of these attacks - the sword-flinging one was charged for four posts, and the cannon for five. That should've been enough to take out a small village.\\
--- --- ---
"-"Don't blow up the village. I need to see what my army can do. After I'm finished with testing out the new battlefield equipment, you can clean up whatever is left of it. On another notice... I believe it is time for our arachnid friends there to deal some damage..."
The clockwork scorpions began crawling forward, firing as they moved. The tail-mounted cannon worked great, even if it was somewhat primitive - using a crossbow-like method to propel a heavy projectile. The shots landing onto buildings shattered them into individual chips of wood."
Posted by: Ulmec on Sunday August 6th, 2006
//JEEZZZZ i have been gone a while\\
Ulmec decided to take a while off from science and simply inspect his site. There was a main wall that was finally finished covering the beach of the island. another wall was being build atop the plateu that Huget created. Not many of the goblins thought that the castle would be created succesfully on the top of a plateu but Huget and Ulmec proved them wrong.
"Goblins, what is the castle's status?" Said Ulmec, One goblin replied
"Foundation is complete and construction on the outer walls has begun"
Ulmec made no reply and continued to stroll along the side of the plateu looking at the work being done below. He was sure that son the army would be ready to move onto mainland and secure the mountains in the middle of Gail, as the Goblins called the land in which they live.
"Sir, we have 10,000 goblins returning from the north"
Ulmec looked puzzled for he knew by heart how many were sent to scout for gold and other riches(2,354 to be exact).
"How is this possible?" The Goblin Cheif looked just as confused as Ulmec and started to ask the soldiers what happened.
"Sir, they claim that another army unbound from any far-out kingdom joined them while scouting a valley."
Ulmec gave a sign that the cheif took as an "ok" and walked to his temporary barracks at the base of the plateu. It was very simple, a carving into the stone wall of the mountain. There was one room in the middle, a bedroom to the right, and a study to the left. Not much but good enough for now. Ulmec walked into the study and began looking up books on "crystalization", the art of creating objects into crystal. This is how he willl create the greatest armor any army has ever ahd, but he has yet to find the book on which to do so. Ulmec, after 3 good hours of searching came to his senses an knew that the only place that such a book would be kept would be at the ancient goblin city, but that is on mainland and it is not safe there.
"I will find a way" Ulmec muttered to himself, and he walked away into his bedroom.
Posted by: Jenia on Sunday August 6th, 2006
Kerig was innocently enjoying the show as he had noticed Weloss rushing back to him.
"What's wro..." was the first part of a chain of thoughts he would'v have if he hadn't noticed the large concentration of energy flying at him from the speeding robot man.
Kerig didn't find it nessecery to get up. When the bolt of blackness had reached him, he had simply closed his eyes for a moment. The bolt missed him, passing the right side of his head, turned right and, from the left side of Kerig's head, turned back towards it's source.
"That wasn't very nice of him, was it? Attacking spectators, that is..." Kerig thought.
After many years of training to control his spiritual and bodily energies, Kerig had adapted quick thinking as well as good reflexes.
Kerig was tought by Weloss that, in the spiritual level, energy is like matter, and behaves similiarly. The black lightning that flew at him might not have been a spiritual attack, but it was quite energy-based, and therefore should be swayed by strong enough "winds". Kerig did nought but spin his own energies around himself to couse that effect.
He knew...That, combined with his speed, made him all but imprevius to long-range attacks.
"This isn't a game anymore!" Weloss angrily told Kerig "I can't have you cought in the crossfire!"
"No, Weloss..." Kerig said, replacing his frown with a renewed smile as he realised he let himself doze off for a moment "Let's assume that it was a mere error...I do not want to miss something so beutiful over some silly misunderstanding."
Kerig returned to his relaxed state, but this time Weloss refused to leave his side.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Sunday August 6th, 2006
"I don't clean up messes I make them." Nick looked at Kronos. "So is this a Aspyes town?" He watched the town being destroied by the Scorpions.
---
Frenier got up and went to grab Zeros' ankles, looking to throw him into the cloud.
Posted by: Zeros' on Sunday August 6th, 2006
// No, he can't see through metal, but he knew about the cannon before-hand and he knew that it was charging because he could sense the energy. \\
Zeros' sighed and shook his head, merely lifting his feet up and out of Frenier's reach.
"Well, theres your man, Xenai. You want to question him now?" he asked, floating a little bit higher then he had last time. "He fully concious and well... fiesty, if you could say," he said.
He wasn't concerned with Frenier that much, unless he pulls some super attack out of his ass. He was more concerned with that man and his cannon.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Sunday August 6th, 2006
Frenier looked at zeros' "How dare you not fall to my power." He charged his energy while flaping his wings. His power started to grow. He looked towards his depleting army and the unconcoius Jason and steph. "God damn you!"
Posted by: D. Ein on Sunday August 6th, 2006
//It's just that it said that Zeros' looked at the cannon...\\
The blast came around Hours, who skillfully caught it in his cannon. It was fully charged again, and he retracted the cannon back inside, not bothering to overcharge it. He was still staring at Xenai's back, hoping that he'd notice him.
--- --- ---
-"You make messes, eh... Well... if you want to be a part of this army, you might want to learn to follow orders. If not - you can go rampaging through the villages as you wish, as long as you mention my name in there somewhere.
As for your question, I have no idea who this village belongs to. It was in the way. Now it is not."
My army smashed through all of the frontal defenses, and began to pillage the rest of the village. More screams followed. The buildings around me were splattered with people's brains. The soldiers were amusing themselves by writing "He is coming" in blood, as well as "Kandarian Sovereignty FTW", whatever that means, and "You can't hide". None of them had the guts to write my name... good..."
---
Meanwhile Kandarin buzzed with activity. Soldiers were drawn from all across the land into Undecimus. Qim was at its peak of activity, spewing out all sorts of clockwork devices. Clockwork scorpions, gigantic crossbows, steam catterpillar-like machines... The preparations for war were underway.
---
Ein and Amaya, having finished their... business... were now talking as if absolutely nothing happened. Well, almost.
-"Ein, I love you."
-"I love you more."
-"No way."
-"Hey, when me and Marshall get out of here, want to come with us?"
-"Sure!"
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Sunday August 6th, 2006
Alex approached the shielded gates of Asgarnia. Despite not being in wartime, the shields were meant to deter any unwanted guests. A guard stepped out in front of Alex.
"One moment, sir. Where ya from?" asked the guard.
"Um, the Glacia Commonwealth." replied Alex.
The guard stifled a chuckle.
"What's so funny?" asked Alex.
"How do you make a living up there? I bet those folk have never even heard of magic!" joked the guard.
"Those people prefer the simple life." said Alex.
"Simple or not, those people need to get with the times. At one time or another, an attack force is going to wipe that little town off the map. I'm sorry to hold you up. The scan won't take but a minute." replied the guard.
Two devices which appeared to be the scanners telescoped from both surrounding walls and scanned Alex up and down. These scanners were meant to detect any counter-magic which could destabilize the power grid. The orb in the corner lit up green, which meant Alex was clear.
"All right, son. You're good." The shield went down, and the guard motioned Alex through. "Enjoy your stay in Asgarnia."
"Thank you, I will." called Alex.
Asgarnia wasn't like anything Alex had ever seen before. Everywhere he looked the magic was being applied to one purpose or another. As he walked down the street, he saw a rake glowing with a blue aura tending a garden. Even more amazing, the rake was moving on its own.
"I guess there really is no limit to the applications of this magic," mumbled Alex.
Alex came up on the city center, which was ringed with stalls, which stocked all sorts of magical goods, from spellbooks to jewelry. Alex also saw a very large portal-like structure to the south. What was on the other side of that portal? Was it the source of the magic? Alex doubted he would be able to go through, seeing as there were two guards posted on either side of it, armed with what appeared to be handheld versions of the lasers atop the city walls. Alex decided to steer well clear.
Alex came upon a building whose door was open, as if people were welcome inside. Upon looking through the threshold, it was no shop or inn, but some kind of laboratory.
He entered the lab with a cautious mind, as there were bubbling beakers and flaming burners. From experience, he was ready to duck should something blow. Half of the things in this lab Alex had no idea what they did, so he took care not to touch anything. He saw a man at the other side of the room, rummaging through crates and cages. He was a bald man of about sixty, and was wearing glasses. He wore a white lab coat and khaki pants. He seemed worried about something. He looked into one of the cages.
"Blast that little...where did she get to? Lamarr? Come out of there!" he rapped on the cage a few times, but nothing was inside.
"Excuse me," called Alex. "Is everything all right?"
The old man hit his head on the cage and stood up. "Oh, hello sir. Well, almost all right. Lamarr has gotten out of her cage again."
"Who's Lamarr?" asked Alex.
"Why, Lamarr is my pet headcrab!" replied the old man. "By the way, my name is Doctor Isaac Kleiner."
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Kleiner. I'm Alex. I'm just passing through here looking for someone who knows a lot about this place... Hey wait, what's a headcrab?"
"It's quite a long story, but I suppose I have time to explain," replied Kleiner. "Have a seat Alex, and I'll tell you the story."
Posted by: Dippy on Monday August 7th, 2006
Shaak and Kraig looked at the burning of the houses and people.
"Isn't this great!" Kraig says as he munches away on what looks like a large chicken leg.
"Yeah, could you pass the bucket of baby legs?" Shaak asks (eww... it wasn't chicken.)
"So.. we seem to be running out of smoothskins, and house fires to cook them." Kraig points out.
"Well... I guess we could move on."
"Okay... But lets not go beside the clockwork scorpions again... They scare me."
"..."
"What? They move without anybody in them! They’re the devils work I tell you!"
"Sir! Sir! We have good news!"
"What?"
"The cy- sorry Byclops, it's reached maturity!"
"That was fast."
"The potion works really well."
"AAAAAAAAAAIIIRRREEERRRAAAKKK!" The Byclops screams as it exits its cage. The towering beast stomps over the countryside looking at the new world. It sees a dead man on the ground so it picks him up and swallows him whole. Suddenly a stray bullet from a T3H Gattling gun hits the Byclops in its side. In fury it stumbles over to the gunner and pounds him into the ground with his fist.
"No... That's the devils work." Kraig stands in awe at the towering monstrosity.
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday August 7th, 2006
//God I miss one day and then I have to read like 4392 posts. I'm tired so I'm sorry if I missed anything.\\
Marshall looked at the huge palace. He saw the entrance.
"Um, hey can I come in." Marshall asked a guard.
The guard raised his right eyebrow at Marshall. "Uh...no."
"Well, I'm um, expected. You see our ruler is expecting me...to..um clean. Clean his...bedroom?"
"I don't think he is. Now get out of here before I have you arrested."
"You sure? I mean...I have...um...permission to be let in. What I meant to say is that...um...our ruler wants me to...um...democleanionstate."
"That's not even a word." The guard said, sounding slightly annoyed.
"I'm pretty sure it is." Marshall said.
"Really?" The guard smiled. He then whispered something to a guard on the other side. The other guard stepped forward and began to listen.
"Yeah it um...means to um...you know demonstate my power, and to clean up...stuff...and then like...uhh...work for him."
"Okay, so I guess you're one of the many people who come to demoncleate."
"Democleanionstate!" Marshall snapped. "Now listen our ruler is highly expecting me and he would be terribly upset to know that his guards are making me be late! So I demand you let me in this instant!"
The guard laughed, and then made a stupid looking smile. "OKAY!"
"Thank you." Marshall said, bowing his head and then stepped forward to walk into the palace. Yet the guard grabbed his shirt, and lifted him in the air.
"That was a joke you idiot. Now for the last time, get the hell out of here and don't let me catch you trying to get in." The guard then tossed him on the ground.
Marshall then slowly walked off.
"Democleanionstate...what an idiot." The second guard laughed. The two guards then began to laugh uncontrollably.
----
Duilin annoyed with being ignored dashed towards Horus in rage.
"Wait!" Aegidius warned. "I wouldn't recommend that. You need to have a focused attack, charge up some energy and aim for the weak points." Still charging his arrow.
Duilin glared at Aegidius.
"No, look...above the arms and around the neck." Aegidius said.
Duilin 'zoomed his vision' towards where the angel said. Yes, the armour was weak there.
"You just keep charging your arrow." Duilin said. "This piece of shit's gonna ignore me eh?"
Duilin put the mace on the holster on his belt.
"YAARRGG!" Duilin shouted he held out both his arms, and red demonic fire began to charge in his hands…
Posted by: Trent on Monday August 7th, 2006
//Sorry for not coming by all day, guys. You forgot to shoot Tsu's sword. Is it safe for me add his into the attack?
"Aura, heads up!" She stopped pounding soldiers for a moment to look at Horus, with his gesture. They dove to the sides moments before the attack launched, when the air stopped hissing. However, the amazing speed of the attacks created a windcutter effect that would inflict heavy damage on their backs. Tsu continued holding his charged attack, but the burning on his hand was getting really bad. They looked to the four weapons stuck in the trees behind them, one certain huge weapon having cut one down. (Aura's scimitars, Zero weapon, and Shin Kuon Yaiba)
Zion wasn't nearly as smart for some reason. As his sword came to him, he timed a grab of the hilt. He grabbed it just fine, but his sword took him for a ride. The sword shot past a nearby tree, slamming Zion into it. The sword came out of his hand and stuck into the ground nearby. "Ugh..."
"Hey, fool, pay- eh?" He detected an energy coming at him at high speed. He turned around. "Whoa!" He leaned waaay off to the side, grabbing Horus' arm and attempting to fling him into the air. With his wings out, strength certainly wouldn't be an issue.
Tsu looked over at Horus, whose cannon aperture was just closing. "Crap!" He slowly got to his feet, the windcutter effect having done quite a number on him. "I'm tired of waiting. I'll lose my hand if I keep this pent up any longer." The attack was now swirling very violently. "Aura, let's do it!" His cyan wings appeared, and he looked to Aura, who was getting to her feet also. Her wings appeared as well. He walked over to her, extending his free arm. Aura grabbed it and started to spin around... The newfound strength from her wings would increase the attack's power by a lot. It also allowed her to spin much faster. She'd be able to throw him much harder...
Posted by: Burton_projects on Monday August 7th, 2006
Frenier continued to charge energy and flap his wings....
---
"Fine!" Nick folded his arms and leaned on the ships mast. "I'll be in the cabin." Nick walked down into the cabin. Most of the orcs down there where still getting ready others waiting for orders. He leaned against the wall. " I'll wait untill theres some real action."
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday August 7th, 2006
"Hmm…it seems Duilin's getting annoyed with this guy." Rink commented. "He doesn't like fighting huge things and getting ignored so I guess I understand."
Duilin continued to charge his demonic energy. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and opened his eyes again, trying to calm himself.
Aegidius continued to charge his angelic arrow, also trying to focus an accurate shot the machine, yet it was moving a lot.
----
"Great how the heck am I going to get inside now. This is crazy." Marshall groaned. "Well at least I just get a good look at what's going on outside."
Marshall passed around the town square, walking along the pathways around the palace.
He looked up and saw a balcony, with somebody standing on it, looking into the distance. He recognized the person.
'Roland? My, it is. I thought I had his corpse burnt to a crisp. Must have just been the clothing or just parts of him. But he's clearly there. I better get back to Ein and that Amaya woman before he notices me.'
Marshall headed back towards Amaya's house as quickly but safely as possible.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Monday August 7th, 2006
"So, you're saying that this headcrab, Lamarr, is some kind of creature from another world?" Alex was quite confused.
"That's correct," replied Kleiner. "Headcrabs may be small, but should not be underestimated. The primary attack of a headcrab is to jump at a victim's head, using its beak to pierce the skull and take control of the host's body, mutating it in the process, turning them into a horrid zombie."
"...And you keep something like that for a pet?!" cried Alex, suddenly concerned about becoming a necrotic.
"Oh heavens, no need to be worried! Lamarr is debeaked and utterly harmless!" chuckled Kleiner. "The worst she might do is try to uh...couple with your head. Fruitlessly, of course!"
"What do you mean, 'debeaked?'" asked Alex, clearly perplexed.
"Why, she has had her fangs completely removed!" said Kleiner. "That's not to say that it's not a bit shocking for her to couple with you for the first time."
"What do these things look like, anyway?" inquired Alex.
Dr. Kleiner rummaged through a desk drawer and produced a conveniently full-color picture of a headcrab:
<img src='http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/995/headcrabuk6.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
"How big are these things?" Alex asked, not understanding much about this creature.
"Oh, I'd say upwards of about two feet in length or so," replied Kleiner.
Just then, some crates on the other side of the room shuffled.
"Lamarr?" called Kleiner. "Are you back there?"
Just then, Alex felt something pounce on his back and crawl upwards toward his head.
"Augh! Dammit, get it off me!"
The culprit emitted a sharp shriek, and proceeded to couple her mouth with the top of Alex's head. She then rested on his head.
"This the thing?" Alex asked to Kleiner, who was still rummaging in boxes.
"Wha...? Oh, Lamarr! There you are! How on Earth did you get out of your cage?" said Kleiner.
Lamarr made a small squeak and popped herself from Alex's skull, only to climb up Kleiner's back and do the same thing.
"Urgh...that felt so weird." sighed Alex, checking his hair to make sure some disgusting slime wasn't left behind. His hair came up dry.
"Oh, goodness, she does this when she's hungry," replied Kleiner, who reached into an icebox to take out a watermelon. Excited, Lamarr sprung off of Kleiner's head and onto the table. Kleiner cut a slice of the watermelon, which Lamarr immediately began to consume.
"An alien head-humper from another world, and it prefers watermelons," mumbled Alex. "Any chance it came from that portal in the center of town?"
Kleiner left Lamarr to eat her watermelon and rejoined Alex. "Who knows what's on the other side of that portal...the guards never let anyone through. Some say it's where the inventors discovered the magic. Others say it's a side effect of the magic, and people have just been afraid to go through."
"It takes a lot to spook me," said Alex, completely forgetting what happened five minutes ago.
"I don't know..." said Kleiner. "It would take a lot of convincing for them to allow you through. They put the safety of the population first, and one person travelling through to another dimension could entice whatever's on the other side to invade our world. Besides, that armor you have is clearly antiquated. There's no way you could survive in that world."
"Well, Doc, unless you have something better..." suggested Alex.
"I do, but I don't think it's ready for field use yet," said Kleiner. "It's essentially a sort of powered armor, utilizing extreme heat conjured from the magic to fuse two very heavy metals, crystalline cetanium and pure firanadium, to release the vast energies inside these metals. Most of the energy is dedicated to the armor's functions, while a little is allocated to maintaining the fusion reaction. See, the magic is only used to spark the reaction."
Alex was a little lost, but he understood the concept that Kleiner was trying to explain. "What exactly can this armor do?"
"The suit keeps tabs on your vitals and administers white magic to whatever injuries you might have, as well as keep track of the energy levels of whatever magic-based weaponry you might have," explained Kleiner.
"If only I had one of those lasers..." said Alex.
"I've constructed one similar to the handheld magic lasers the guards have, though not as powerful. There's also no telling what could happen to the laser if you were to cross worlds," warned Kleiner. He reached into a cabinet and pulled out a large, rifle-shaped weapon. "This is it. It's powered by the same reaction as the suit, but the power is directed into an energy blast."
"Hot stuff," said Alex.
"Hot stuff indeed," replied Kleiner. "If you're going to enter the borderworld, we might as well get you suited up." Kleiner led Alex to a closed set of double doors. Kleiner pressed a button and they slid open, to reveal the powered armor he mentioned.
The suit was fully-enclosed, including a helmet, sealed hands and feet. The suit was black, but glowed blue out of various grooves in the suit where joints met. The suit's outer layer was smooth in texture, made from an unknown metal.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Alex?" asked Kleiner. "Once I start the fusion reaction, it cannot be stopped until the supplies of the metals run out..."
Alex looked at the suit, the rifle, and out the window to the portal leading to the borderworld. "I'm sure."
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday August 7th, 2006
Marshall continued to quickly walk back. "Aw man. If Roland knows we are here who knows what would happen." He grumbled to himself.
He tried to remember where exactly Amaya's house was. He then noticed that crazy happy woman. He slowly walked by her, trying not to make eye contact.
"Hi!" She said in a high-pitched voice.
Marshall stopped dead in his tracks. 'Maybe I should have stuck with Roland.'
"I remember you. You asked me where the palace was. You're funny. I like your hair."
"Uhh.... thanks."
"Need the directions to any place else, you funny, FUNNY guy?"
"Uh yeah, do you know where a woman named Amaya lives."
"I know Amaya, she's fun. She knows lots of stuff, she's nice."
"Yeah, where does she live?"
"Where does who live?"
"Amaya!"
"I know Amaya, she's fun. She knows lots of stuff, she's nice."
"0_0..."
----
Aegidius continued to empower the angelic arrow. "Just a little more power..."
Duilin also continued to charge his demonic power in his hands; the swirls of energy were growing, as well as the glow.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Monday August 7th, 2006
Frenier continued to charge his energy and he flaped his wings faster.
//Don't do anything with frenier now, k? \\
Posted by: Ulmec on Tuesday August 8th, 2006
//Not Typing much, ill post a long one when i get hime\\
Ulmec sat and simply waited for something to happen. He soon fell asleep.
Posted by: Zeros' on Tuesday August 8th, 2006
// I edited that post. And no offense Burton, but this isn't DBZ where people get to charge attacks unnoticed or uncontested. Sorry. \\
Zeros' turned back to Frenier and looked mildly amused at his attempts of charging up energy.
"Now... What exactly are you trying to do? And as for your army... Well, they fell rather easily to my friends. And now... For you..." he unsheathed his sword, it's holy form coming to bear. It didn't increase in length, but it changed to look like a rather large scimitar. The hilt changed to a flowing white hair, the same color of the hair in his God form.
He rested it on his shoulder before slashing it in Frenier's direction, a white crescent blade of energy speeding towards Frenier. He didn't make it one of his super fast ones. He didn't want to kill the man...
Posted by: Burton_projects on Tuesday August 8th, 2006
//I meant don't control him. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dry.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='dry.gif' />\\
Frenier moved to the side getting his arm slashed. "Argg" He created a funnel of wind and pushed it towards Zeros'. If he were to touch it he would be torn to shreds. //It was charged for 3 posts so don't take it like his normal attacks.\\
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Tuesday August 8th, 2006
"I say, Alex. You look splendid in that armor!" exclaimed Kleiner as he supplied the magical spark needed to start the fusion reaction.
The suit's systems flared to life. The grooves in the suit glowed a bright blue, and the heads-up display inside the helmet's visor activated. Inside, Alex heard a voice.
"Welcome to the H.E.V. Mark One protective system, for use in Hazardous Environment conditions."
"Hey, how does it do that?" asked Alex.
"The suit has a sort of magic presence inside," explained Kleiner. "It's what keeps the user informed on their status."
Fully suited up, Alex looked out the window at the portal. "There's no way they'll let us through..."
Dr. Kleiner walked outside and looked up into the sky. Clouds above were roiling ominously, and lightning danced throughout them.
"Oh dear..." said Kleiner. "Alex, take a look at this."
Alex looked to the clouds. With each passing second, they grew more and more violent. Suddenly, a large bolt of lightning arced from the sky and struck the ground about 50 feet away.
"Goodness!" exclaimed Kleiner. "This is no electrical storm I'm afraid."
"What makes you say that?" Alex asked.
A guard ran up to Alex and Kleiner.
"I'm afraid the doctor is right. These are not just any storms. These are portal storms."
"What the hell is a portal storm?" queried Alex.
"Portal storms are extremely powerful rifts in the dimensional continuum. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to create them, and once they start, they're difficult to stop."
"Sir, you must activate the city shield!" cried Kleiner.
"Of course, we will at once," replied the guard.
Alex looked up towards the tall tower with a large dish on top. The dish was glowing, and the shield was about to activate. In an instant, a superbolt of electricity struck the projector and made it explode. The city was defenseless.
"It's no good! These portal storms will wipe Asgarnia off the map," cried Kleiner.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," said Alex. "What if that gateway in the center of town is the cause of these portal storms?"
"In theory I guess it's possible," replied the guard. "That suit you have looks like it take a lot of punishment. Please, for the good of Asgarnia, cross over to the borderworld and see what is happening!"
"I hope you understand what you're getting yourself into," said Kleiner. "If you cross over, there's little chance that enough energy will remain to bring you back. You could be stranded in the borderworld forever."
"....I understand," said Alex. "I'm always trying to help people."
"I have given you clearance to the portal gateway," replied the guard. "Cross over when you're ready, but every second you waste could be one less second Asgarnia has."
In the background, more portal bolts began destroying Asgarnian structures.
"There's also no telling how the laws of physics apply in the borderworld," replied Kleiner. "That is, if there are any."
Alex walked up to the giant gateway, essentially a swirling purple vortex leading to parts unknown.
Alex approached the portal, but hesistated. He approached Dr. Kleiner. "I hope that there's a city to come back to."
Alex and Kleiner shook hands. "Not to worry, Alex. We'll do our best to defend the city, whatever the cost. Do be careful."
Alex turned back to the portal. "I will."
Alex passed through the portal, leaving the world behind in a blinding flash of purple light. Alex regained his vision standing on a large island-asteroid floating in the midst of an unimaginable abyss. A purple vortex replaced a bright blue sky, and a similar one swirled an indescribable distance below. Many other island-asteroids of varying size floated around. There was no mistaking it. Alex was on the borderworld.
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday August 8th, 2006
Horus let out a laugh-like grumble. A puny shortie trying to flip a 20 feet tall machine? Pathetic... He shot the final weapon at Xenai, now that he had his attention.
However... the cannon COULD use a bit more power. He continued charging it.
[that's 6 cumulative charging posts now]
//by the way, Trent... your post, was that an attack or a description of an upcoming attack?\\
--- --- ---
"The village was burnt down to its foundation. Whoever was alive was being taken care of. The soldiers were salvaging whatever equipment they could find in the ruins, and setting up a camp. The commanding officers in charge should have been more than competent to lead this assault, and I have other matters to attend to in the capital. I departed towards the massive island nation in the distance."
---
Kandarinian soldiers were conducting wartime drills, generals and other command staff were revising attack plans, and janitors were playing poker. This was the biggest assault Kandarin has ever massed up, for it included every concievable type of war device: people, machines, mages...
A small group of united scientists from Sizri and Qim were busy translating the secrets of the eleven gravity orbs brought to them by Kronos. Even though much information was gathered, their purpose as a weapon was unclear: a small shift in the coordinates of the wormhole allowed access to the centre of a star, thus making an ideal power source. The technology, however, still seemed far far away...
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday August 8th, 2006
"Crap. He's charging up a hell of a lot of energy." Duilin commented. "Hey pretty boy, think you can stop him from firing?" He asked Aegidius. Still charging his demonic energy.
Aegidius ignored the pretty boy comment, be answered anyway. "I'm not sure. I think the only way would be to destroy it, or to shoot at when the cannon comes out...but...it comes out and back in pretty quick. I don't know what we're going to do." He sighed, but continued to charge his angelic arrow, it was quite big, the light would seem like it would blind the angel, but he seemed to not even notice the glow it was giving off.
(Duilin and Aegidius' attacks are at 4 posts, I noticed I forgot to state when Aegidius started to charge his attack, if I did it would be 5 for Aegidius.)
----
Marshall finally arrived back to Amaya's house and stepped inside. He noticed that they weren't there, yet he heard something from another room, he opened the door and stepped inside.
"Hey Ein I wasn't able to-" Marshal immediately turned around surprised because of the sight he saw. "Heh, um...sorry. I'll um, wait outside."
He walked out of the room, and chuckled slightly.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Tuesday August 8th, 2006
Nick felt the boat moving so he came out of the cabin. He walked up to Kronos and asked. " Where are we going?" He stared at what once was a lively village.
//Assuing Im still with kronos..\\
Posted by: Dippy on Tuesday August 8th, 2006
The OMG is still wondering around the ruins of the village, eating the corpses and stealing the money.
"Well, that could not have gone better, we hade only one casualty and that was from the Byclops." Kraig reports.
"Now we have to organize the army, that could take at least two posts."
"What?"
"It could take at least twenty minutes."
"Ohh, i could have sworn you said something else."
"Well, you must have heard wrong."
"Okay then... I will assemble the troops."
"Alright then."
"This has been going on too long."
"So?"
"So shut the hell up."
Posted by: Zeros' on Wednesday August 9th, 2006
// As for me controlling Frenier, I didn't... If your character isn't updated within three days, you can assumed he was 'knocked out' by the attack. \\
He frowned. A funnel of wind spinning at high speeds... That vaguely reminded him of one of his own attacks. He didn't stick around wanting to see what it would do to him. Pure wind was alot harder to deflect then energy... Much harder.
He dodged wide, making sure to avoid the attack completely. He didn't leave unharmed, though. The winds around the funnel managed to brush against his leg, tearing apart the skin on his leg in an instant. He winced and pressed a hand to wound and growl.
"Damn... I actually felt that one..." he mumbled, looking over at Frenier. The funnel of wind was also heading towards other people. // Xenai, Horus and Duilin and Angel dude.\\ He just hoped none of his friends got caught up in that funnel.
Posted by: Trent on Wednesday August 9th, 2006
//...
<img src='http://eon.mysticsoftware.net/objection.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
Now... I should think that with people like Zeros' and Haraldur around, an ascended form of Xenai should certainly be able to flip a large machine. I remember in my post, it said: "strength certainly wouldn't be an issue."
I don't feel like stopping the RP because of it, though, so I'll let it go.
Oh, okay, you never intended to shoot Tsu's sword in the first attack.//
Xenai pulled and pulled... What the crap? Okay, screw this. He shot an energy blast at the ground to propel himself away from Horus, right before he fired Tsu's sword at him. Shit, too close!
//Tsu and Aura's attack comes NOW. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' />
Aura let go at the perfect time, sending him straight toward the currently unaware Horus at an amazing speed. Zion looked up from his spot by the tree. Crap... He's going! Just in case he gets in danger, I'd better get him away from it once he's connected for a little bit. With that thought, he charged up an energy blast.
He came up on Horus now, with the violently swirling mass of energy in hand. He thrusted it toward him...
"Rasengan Chidori!!!"
//Now, I'm gonna have to ask you to respect this attack as I did yours, due to the following points:
1: This attack effectively uses two characters.
2: There are 3 steps to the attack: The creation of the sphere, the spin, and the launch.
3: The technical aspects of the attack. It's a highly destructive sphere of swirling, crackling electric energy that drills into the target until the user can no longer retain it (It's harder to retain while it's actually being used on someone/something). I should hope that Horus can't absorb it without at least taking SOME damage.
4: I've been saving it for way too long, man! <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />
Posted by: D. Ein on Wednesday August 9th, 2006
//respect it, eh... fine, but you have to REALLY respect what i'm about to do... this was an attack charged for 6 posts, enough to kill a freakin country, according to Xorlak...\\
The blast burrowed deep into Horus' armour, through his chest, and hit the Converter. It dropped out of the machine. The rest of the body made a (relatively) small explosion, blasting away the overcharging cannon. The cannon froze in mid-air, and for JUST A MOMENT, just for that split moment, everything was deathly silent.
Everything after that happened lightning-fast. The cannon crumbled, and formed an orb of pure blackness, absorbing everything around it, once again, for just a moment. Then, it exploded.
A massive wave of black energy swept through the crumbled fortress. Most of the matter in the blast simply ceased to exist - most of the ruins were gone, all of the trees were as if wiped from the ground...
The Converter, which was still operating, was releasing massive amounts of energy, but opposite to the cannon's. It was like a plus and a minus - except they didn't cancel each other out. They exponentially multiplied.
The still-increasing orb of blackness was pierced with brilliant white rays, as the Converter's hard outer shell was dissolved. Another explosion, even bigger, followed. This one left absolutely no trace whatsoever of any sort of landscape that once existed around Bandervil... which was also gone. Not even a single brick survived, just sand molten to the point of becoming glass-like. Any normal human would not have survived this blast, and even the strongest of heroes would be greatly crippled by it.
--- --- ---
Ein threw a random shoe at the closing door.
-"Can't you see I'm busy??? Now, where was I..."
Posted by: Jenia on Wednesday August 9th, 2006
As Kerig had witnessed the robot being pierced, he knew something is going to go wrong.
He ducked and posed both of his hands before him as he begun concentrating with all his might on creating two energy vortexes around him. He closed his eyes, readying himself.
At the next moment, Kerig felt a sudden force hit his "diversion barrier".
Even though most of it was diverted backwards, he was being pushed back by the little that managed to reach him-just a gust of wind, but powerfull enough to push him back far and quickly.
Kerig kept concetrating. He had lost the feeling of the ground below him and was being hit by flying chunks of ashed materials.
"You can open your eyes now." Weloss said after a while, sighing.
Kerig had opened his eyes.
A large, scarred landscape was before him. A huge crater was in the place he had come from. All structures and plant life were completly wiped out by the blast.
"Tsk...And I was just a passerby, too!" Kerig complained to Weloss like a child to a supervisor of sorts, and decided to check himself for injuries.
He had found nothing serious. Mostly dirt, a few bruises and light bleeding on both of his palms and right ankle. The bleeding stopped pretty quickly, and Kerig decided to go look around for survivors.
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday August 9th, 2006
//Trent, you have to remember that Horus is 20 feet tall how the hell could he even reach him? And couldn't I just have Duilin toss a light-speed fireball at Draven, and say 'power is not an issue it will kill whoever is hit by it.'\\
Duilin and Aegidius were able to easily avoid the large tornado. It was flying towards them, yet that seemed like nothing compared the humungous blast of energy flying towards them.
"Holy shit!" Duilin yelled. He then proceeded to transfer his energy into a shield. Trying to block the energy to his best of ability, yet the effort seemed nearly useless.
Rink noticed the large blast heading towards him. Suddenly he disappeared in a puff of smoke. He reappeared about twenty feet into the air, although quite a lot higher then he could fly normally, he could still hover in the air a bit.
Aegidius seeing what Duilin was doing, phased behind him, in order to avoid himself getting damaged. As selfish of an act this was, it shouldn't matter, besides it's only a demon.
Duilin clothing nearly burned off, leaving only a bit of shirt left, and his pants looked more like torn shorts. The skin in his wings had small holes in them.
Regardless that Aegidius was using Duilin has a human shield. His wings showed quite a lot of burn marks; a few feathers were torn away and burnt up.
Duilin fells to the ground knees first, his eyes closed and the rest of his collapsed to the ground.
Aegidius fell to the ground also, yet he wasn't as damaged as Duilin. Aegidius was still able to keep his angelic arrow held in his hand, yet he was forced to let go of the bow; he would have to charge up another one.
Duilin started breathing deeply. He seemed to attempt to say something, likely to Aegidius, yet he was to fatigued to say anything.
"You rest, now." Aegidius said, he felt a bit guilty for letting Duilin take all the damage. "I'm sorry."
Duilin's eyelids began to shake, as if he was trying to open them...
Posted by: Burton_projects on Wednesday August 9th, 2006
Frenier's attack was sucked into Horus' explosion making it even more powerfull. Frenier stared into the Darkness as he was torn away. His feathery hair burnt instantly, Clothing ripped to shreds, and he was gone...The explosion ripped him apart as if he was a tiny blade of grass in a brush fire.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Wednesday August 9th, 2006
Alex was astounded at the appearance of the borderworld. It did not resemble Gaian in any way, save for there being actual solid ground to walk on. Alex also noticed that gravity was significantly less than the world he just came from. Alex looked to see a larger island floating about fifty feet beyond where he stood. Even if gravity was less, could he span the distance? If not, he would be doomed to fall forever.
Alex took a breath and backed up to get a running start. He took off running towards the edge of the island rock he was standing on, and forced himself away. For a few seconds, Alex was hovering above a bottomless abyss before, to his relief, he saw solid ground below him yet again. He brought his legs in front of him, and dug them into the ground. He finally came to a stop. When he managed to dig himself out of the dirt, Alex confused as to what he saw.
"What the...?"
It appeared to be a large pool of water, tinged a bit purple, like everything else in the borderworld, with a waterfall...but what was this? The water was flowing...upwards?
"An upward-flowing waterfall," Alex commented to himself. "So I guess that makes it a...water-rise?" Alex started snickering to himself, but soon stopped laughing at his own bad joke.
Alex did not know he had made an important discovery. Liquids flow opposite to gravity on the borderworld.
The water-rise flowed to what appeared to be a smaller rock, directly above this one. Seeing nowhere else to go, Alex jumped into the water and made his way to the center. The torrent of water defied what little gravity there was and pulled Alex up. He was then deposited in a deep pool of water, the heavy weight of his suit pulling him straight to the bottom.
“Great,” he grumbled to himself. “Now what?”
The bottom of the pool was sloped, meaning that Alex could walk along it to reach the surface. Alex proceeded to walk, and was surprised at what little resistance there was to his movements. Normally, water is very hindering to movement. It was either another strange property of the borderworld’s liquids or an effect produced by the suit itself. Regardless, Alex ran along the bottom to reach the surface.
Upon reaching the surface, Alex was in some crystalline cave. Many glowing blue crystals lined the walls, as well as some silver-tinged rocks on the ground.
Suddenly, Alex remembered what Dr. Kleiner told him. Crystalline cetanium and pure firanadium were rare enough in Gaian, but were abundant in the borderworld. If Alex could harvest some, he could have enough to power the suit for at least a week. As of now, the suit had enough energy for 96 hours of continuous use. Dr. Kleiner had told Alex that the suit shielded him from harmful energy present in the borderworld, a sort of “dark aura” that would cause insanity within 18 hours, and death within 36. The creatures native to the borderworld were naturally immune to it, some thriving on it even. However, all visitors are susceptible to the aura and must have some sort of protection. Symptoms of the insanity ranged from murderous bloodlust to hollow hopelessness, to the point where the victim would either get in a fight that he had no chance of winning or throw themselves into the swirling abyss.
The abyss. It was omnipresent in the borderworld. All of the borderworld existed within it. The borderworld had no outer limits and no core. It defied the structure of a planetary body. Going extremely high would not give access to the heavens, and going in the opposite direction would not result in emerging on the “opposite” side of the “world.” No one knew what happened to those who befell this fate, but there were a number of speculations. Some say that plunging into the void would result in passing through a portal to another world at total random. Another fate was that the borderworld’s harmful energy originated from here, and those exposed to it would face total annihilation in every possible way that the term can be perceived and even some ways that are unable to be comprehended by human intelligence. Still others say that victims plummeted forever until they died of senility or starvation or whatever their cause of death, and that their corpses essentially fell for all eternity, having no destination. Despite these theories, the abyss was not a pleasurable experience.
Alex’s mind was wandering again. It seemed to him that he went off on “mindwalks” very often. He then looked at the huge stores of potential suit fuel and how to harvest some. Alex raised his rifle and fired a cerulean beam at some cetanium. The laser instantly vaporized the rock holding it in, revealing a solid lump of the turquoise-colored crystal. Alex tried the same thing with the firanadium, with similar results, exposing the silvery metal to harvest.
Alex was relieved that his suit could keep going indefinitely. Dr. Kleiner instructed Alex to open a small hatch on the back of the suit, and simply drop the metals in, and the fusion reaction would do the rest.
Fueled up for at least a week, Alex departed from the grotto to explore the borderworld further.
Posted by: D. Ein on Thursday August 10th, 2006
Horus' razed body lie among the ruins, seemingly dead. His mind was still functional, however, on a small energy capacitor. He tuned it down, below any aural detection piece. Nobody should be able to sense him...
--- --- ---
Ein walked out the door, seemingly just having pulled his pants up. Amaya followed right after him, and closed the door.
-"So... we want to get out of here, do we not? I'm guessing we do, and we probably won't take a cruise ship to do that, either. Chances are that if we tried to book a nice passage to the Crimson Continent, the folks would get a bit suspicious... however, I do have another plan in mind. We could open a portal!"
He happily drew a crossbow bolt from one of the many folds in his puffy Kandarinian shirt, and started scratched a sigil onto Amaya's house wall.
-"Ah well, who cares. I'm not going back to this house anyway, by the look of things."
Ein continued scribbling the devilish sign.
-"I've only done this once before, to get to Laus. It might show some interesting results..."
He etched the final line into the stone, and the circular glyph sunk into the wall. The entire area of the sigil turned to green liquid, without flowing down onto the floor. Ein dove headfirst into the liquid, and...
...nearly choked.
-"Gag! Glurph!"
He quickly cast a protective orb around him, with a small area of earthly atmosphere inside it. Almost blinded, he scribbled a sigil right next to the portal, which created a breathable atmosphere for anyone who followed. He opened his tear-filled eyes.
He was in a purplish-looking... world? It appeared to be a series of islands, freely floating in the space around him. The farthest reaches of this strange place looked like purple swirling clouds in some giant atmosphere. He crawled to the edge of the island he was on, looked down, and just then decided that doing so was a big mistake.
Abyss. Endless abyss, as far as the eye could and couldn't see. Ein quickly crawled back, just before his head started to get a bit dizzy. What did he do wrong...?
He smacked himself on the head. DAMN THAT STUPID DIMENSION LINE! The one line that he prided himself on knowing, was etched the wrong way. No wonder the portal was green... It should've been yellow, for this dimension. Whoever invented these stupid sigils should've been castrated.
He crawled over to the portal, still unable to bend his legs. He has to warn Marshall and Amaya not to go inside... Since the portal was a few centimeters from the ground, he had to get up. His legs made a painful cracking sound, but finally gave in and bent. He slowly got up...
-"Wheeeee!"
Amaya crashed right into Ein from the portal, knocking him down.
-"Unh... Amaya... geroff me..."
As he rolled over, he noticed a man on the same island as them, eyeing them suspiciously.
-"Hello... and who the hell are you?"
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday August 10th, 2006
Aegidius noticed that Horus was lying on the ground; no energy signs were coming from him.
Rink crawled out from the rubble. He saw the half dead and half naked Duilin lying on the ground. "DUILIN!"
He ran towards his fallen friend. He looked at the angel. "You just...you just...YOU JUST LET HIM GET HIT!"
"I'm sorry, I just wasn't thinking. I was taught that all demons were just mindless monsters. That's what most of us at Olympus are taught from the gods. That’s why most of us don't trust Zeros'." Aegidius said, he sounded slightly guilty.
"God, some angel you are. I guess you're only here to protect your world. I bet you also give special treatment to the normies." Rink said angrily. He then looked at Xenai, Zion and other 'normies' "No offence."
He looked at Duilin. "Duilin...are you okay? Can you hear me?"
"Rrrr..." Duilin gargled.
Aegidius kneeled down on the ground, rubbing his shoulder making groaning in pain.
"Oh...well it's nice to know you got hurt too." Rink muttered.
Aegidius smiled. "Thanks." He said sarcastically.
----
Marshall looked side to side. "Typical, he goes ahead and does what ever he wants, and doesn't even hear my idea."
He sits down. "Well I've had it. I'm sick of running, I'm going to fight my way out."
He heard a banging on the door.
"Hey! Funny guy! It's me! Can I come inside! Pweeze!??"
"Aww snapp..."
He jumped into the portal.
He shook his head and he landed on the ground, knees first. "What the heck?"
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Thursday August 10th, 2006
Alex was shocked to see other humans enter the borderworld. Dr. Kleiner had told him that the Asgarnian portal was the only one. Alex withdrew his rifle, preparing for a fight.
"Who am I? I could very well ask you the same thing. My name is Alex. I'm looking for the source of the portal storms ravaging Asgarnia. Unless you know what it is, I suggest you stay out of my way."
Posted by: Trent on Thursday August 10th, 2006
//20 feet tall... That would be a hindrance indeed...
Zion's eyes widened at the success of the attack, but he knew that something was gonna go wrong. "Xenai, move it!" He flung the energy ball at Tsu as fast as he could, which connected and sent him off to the side quite a distance... Not far enough to get him out scot free, though. That burned hand was gonna be the last of his concerns. Zion quickly dashed toward Aura, picking her up, and running away from Horus with her as fast as he could. "What about Tsu?!"
"He'll get hit really badly. But not as bad as what'll happen to you if you stayed that close."
Xenai dashed away as well, as fast as he could. When the blast occured, the three warriors who were able to run away got violently thrown forward, and were burnt very badly. Aura got to her feet without thinking, and immediately started looking for Tsu, who was now flying through the air. "No!" She took off toward him as fast as she could, catching him in her arms. He was badly burned and unconscious. She bit her lip, trying to keep from panicking, and flew back toward Zion, who had taken a little bit more time to get up. She set him down. "Is he going to be okay?"
Zion shook his head a bit, to shake off the daze, and went to check Tsu's pulse. "AH! He's hot!" And he quickly jerked his hand back. "How'd you get him back here?!"
"I don't care about that! Tell me if he's alive or not!"
Zion blinked a couple of times and felt his pulse... He seems to have cooled down a bit, but he was still hot. "...He's alive." Aura let out a relieved sigh. "...However, he'll need time to recover. That, and if I don't do something about him, he'll die of those burns."
Xenai was now walking over, cringing from the burns. "Sweet holy hell... That kid had to have gotten the worst of it. And the little lady can't be doing that well either."
Aura checked herself out... Yeah, she got it really bad too. As her wings faded, she started to feel the wounds worse. She looked at Tsu... His were gone too.
"We need to get out of here for now," said Zion. "Fnd a city for you two to stay in. You are gonna take care of him, aren't you?"
"Yeah..."
"Alright... Xenai, stay here. Follow Duilin or Zeros', and help them in whatever way you can."
"Sounds good to me."
Xenai walked off toward the disasterous scene, while Zion picked up Tsu and flew off with Aura.
// So 3 of my fighters are out, 1 for a short time and 2 for a little longer. Is that an equivalent exchange? <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />
Also, is there anything in this post I need to fix?
Posted by: D. Ein on Thursday August 10th, 2006
//your post is perfectly fine, Trent. In fact, I was expecting you to pull out some uber shield and not get phased by my explosion, Zeros' to, idk, shift dimensions for the duration of the blast, and DM to somehow reverse the explosion and turn it against Horus, who's half dead anyway. But you didn't hear this from me.\\
Ein completely ignored the rifle pointed at him, and sprinted over to Alex.
-"Why the hostility? We're both stranded in a dimension foreign to our own, and besides, judging by the looks of this place, you can't really be sure if your rifle would even work in here! The name's Ein, by the way. That over there is Marshall, and the girl is Amaya."
He took out a crossbow bolt, and quickly jotted down a sigil on the floor of the chunk of land floating in the abyss. It brightly flashed, and when the light was gone, there was... a carton of milk, with an empty glass next to it.
-"When in doubt, drink milk!"
Ein picked up the newly spawned items, and tried pouring the milk into the glass. However, opposite to all expectations, the milk flew upwards.
-"Well... that's no good then, is it?"
He put the glass over the carton so that the milk flew right inside it. Drinking it was a whole new problem, as he had to pour it downwards, then catch it with his mouth. Finally, he was finished.
-"So, as a landmark of human activity in these barrens, I propose we be the first people here to litter."
After crumbling the empty carton up, Ein ceremonially threw it down onto the ground. It seemed to bounce a little, due to the decreased gravity.
--- --- ---
After scavenging the ruined village, the army continued moving North-West. Some undeads were also making up the army's main force, resurrected from the slain populace of the settlement.
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday August 10th, 2006
//Well Ein, Zeros' hasn't posted yet. He needs to more often!\\
Marshall stared oddly at Ein attempting to drink the milk. "Interesting." Marshall looked around. "So, um, Alex is it? How did you manage to get here?"
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Thursday August 10th, 2006
Alex was slightly irritated at Ein's antics, but slightly amused as well.
"Well, I would drink some milk, but this full-face helmet prevents me from doing that. As for the rifle, I tried it earlier and it works fine. I wouldn't exactly say that I'm 'stranded' here. You see, for reasons unknown, some portal storms have kicked up above the city of Asgarnia, and they threaten to destroy the city. I'm here to find the source of the storms and stop it. Unfortunately, I haven't found anything yet."
Alex strapped the rifle over his back, obviously trusting these new visitors.
"Perhaps if you guys aren't too busy, maybe you could help me out in the saving of Asgarnia? I can see to it that you are rewarded handsomely. Just a question of how you're going to survive outside this weird bubble thing."
Posted by: Trent on Friday August 11th, 2006
//It looks like we're all getting better. We're letting stuff happen to our characters. There won't be any story advancement if the whole time is spent in a never-ending fight, and no one takes any damage. Of course, no one wants their characters to die, but, y'know. They don't have to.
Xenai walked around the area, keeping an eye out for everyone, and especially watching out for that huge machine. It's a lot bigger in person... "Duilin! Zeros'! Are you guys alright?"
--- --- ---
Zion and Aura arrived in a nearby city, though still far enough to be unaffected by the blast. Zion was carrying Tsu. "Where are we?"
"Who cares?" Aura was already making her way toward the inn. "Come on!"
Zion blinked a couple of times and quickly followed.
A couple minutes later, they were in a room, with Tsu on the bed, and Zion sending a steady flow of white magic into him. "...He's alright now... He'll make it. Stay with him, okay? Don't go anywhere until you're sure he's recovered."
"...How did you guys get into this kind of mess?"
"Huh?"
"Why do you go around fighting such dangerous fights? I mean... Fighting like in sports... It's wonderful fun and all that, but this... He could have died out there. I could have died out there. You could have died out there, and so could your cocky friend."
Oh... He nor Xenai had never introduced themselves to Aura. Oops. He was done healing now... He stopped the flow of white magic and looked to Aura, pondering it. "Hmm... I've always wanted to protect this world. I don't know why. I think Tsu feels the same way. That's why we go out of our way to do such dangerous things."
"..."
"...You want him to stop, don't you?"
"...I don't know."
"He won't."
"How do you know that?"
"He knew full well what the risks were of going in attacking like he did. In spite of it, he still went in and did it. You won't be able to stop him from helping us. All you can do for him is stay with him, and grow stronger with him."
"...Okay."
"Good... Alright, take care." He got up and headed for the door. He stopped before exiting. "...Zion Ultima. My cocky friend is Xenai Omega."
"...Nice to meet you."
With that, he exited. Aura stared at Tsu. Get stronger...? She thought back on all the fights she'd had against Tsu in the swordfighting venues. She was always the weaker, and it was obvious. It seemed as if Tsu completely dominated the entire career. But then again... No one who swordfights does the stuff he does. Having the weight of the world on your shoulders... Must make you incredibly strong. She gently pushed him onto one side of the bed, and laid down on the other. She was tired. She needed rest too.
//Tsu and Aura are now inactive. Any posts I make that concern them will most likely be sidestory filler stuff, and can most likely be disregarded.
Posted by: Jenia on Friday August 11th, 2006
Kerig walked the scorched lands of ash.
Soon enough he saw an image of a person in the distance. Looking carefully, it seemed as if there were at least two people left standing.
"That's not good..." Kerig thought "We must help them!"
"WAIT!" Weloss stopped him "Don't. The big wave might be over, but the tide is not. "
"What are you talking about?" Kerig asked, suprised.
"Look at your grappling limbs and try moving them, fish-skull..." Weloss said "They look funky on my side, a least."
Kerig looked at his arms again. He tried moving them.
The glove felt as if it doesn't fit anymore, but all four joints were working correctly...
"FOUR JOINTS!?!!" it suddenly hit Kerig "I remember only having three! And now my fingers look longers, too..."
"Whatever that blast was, the radiation it coused must be speeding up your transformation." Weloss added "By a whole lot. Now...Do you really think it's safe to go there when you look like a monster traded limbs with you?"
"I...I guess not..." Kerig was slightly diappointed "I guess we will have to go home?"
"And run into stupid humans on the way?" Weloss kept scolding Kerig "No. You are going to simply out forge a cove for yourself right here and now. Then we won't be spotted,looking a simple ash dune. Inside you'll have to fix your clothing, at least. Now hop to it!"
Kerig decided to return to smiling to himself. He begun to concetrate, and using his energies, he compressed, hardened and gave shape to the dust around him.
Soon enough he was inside a 2-layered dust house of one room and a circular corridor seperating the inner room inside the first later and the outside world through the 2nd. The open hatch to exit the room and the corridor where on opposing sides as to prevent visual detection. The structure made was very fragile however-A mere infants finger could pierce it and make a hole in it.
Kerig took out some materials he had brought with him and begun reparing his clothing.
Posted by: Zeros' on Friday August 11th, 2006
// ... I keep forgetting! \\
Because he was in mid-flight/turn, he didn't have time to get out of the way. He put up a mid-level shield the second he felt the cannon collapse. The shield would do little, though, to prevent the whole of the damage. He manage, though, to readjust his flight with his wings and go 'with' the blast.
He flew several hundred yards, finally righting himself and wincing. His trenchcoat managed to survive, only becasue of the way he had been blasted by the energy. His pants, though, didn't survive... They weren't made out of any special material. Just plain cloth. Though, he did have enough cloth left to stay decent... And his underwear was still intact!
Though... His legs were all scorched and burned. He may be a half-demon and god, but that much energy was hard to reflect from ones body all at once. He moved one leg barely and winced heavily, feeling pain shoot up his legs. He knew he wouldn't be walking anytime soon. His legs were all red and blistered, some skin starting to peel off and blood starting to pour down both legs.
// Think of it as... third++ degree burns on ALL of his legs. Both of them. \\
His hands were minorly burned, but he had worse. His wings managed to escape much damage, except for a few burnt feathers here and there. He slowly start to fly his way towards where Duilin and his angel 'friend' was.
Posted by: D. Ein on Friday August 11th, 2006
Ein smirked.
-"Huh, the wierd bubble thing. You see that sigil on the ground? That's what's keeping it up. All I have to do now is just draw the sigil on an item that a person is carrying, and you have a perfectly good atmosphere around yourself. Perhaps I could do the same for you? God forbid if you fart in that thing..."
He scratched the sigil into the hilt of his crossbow, and a blueish shield appeared around him. He walked out of the bubble of atmosphere he conjured up earlier, and seemed to be fine.
-"Well, the portable solution seems to be working quite well, at that. Now, I need everyone to donate me something hard to write on... you could find a rock or something lying nearby, then hang onto it. All I need is something solid."
He scribbled the same symbol into a small flat stone lying nearby, and gave it to Amaya. The blueish orb surrounded her now, as well.
-"Hey, Marshall, hows about I put one of dem symbol thingies on your gun? You might need a portable atmosphere later in the future, thence you can just reactivate it."
Ein turned back to Alex.
-"Well, I don't know about Marshall, but I'll gladly help. I'm assuming we should hurry, too - this place looks like it could give mercury a run for its money, in terms of turning people insane..."
--- --- ---
Everyone seemed to be gone from the immediate field of view...
The small repair machines crawled out beneath the rubble that used to be Horus, and started dragging the pieces away. They only had so much power before they shut down.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Friday August 11th, 2006
"Hmm, as long as we're not actually exposed, the insanity will not occur. I still suggest that you watch your step, it's a long way down."
Alex looked around for something that could point them in the right direction, but to no avail.
"Unfortunately, I don't know where to go from here...we need to act fast, God knows what the portal storms are doing to Asgarnia."
Alex dug around and found a small rock.
"I would ask you to etch a symbol on my rifle, but the systems are delicately balanced, it could throw them off."
Alex tossed the rock to Ein.
"Perhaps I could use one of those protective shields. Could you be so kind as to etch one for me please?"
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday August 11th, 2006
"Good idea, Ein-stein. Except I had to leave my gun back in that house in K.S." Marshall groaned. He looked around. "I don't see much around here for you to write something on, except for my amulet, but I'll be damned if you go vandalizing this, its worth more then the both of us."
Marshall then sat down on the ground. "Hey you know what. I just spend a last twenty minutes running around a city and I'm pretty pooped, how about you guys just go on without me, I'll be fine, don't worry. I need a break from all this world saving."
----
Aegidius looked at Zeros' as he approached them.
"Man, Zeros' is going to be pissed once he finds out that you just let Duilin take all the damage." Rink laughed.
"Meh, we don't even see on the same levels anyway. We're from different 'governments' of the gods. I serve under Zeus wile he serves under Odin (or Thor or whatever Norse god Zeros' likes)."
"Ah, so you're not such an outsider in the first place then?"
"Yeah. Well, since I haven't been the nicest person so far and I'm sure the god's won't mind me helping out Duilin, since he is half human. I know some white magic, so I can heal him it'll take awhile for him to recover however. He did take the most of the blast then anyone else did."
"Please do." Rink snapped.
Aegidius vaporized the angelic arrow, and it reappeared as a tinkling green/blue dust. He waved his hand over Duilin, the holes in his wings began to repair and his cuts began to heal. "It'll be awhile. I'd be best to stay here and rest along with him."
//So yeah, in case you didn't get my subliminal deactivation of my characters. I'm going to be out of town for the next three days. Not to long, but meh. I'm sure you guys can live without me. So my characters are inactive, so no attacking them. If you want to slow down for me then that'll be nice, but please don't feel required too. Take care people.\\
Posted by: Trent on Friday August 11th, 2006
//Wrong. Tsu took it the hardest. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />
Xenai soon found Zeros'. "Hey! How are you doing?" He ran over to him.
--- --- ---
Zion was now on his way back to the scene.
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday August 12th, 2006
-"Eh...? Why the hell not..."
Ein picked up the stone, and scribbled the sign on it. As soon as he was done, the blue shield appeared around the stone. He tossed it back to Alex.
--- --- ---
Armies continued massing up, and readying for the full frontal assault on the Continent.
Posted by: Zeros' on Saturday August 12th, 2006
// Zeros' doesn't really serve under any Norse gods... But, we can say his employed by Odin... Odin is cool. \\
Zeros' smiled and winced, looking down at his charred legs.
"I've been... better," he said, reaching down and gingerly touching his burnt legs. He winced again and shook his head. "I'll heal from it eventually, but the scars are going to be wicked..." he sighed and shrugged. It's not like scars were anything new to him.
"How'd you four make out with that blast? And what about Duilin and Aegidius?"
Posted by: Trent on Saturday August 12th, 2006
"I haven't found Duilin and that other guy yet. Tsu got hit VERY badly, because he was right by him when it happened... But I think he'll live. Obviously, I didn't do so well either." His shirt was gone. Pants converted to shorts. Somehow the boots survived. "Zion and Tsu looked kinda like this. But for some reason, the little lady didn't. She got burned as bad as Zion and I, but her clothes were all still there." That is the #18 Effect working its magic on Gaian, yes, that's right, girls' clothes don't tear off from batttle!
--- --- ---
Zion was still on the way to the scene of the crime...
Posted by: Dude Man on Sunday August 13th, 2006
//You people suck, four measly posts wile I'm gone. =P. Meh, guess I'm to important then.\\
Duilin grumbled a bit and then slightly got back up, he was more so kneeling down on the ground.
"Good, you're up." Rink said. He saw Xenai and Zeros'. "Hey guys! Over here, Duilin's awake."
Duilin stepped up. "So, um...angel dude...you uh..." He still sounded tired. His face was tilted down, due to him having a bit of a neck ache.
"Yes, I realize what I did, I'm sorry." Aegidius said.
"Uh…yeah. So...why? Aren't you supposed to be like...um...protective."
"Yes, but I've been taught for thousands of years that demons are our enemies."
"Ah, a racist angel. Gotcha." Duilin gave him a thumb up. "Nothing wrong with that. I understand."
"You're mocking me aren't you."
"Yeah." Duilin started stepping towards Xenai and Zeros'. "Hey guys. We loose anybody?"
//I'm having deja vu all the sudden with the scene...\\
Posted by: Zeros' on Sunday August 13th, 2006
Zeros' shurgs and lands on the ground, wincing.
"I don't think so, but... some people were badly burnt from that explosion," he said, while looking down at his own legs. he sighed and sat down on the ground.
"Well... That didn't go how I'd of thought it might... I wasn't expecting some overpowered cannon to blow itself up and almost kill some of us."
Posted by: D. Ein on Sunday August 13th, 2006
//DM, you have a huge ego... even bigger than my... ahem. I couldn't post a lot as my grandparents from Belarus are here.\\
Horus' repair machines dragged him a fair distance out of the blast field. The cannon and converter will have to be rebuilt... for now, the machines drew their power from the light of the sun. Some were placing the armour plates back in place, others were fusing the pipes together. Some of the more essential pipes already had purplish liquid pumped through them.
//OMG! Zeros' has a working avatar now! <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ohmy.gif' />\\
Posted by: Burton_projects on Sunday August 13th, 2006
//Still don't see it <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /> \\
Nick looked towards Kronos. "Are you in a trans or something you haven't po..I mean said answered my question...we'll what ever. He folded his arms and stood looking into the sea.
Posted by: Jenia on Sunday August 13th, 2006
Kerig stood up and put on the last of his good-as-new "garments".
"You are getting quicker..." Weloss said.
"Practice makes perfect!" Kerig said.
Kerig happily marched out through the wall of his ash-house.
He reached the adges of the crater and wondered there for a while, but suddenly he stopped as he came across a weird sight.
"Ooh, look at all those funny pipes! Shiney!" He said.
"It's probably what's left of the couse of the blast. Leave it alone." Weloss warned Kerig.
"But it's so shiney!" Kerig said, and looked up very closely, suddenly noticing that there are a few plates already around, and that more layers of mass were being amassed...
"I think it's still alive. Let's help it!" Kerig exclaimed happily.
"Are you stupid? It'll kill you as soon as it's back up!" Weloss kept warning him.
"But if we be reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaly nice..." Kerig diregarded Weloss's warnings "It may become our friend!"
And with that, Kerig started pouring his energies into the rubble.
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday August 14th, 2006
"Well, as long as nobody is dead, we'll be okay." Rink replied.
"Hey, Xenai. Maybe you should take us to that town the others are at. I need to get some new clothing, and maybe a drink or two." Duilin suggested. He looked at Zeros'. "What do you say? I'm just really getting sick of this place. It's a friggin' hell hole."
Posted by: Zeros' on Monday August 14th, 2006
Zeros' nodded, looking down at his charred legs.
"Yes... I could use some rest. My legs aren't in the best shape right now and neither are my pants, as you can see," he said, gesturing towards his new shorts. "And also, we can take care of the others that are hurt there. If that thing get's back up and running, we'll need to be more careful this time and destroy him as fast as possible."
Posted by: Trent on Monday August 14th, 2006
Zion arrived right as Duilin mentioned his idea. "Yo, Zion! Where's that town you took Tsu and Aura to?"
A sweatdrop runs down his head. He just left, and he's already going back? "Alright, I'll take you guys there... Follow me."
Zion took off towards the town once more, and Xenai followed.
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday August 14th, 2006
//<a href='http://images.freewebs.com/Images/imageNotFound.gif' target='_blank'>Zeros' Avatar</a> <--- LOL. I suggest you use imageshack or something else. Heh.\\
"Excellent." Duilin said. He slowly flapped his wings. "Let's go Rink."
Rink hopped onto Duilin's shoulder.
"Owch!" Duilin exclaimed, as the imp landed.
"You okay?" Rink asked in concern.
"Yeah, yeah. Just some left over aches." Duilin replied. He looked at Aegidius, who was looking off into the distance. "Hey, uh. You want to come with us, after all you did help us."
"Meh, I guess so. Besides Zeus did inform me of a few other dangers. He didn't have a lot of information. Just something about person controlling souls of the dead, I think."
Duilin checked his belt, which was still strapped around him. His mace looked fine, as the leather hold for it only had minor damage on it. He checked for his pouch. "Damnit, my pouch got burned up. I'm out of money."
"Don't worry about it." Aegidius said. He lifted up his right hand and a golden coloured pouch appeared in his hand. "I was issued with some, gold pieces." He tossed Duilin the pouch.
Duilin grabbed the pouch, and then opened it up and checked inside. "Hmm, looks good. Thanks." He grinned. He the flapped his wings and flew off into the air, following Zion.
Aegidius took off in the air along with Duilin...
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Monday August 14th, 2006
Alex caught the rock Ein tossed to him and secured it to his armor. If the suit failed, at least he'd have a backup shield.
"All right, I guess our main objective now is to find the source of the portal storms and take it out...the problem being I don't know where to start looking."
Once he finished saying this, Alex thought that he felt a buzzing sensation in the back of his head...was it the borderworld's radiation kicking in, or was he imagining it? When Alex let go of the stone Ein once had, the buzz stopped... Alex simply thought that it was the magic cast on the stone, but it was actually something much deeper than that.
"Well, any ideas on where to start?"
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday August 15th, 2006
Ein scratched his head.
-"Nope. None at all."
He looked up. There were more islands there, as well as some down, and a lot more to the left and right.
-"Well, we could go exploring... I have a form that allows me to fly. Anyone up for some moth riding?"
--- --- ---
The energy filled Horus up. Now he'd have a while before it ran out again...
The smaller machines continued fusing the armoured plates onto Horus.
--- --- ---
The Kandarian army continued mobilizing. The troops were performing war excersizes and getting their final training advices from the older members.
Posted by: Jenia on Tuesday August 15th, 2006
Kerig, not knowing wether all he gave already was enough or not, kept pouring his energy into the thing as it made minor shape changins in front of his eyes.
"Can you hear me?" He attempted speaking to it, still smiling and feeling happy about his idea.
Weloss did nothing but silently stare.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Tuesday August 15th, 2006
Alex was perplexed.
"Moth-riding....? Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
Posted by: D. Ein on Wednesday August 16th, 2006
//Long-ass-post time.\\
-"Bad feeling? HA! I've been a moth longer than you've been in that suit, by the looks of it, so you shouldn't be talking!"
Ein quickly morphed into his gigantic moth form. He flew up, and hovered above the group in the air.
-"See?"
He began to fly towards the end of the atmospheric bubble.
-"There is absolutely nothing to worry aboOOOAAAAH---!!!"
A sudden jolt whipped Ein up, as soon as he left the air-filled area. He was slammed right into an island above, then dropped back down.
-"Ugh..."
He morphed back into his human form.
-"Well, that's that... Hey, I've got an idea. Does anyone have any rope?"
He looked around at the group. In a moment, however, he slapped his head.
-"I'm getting old or something. I forgot that I always carry a nice coil of rope with me. Anyways, I'm thinking that I can tie the rope to the crossbow, and shoot it at one of those islands above. Perhaps that will be enough for us to advance far enough to find out what is causing these storms that Alex's been talking about."
--- --- ---
The army has been fully mobilized, and soldiers filled the streets of Kandarin, marching towards Jovil's large bay, to man the transports stationed there. People were coming outside to see the grand procession - some waved, others yelled. However, one peculiar thing: everyone seemed to be for the war, not against it. There was absolutely nobody in the crowds of cheering people who wasn't the least bit happy.
When the legions entered the ports surrounding the natural bay in Jovil, the transports stationed there opened up, letting the fighters inside. The transports weren't quite like anything - they were completely flat, balanced on two long cyllindrical cisterns, filled with air. A third barrel was installed on the deck itself. Below it was a small furnace, heating the air inside the barrel.
Once a squad was loaded into a transport, a small hole in the barrel opened - letting out a long jet of hot compressed air. The transports blasted away, similar to corks popping out of champagne bottles. Due to the transport's unique floatation device, there was very little friction with water. That allowed each "jump" to last quite long. Very soon, the transport armada reached the continent. All of the soldiers were unloaded, the total mass counting at around 20,000. There was a rather angry-looking general in the middle, on a makeshift stand.
-"LISTEN UP, YOU MAGGOTS! This is war time! You will be divided into ten subdivisions, 2,000 troopers each, and attack the nearest ten towns. Your superiors have already been instructed on your designation points. Now GIT LOST!!!"
The army erupted in a mighty cheer, and divided into ten equal parts, 2,000 troops each. The sarges and lieutenants were barking orders left and right.
-"Division Odin, direction: south south west!! Division Dva, direction: dead south! Division Tri, direction: north west! Division Chetire...!"
The huge mass of people quickly dissipated, with the separate divisions leaving to their own destinations. Drummers at the front of the divisions began playing, encouraging the fighters to walk faster. The heavy vacuum-action spearguns were somewhat slowing them down, but the powerful spirit of war was above all of the legionnaires, nearly making them run.
--- --- ---
"The chatter of my advisors about the war was somewhat making my head hurt, so I decided to do something else. None of my armies were at their targets yet, but they'd be rather fun to watch, anyway. Despite the advisors' somewhat angry but controlled protests, I left the Throne chamber.
The palace was somewhat empty at this time. That is, of course, if you dismiss my dead friends hanging above in the cages - at least SOMEONE in the palace has a decent sense of decoration... then again, the bottom floors that I was on were a bit untidy. The walls were made of bare brick, as were the columns looming high above the pathway I was on. The columns disappeared into the infinite darkness above.
As I was pondering on my artful place of habitat, I almost missed my destination. It was merely a circlular stone in the floor, with a radius of about one meter. It was different than the rest of the floor: instead of plain brick, it was made of white marble. A black silhouette of the Kandarinian symbol was outlined on it. I stood dead in the centre of the circle, and closed my eyes.
The air around me began to shift a little - I was being taken higher. If I were below the platform of my ascent, I would notice that its bottom was trimmed with bones. That is how I am able to lift it. I would have clockwork machinery installed there, but I just can't be bothered. It works, and I'm fine with it.
The platform continued rising, no longer needing me to sustain it. I opened my eyes, and looked up.
The blackness was still thick, but a small, bleak circle of light was reaching my eyes now. As the platform ascended, the circle got bigger. It was an opening - an opening to the upper floors of the palace. No one but me can reach this place, which is also a part of the reason why I didn't want to place machines to lift people up here. As long as only one Necromancer exists in Kandarin, my privacy here will not be disturbed.
The platform reached the next floor, elevating me into a large area, filled with light. This was very different from the floors below - all the walls were also made of white marble, and had tall windows in them. The lower level had no windows at all, it was lit with nothing but torchlight.
Most of the floor was decorated with a gilded red carpet, except for the hole that I entered through. Around me were display cases, filled with various objects. There was the Criss knife that the founder of Kandarin wore; over by the window lies the pendant of my father, awarded to him by the Kandarinian citizens for curing their crops of a deadly disease, restoring life to Kandarin - ironically, the very pendant I used to choke him to death. Alas, my father was not well. He believed that people should be given their own choices, and not ruled by a titanic power such as me. People are animals. Weak and pathetic. I am but a tool of the gods to bring order to them, to let them live as the gods intended.
However, this floor was still not my destination. The cieling above, beautifully painted into a scene from the Eon of Creation - when Skorn shaped Kandarin into its present shape - also had a small opening in it. After viewing these artifacts, I returned onto the marble platform, and was taken further up.
This time, I emerged in pure blackness. I searched the area around me, finding a chair-like object. Around it were all sorts of metallic gears, pulleys and levers. I pulled one.
The roof above me suddenly cracked into twelve lines of light, which getting wider. Gradually, as enough light illuminated me, I saw six doors opening up, revealing the pure sky above. When closed, the doors resembled a semisphere, which guarded the telescope from the weather.
Telescope? Yes. Around me was a gigantic telescope, as well as machinery supporting and operating it. The chair I sat in was the observer's seat - the telescope could be used from it with the most comfort, not to mention it was the only place it could be operated from. I peered into the telescope, adjusting it on the Crimson continent.
Therce were my armies - my warriors, marching to thier unsuspecting targets. There's the Sedmoi division, advancing upon a small village. The Dva, on the other side, was approaching to a smaller castle, probably resided by some sort of a lord. No lords but me must exist.
I continued scanning the area through the telescope, marvelling at my forces of destruction."
--- --- ---
The dismembered head of Horus lie motionlessly. Even its eyes weren't glowing. However, one of the smaller machines creeped over to Kerig and tugged his boot (?) with a small claw-like feature, near what appeared to be the mouth. It seemed to be trying to lead Kerig somewhere...
//Assuming he follows\\
The small spider crawled over the battered remains of Horus. A lot of the tubes and circuitry was already replaced and repaired; however, right in the middle of his gigantic body, square where his stomach would be, was a large gaping hole. Lots of purple tubes ended there, with liquid pouring out of them and melting the ground. The repair mechanisms were tying up the loose ends, so that the liquid inside stayed in place. The one that lead Kerig to it stopped and turned around, as if looking at him. The Converter was missing... Horus needed an alternate power source, at least for now.
Posted by: Jenia on Wednesday August 16th, 2006
Kerig was somewhat suprised by the little thingamajig that started to turn around and dance in circles for him, but he just clapped happily and followed it.
Kerig stopped when the thing did, and looked around.
All he saw is a pile of junk, pipes and plates.
"It's his body, numbskull." Weloss hinted him "If you want to help him go ahead and do so NOW."
Kerig was really excited this time, and with that, he begun pouring more of his energies into the gaping hole he saw...
All he had poured was no problem for him, as he recovers it all in a rather short while.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Wednesday August 16th, 2006
Nick was now standing in Kandarin He watched as the army dispatched. "Whats happening now?" he asked himself. "God Kronos doesn't tell me shit. I wonder where he went." He looked towards the palace seeing a small firgure on the roof. " What ever!" he said as he turned back around looking out towards the ocean.
(How the hell did kronos get back so fast well what ever I said Nick followed him.)
Posted by: Zeros' on Thursday August 17th, 2006
Zeros' waved off the others as they left. I'll follow you guys later. he told them telepathically. He limped and leaned back against a tree, looking down at his legs.
"I can't do much with these..." he mumbled and pressed a hand to each leg. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before forcively pushing energy into his legs, causing the skin to warp and rapidly mend back together and heal. He sighed and slowly slumped to the ground. The downside of using that is his magic would be exhausted for awhile. Luckily, he still had his ki, though.
He looked down at his legs. They were more or less back to normal, except for a few new scars. He shrugged and leaned back against the tree. He had seen something during the battle with Horus...
He was sure of it. And now, he wanted to find out what it was.
Posted by: Trent on Thursday August 17th, 2006
If you insist, came Zion's reply.
The group soon arrived ((I waited for Zeros' reply to post this, so I think I'm entitled to go ahead and arrive at the town. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />)), and Zion pointed toward an inn. "Tsu and Aura are staying there. Tsu took it worse than any of us. He'll live, but he'll be out for a very long time."
--- --- ---
Aura had changed into her other set of clothes, the one with all the black. It was comfy, anyways. Her hands were held over Tsu, she was trying to cast curative magic on him. It seemed she was succeeding. She had used white magic before to get into the Crimson Empire army. She wasn't all that good without the Zerobi's influence, but she was getting it done.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Thursday August 17th, 2006
"Hmm...it's just crazy enough to work," Alex said.
He surveyed the situation. The nearest island was about five hundred feet out from the one they were standing on, about two hundred feet above them. Ein would have to get his aim right, putting into account the altered physics of the borderworld. Would the rope even fall in the direction they refer to as "down?" With such low gravity and strange physics, directions such as "up" or "down" meant less than they did before.
Alex thought again of the Ein's blunder just a few moments ago. Was this a new discovery of borderworld physics? If so, what was it? What little gravity there was still pulled "down." Even this defied modern physics. Gravity should always pull towards the center of a mass. Essentially, Alex should be able to walk along the bottom of the asteroid. However, when the moth-Ein left the bubble, he was violently forced upwards. Alex stepped out of the bubble briefly. His feet still adhered somewhat firmly to the rocky ground. What did Ein do to be thrust upwards?
Dropping the thought, he turned back to Ein.
"Well, whenever you're ready, take aim and fire."
Posted by: D. Ein on Friday August 18th, 2006
-"I will, keep your helmet on..."
Ein carefully guided the crossbow square into the middle of the other island. With the previous failure, he couldn't take any chances.
-"...there it goes..."
The bolt shot out of the crossbow, making a loud whistle as it cut through the air, spinning. However, as it reached the island, something strange happened.
-"...and here it comes."
The bolt didn't even put a scratch into the island. It just fell back down into the atmospheric bubble. Ein inspected the bolt carefully, then his crossbow.
-"Nothing wrong with either of the devices. Must be the screwed-up laws of gravity, or something. Perhaps the air outside isn't really air at all... that would explain how the bolt sped up when it left the bubble."
He shoved the bolt back into the quiver on his thigh.
-"Well, I got an idea."
He took out a different bolt. Its tip was somehow different... it was as if transparent, made of glass... the light shining through it reflected inside of the tip, pleasing the eye.
-"This is a bolt with a diamond head. I only got a few left... Only use em for emergencies... the good thing, though, is that it never breaks."
He opened up a handle on the front of the crossbow, placed it on the ground and stepped on it. Some kind of a mechanism clicked inside, and a new spinny thingy protrouded from the rear end of the crossbow. Ein spun it, and as he did, the crossbow's string got pulled back significantly further than the last time.
-"I can't remember the last time I used this thing... funny how the crossbow itself has a really intricate design, and I barely use the whole thing."
He aimed at the previous spot, and fired. The bolt moved so fast that one could not even see a blur on where it passed, and barely any sound - just a faint 'click'...
As Ein looked up, he saw the bolt wedged tightly in the island. Immediately afterwards, a deathly chill creeped down his spine.
-"OMG! I'm a freakin' MORON!!! I FORGOT TO ATTACH THE DAMNED ROPE!!!"
Enraged at his stupidity, Ein rushed to the edge of the island.
-"GOD DAMN IT!!!"
It seems he was quite nerved up, as as soon as he left the bubble, he... jumped. Basically, the same thing happened as before - a sudden jolt thrusted him upwards, but not as violently. He safely landed on top of the other island.
-"Hmm... maybe I was lucky not to attach that rope, after all."
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday August 18th, 2006
//Finally.\\
Duilin looked towards the inn. "I'll stop in there when I get some new clothing."
Rink looked around. "What do the rest of us do?"
Duilin turned around. "I dunno, mingle. Or see if anyone knows the latest news on the empire."
Aegidius looked at Duilin in concern. "You sure it's safe to just wander around town, I mean you don't blend in so much."
Duilin laughed. "And you do?" He then walked down the street, pointing and waving to the people staring at him.
"What an odd fellow." Aegidius commented
"Hey watch it, new boy." Rink snapped.
"What?"
"I mean, you can't just come in here, all 'Oh I'm sent by the gods, I'm more important then everyone else and everyone is odd.' It's just not right. I mean, we don't even know you."
"Well, there isn't much really. I'm just a typical angelic elite guardian. I enjoy long walks on the beach and viewing plays. I hope to some day have each world rid of it's evil."
"Buddy..." Rink said, shaking his head. He placed his hand on his leg as one would on somebody's shoulder. "Come with me, you've got a LOT to learn about REAL life..."
The two then walked towards the inn (to spend time at the pub)
----
Duilin stepped into a fancy looking clothing shop.
The clerk seemed a bit surprised with him stepping in. "Huh, you must be one of them flyboys everyone's talking about."
"I guess so." Duilin smiled he stepped towards the counter. "I'm looking for some new clothing."
The clerk looked at Duilin's torn bits of clothing clinging onto Duilin. "No shit..." He laughed. "Well, let me show you what I've got. I might be able to get something for somebody of your, shape..." He stared at his wings a bit, and guided Duilin through the store.
Posted by: Trent on Friday August 18th, 2006
Zion and Xenai went into the shop after Duilin. "You got two more flyboys to clothe, pal," said Xenai. Zion was already looking around for something to catch his eye. The wings that Seijin gave are translucent. They don't rip through clothes, so they can buy normal clothing. They got their wings from Seijin when they were young.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Friday August 18th, 2006
Alex looked up at Ein with a sort of comical amazement. Ein must have been extremely athletic to perform something like that, even with reduced gravity.
"Holy..." mumbled Alex. There was no way that he could make that jump. There had to be another way.
Ein waited patiently at the top for him. Alex didn't want to risk another of Ein's screw-ups, so he took his chances. He took off to the edge of the island. As soon as he kicked off from the island, something happened. The same voice from inside the suit before said this statement,
"Long jump module activated."
Suddenly, a burst of energy kicked Alex upwards on a parabolic path. Bewildered, Alex rode out the jump until he planted his feet on the other island. Alex caught his breath to the extent he could. The suit's air was recycled.
"Wow, that was amazing!" exclaimed Alex. "Dr. Kleiner never told me about that feature."
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday August 18th, 2006
Duilin saw an interesting uniform. It was dark grey and the pants had an orange belt, simular to a karate belt.
"Hey, could you modify that for me?" Duilin asks. "Yeah, I guess so. So um..." The clerk looks at Duilin's wings again. "What's your...um...wing size?"
"Well, I don't know how to measure, my wing size." Duilin said, scratching his head.
"Neither do I, but let's take a look, sit down."
He measures Duilin's wings with a measureing strip (every clothing store manager has one handy). "Alright, so how exactly would I go about this?"
"Well, what I do, I make a slit for my wings and then I have like a string thing to tie over them." (or if anyone else has a better idea)
"Hmm, maybe I could have something like that. Anything else you want?"
"Yeah, could you maybe put this symbol..." He takes our the shard of metal from his pocket, with the Romme symbol on it. "..maybe around the heart area?"
"Yeah, sure just wait here..."
Posted by: Zeros' on Friday August 18th, 2006
Zeros' slowly rose to his feet, standing and dusting off his bare legs, looking around. He knew he had seen something. It wasn't a human either. Or demon.
He cranned his senses, trying to open them and find the strange entity. He shrugged and continued to walk forwards, keeping his senses open for anything or anyone.
Posted by: Xorlak on Friday August 18th, 2006
A shadow suddenly appeared over Kerig… for something had descended from the heavens and ominously hovered over the youthful looking man as he merrily went about transferring his energy to the metallic bits and pieces strewn about…
Draven floated there still for several moments, arms folded and studying this man from some fifty feet in the air. He pondered the jagged and mauled metallic remnants of whatever he was trying to fix and the absolutely decimated and scorched wasteland that was once Bandervil… His cape and hair flowed to his left in the gentle breeze.
What in blazes is going on…?
This tremendous destructive explosion that he detected from miles away… Is this man responsible? Is this some sort of super weapon he is repairing? Any sort of confusion would be hidden behind his demeanor. His devilish smirk won out, and managed to barely show itself…
“Well now, what do we have here?”
It was that dry, malevolent but slightly amused tone he often used. The one he normally followed up with some sort of impalement if the victim gave the wrong answer.
He slowly floated downwards, his feet touching the ground some 25 feet behind Kerig. His unseen aura blew dust away from his boots before they hit the ground. Should he kill this man and take this... weapon? Should he kill this man before he can fix it?
“It seems you made a mess of things. I seem to be missing a fortress… I don’t like that…”
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday August 19th, 2006
"Okay, sir why don't you try this on." The man came back carrying the new suit.
"Ahh, thanks." Duilin took the clothing and stepped into the dressing room. After not to long of a period of time, he came out with his new clothing.
The clothing was dark grey with an orange cloth belt as described before. He clothing had straps, he attached his mace holster onto it, and had his pouch of gold coins. He opened it up. "So how much does this come to?"
"About 50 gold peices." He replied.
"Okay.." He started giving him the amount of coins
"Hey, wait a second, let me look at that." The man picked up a coin. "My, my this was the currency used a long, long time ago. I can tell, by the insignia. Yeah, just a couple of these will do. Thank you."
"You must know your coins." Duilin said.
"Oh yes, I collect them, I have a coin a bit like this, but it's in nowhere near as good of condition as this, where did somebody like you get this?"
"Um, an angel gave them to me." Duilin said, smiling and nodding his head.
The man started at Duilin, oddly. "Man, you flyboys are crazy you know that." He then looked at the others. "So, are these your friends?"
"Yeah, I guess so. I've been hangin' out with them for the past week. I met them about five years ago, in Laus I think." Duilin said. "Why?"
"Oh, well in case you haven't noticed, the word has spread around about you. You've become quite famous."
"Heh, heh. Well is that so?" Duilin seemed rather interested to hear that. He then turned to the others. "Hear that guys?"
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday August 19th, 2006
//I forgot to update Marshall.\\
"Arg, enough of this!" Marshall snapped. "I can't stand just sitting here wile you two save the world." Marshall being the adventurous person, of cource didn't enjoy sitting around. "Find me a fraggin' rock so I can walk around with you guys!"
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday August 19th, 2006
//Welcome back, Xorlak. DM: Way to double post.\\
Even with his passive sensors, Horus detected a strong presence nearby. The term "sensor", however, was not quite correct... the actual readings did not come from any sensors. He just knew something was there. However, the repairs were still incomplete. A few more armour plates had to be fused in place. The Convertion engine was a heavy loss, but Horus' energy capacitors were filled up quite nicely with the energy... borrowed... from Kerig. He needed a replacement soon, though.
Meanwhile, the machines concentrated on fusing the plates on top of the hull, rather than on the bottom. The empty Convertor hole was almost completely covered up now.
--- --- ---
Ein cursed, and took out another bolt. He scratched a sigil into it, and shot it around Marshall's feet.
-"Well, we wouldn't want to damage these rocks now, would we, dear Marshall? Anyway, get your ass up here. And you, Amaya, are free to follow us..."
-"No, thanks. I think I'll stay here, and observe. Maybe I'll notice something that eluded you?"
Posted by: Jenia on Saturday August 19th, 2006
Kerig realised quickly enough that a person was not too far behind him, but was too preoccupied to respond at first. After a few moments, his turned around, with his usual smile of innocence covering his face. He didn't stop pouring the energies.
"Ah, hello there, mister!" Kerig said, seeming happy to see the man despite his looks "Yes, there was quite a mess around here not too long ago...If you lost your fortress in the area, I'm afraid you won't find it around here any longer..."
Kerig's expression turned sad as he continued "This poor guy barely made it and I think it needs help...Mind giving me a hand here?"
He continued to sadly and innocently stare at the man, hoping for help.
A sudden auric jolt snapped from Kerig.
"Let ME tell you what is 'going on'..." Weloss spoke into Draven's mind.
"This pathetic being you see before you stuck his nose into other people's buisness at an excellent time and place...While he watched a whole army attack a giant spiritless foe, the spiritless one suddenly decided to blow up...
And about your castle? It was already in ruins by the time we got there."
Posted by: Xorlak on Saturday August 19th, 2006
(Probably just be around for the weekend. We'll see.)
Draven grimaced when Weloss spoke to him. Although he could not see the spiritual being, he could clearly detect him once the mind link had been established. He held on to the telepathic tendril once the spirit finished speaking, his eyes following the path of energy to the black, horned spirit that now became visible to him, hovering over Kerig. Hmm, a possession? No, this was different. Some sort of symbiotic relationship. He had heard of these, but never had the chance to see one in person. This alone quelled he desire to kill Kerig for curiosity's sake. He would believe him, or pretend to until he had more information. At least for now.
Draven returned the message to the spirit telepathically, while raising an eyebrow in his direction:
"Ah, I see. Thank you, spirit."
He then began to walk slowly towards Kerig's left, his eyes fixed on the heap of metal behind the man while speaking aloud:
"You should be more careful when choosing who... or what you're going to revive. It's very difficult to tell who's on what side these days..."
He continued past the man, crouching down next to the nearest broken mass of metal. He picked up a silver shard, about half the length of a sword, and flipped it over. Some... thing... jumped from the underside, scurrying across the ground to join several others... What in blazes are these...? Are they... repairing it? He watched as a hole in the largest hunk of scrap shrunk.
"My god... this is some sort of... war machine..."
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Saturday August 19th, 2006
Alex withdrew his rifle. Something about this island seemed amiss... The island that they had just arrived on was extremely rocky, with enormous spires reaching some hundred feet above ground. However, there was a circular pool of water about twenty feet wide to Alex's right. Upon closer inspection, the purple-tinged water seemed to have a glow coming off it.
Alex knelt down next to the pool's edge, and dipped his hand in. Even through the suit, Alex felt the effects of the strange liquid. The water seemed effervescent, completely unlike the atmosphere. In fact, Alex felt slightly rejuvenated just by putting his hand in. Pulling his hand out, he leaned over the pool. With a tiny-kick off from the ground, Alex drifted in the air for a moment before finally submerging into the pond. It was one of the most amazing sensations Alex had ever experienced. The water's magical properties recharged him. Alex had misjudged the depth of the pool. It was easily ten or so feet deep. With his renewed gusto, Alex leaped from the water and landed back on dry land, drops running down his suit and visor.
"That water is amazing. You should really try it."
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday August 19th, 2006
Marshall tossed a blue spectre from his hand that had flown from his amulet that he now had around his neck again. The spectre gained its shape, colour and form of a wyvern. He hopped onto it's back and flew towards Alex and Ein's position, or at least as close as possible.
He looked at Alex. "Well, okay." He hopped off the wyvern. The creature just stared blankly into the distance, blinking only rarely. Normal behaviour for Marshall's creatures.
He knelt down at the shore of the glowing purple liquid. "Quite a beautiful sight. I wonder why it isn't floating in the air like the other liquids."
He dipped his hand into it. "Whoa, that feels interesting." Marshall commented on the effects of the water. He stepped into the water as well; he exhaled, sounding very rejuvenated. He treaded the water. "Whoa I could tread water forever, the water restores me right away. This is amazing."
Posted by: Jenia on Sunday August 20th, 2006
Kerig continued to blankly stare at the large, caped man with an expression of confusion.
"Careful?" he asked, puzzled "His alligence really shouldn't matter...I mean, won't it be our friend if we help it?"
Kerig's expression returned to his usual smile as he added "I bet it can be nice just like it can be aggressive..."
Kerig was still pouring his energies. He didn't plan on stopping until it can stand on it's feet again...
And was expecting the newly appeard caped man to help him as well.
"Don't even bother..." Weloss told Kerig "He won't listen to any convincing."
"Really?" Kerig was suprised at him "But..."
"He doesn't smell like the human filth though..." Weloss interrupted Kerig "And yet there is something I distinguish within him...In any case, do not attempt to use your normal methods of reasoning."
And with that, Weloss stopped and watched.
Posted by: Xorlak on Sunday August 20th, 2006
Draven chuckled amusedly.
"Heh... I suppose you do have a point..."
This war machine was simply too magnificent to destroy. And if he could figure out how to control it...
Draven began to float an inch above the ground, his cape swirling about him. A heated breeze spiraled around him and the machine as he extended his right hand.
"Arise, machine! The Crimson Emperor summons you!"
Several hundred tiny orbs of crimson light appeared in the winds, spiraling downwards into the bits of metal with a rejuvenating effect...
Posted by: D. Ein on Sunday August 20th, 2006
Ein looked suspiciously at the purplish water. It was slushing back and forth, as if calling for Ein to touch it.
-"I have a bad feeling about this..."
He dipped himself into the liquid. It felt somewhat ticklish.... until his body started smoking.
-"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! GET IT OFF!!!!!!!!! GET IT OFF!!!!! WHAT IS THIS?!?! WHY MUST THIS BE?!?!?!?!?!?!? ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Ein was running around in circles, his whole body in smoke.
-"AHHH!!!!!!!"
Posted by: Trent on Sunday August 20th, 2006
Zion and Xenai ended up buying some clothes that were pretty much no different than the ones they were wearing before. They walked out of the shop with them on and waited outside for Duilin. "What're we doing next?" asked Xenai. Zion responded with a shrug.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Sunday August 20th, 2006
Poor Ein. He had gotten himself into yet another situation. Alex helped pull Ein out of the water and on to dry land.
"That's strange...," pondered Alex. "The water only burns you. That's a shame. You don't know what you're missing!"
Alex dipped his hand into the water and thrust it upwards. His hand left the water's surface, along with a pillar water rising up. Alex used his hands to "manipulate" the column into a thin, meandering stream.
"So what is it about you that makes the water burn?"
Posted by: Zeros' on Sunday August 20th, 2006
Zeros' frowned and quickly got to his feet, standing up and dusting himself off. He could recognize Draven's aura anywhere at anytime. He buffeted his wings before pulling them in towards his body. He put his hand on the hilt of his sword before he started off in the direction he had sensed Draven in.
He could also sense Draven doing something...
Posted by: D. Ein on Sunday August 20th, 2006
The repair mechanisms still had lots of work to do, but Horus was able to move. He got up, the spiders still running around on his body, fusing armour to his damaged hull. He first looked at Kerig, then at Draven. What is this? Why are they helping him?
His gigantic maul was a short distance away from him. He threw a quick glance at it. Would he be able to get it in time if things went wrong?
On the other hand, Horus had no need for battle. He was not in his best condition, and half of his weapons were missing, as well as a crucial part of his system. He has to be fully repaired first, for which he needed proper material. Well, if these two were so bent on helping him...
Horus had no way to orally communicate with anything yet. Perhaps that is an upgrade for the future. He picked up a small stick and drew complex shapes in the sand - a structure of the dark glass, a crucial element for his black lightning cannon. He continued to draw another one, which wasn't as complex - just a number of circles, some single crossed, and some double crossed, all connected by thin lines. This was a model of an Ognemalium molecule, which was the core component of the Convertion engine. He hoped they were smart enough to understand it...
Posted by: Dude Man on Sunday August 20th, 2006
Marshall went out of the water, simply wiping himself off as he came out. "That's very odd, it can't be any species specific thing going on, Ein's also human...well sort of, I mean he can transform into a moth. The possibility of it is unexplained."
----
Duilin exited the building.
Aegidius and Rink approached the group; they were talking wile they walked towards them.
Aegidius looked at the three. "Well, humans. I've chosen to help you out with stopping the Aspyes and The Empire, from what Rink has told me. Both Haraldur and Draven's goals seem to be far too extreme for my likings, as opposite as they may be."
"Okay, should we go check on the kids?" Duilin asks referring to Tsu and Aura.
Posted by: Jenia on Monday August 21st, 2006
Kerig appeard very pleased with the fact that it managed to stand up.
He curiously watched it draw the strange shapes on the sand, wondering what they are.
"I believe this thing you are trying to revive..." Weloss broke the silence in Kerig's mind "Wants some Ognemalium and the thing often reffered to as 'dark glass', probaby to finish repairing himself... But it obviously recognizes you as a rescuer, since it doesn't instinctivly attack you."
Kerig was delighted to know this, and turned to the large man near him.
"Do you know where I can get some 'dark glass'..." Kerig said the last two words slowly "And some ogn...Ogne...Ogune...PFFT!"
Kerig slapped his forehead "Ognemalium!"
Where does Weloss knows such things from, anyway...? he wondered, recieving no answer.
Posted by: D. Ein on Monday August 21st, 2006
Ein brushed off the remaining liquid.
-"Look, I don't care how it is, or why it is, the point is that it IS, and I am NOT going back in there."
A small lightning arced off the top island, one directly above them; Ein noticed it with the corner of his eye.
-"I think I found something..."
He jumped as high as he could, and got just enough momentum to grab onto the other island's ledge. The momentum threw him upwards, and he safely landed on his feet on the other island. He looked directly in front of him...
-"Guys... I think you should see this..."
//exactly what he saw will be left up to D. S., or whoever wants to create the source of the portal storms.\\
Posted by: Trent on Monday August 21st, 2006
"23 is kids?" Zion raised an eyebrow.
"Still youngins compared to us," came Xenai's response. "We might as well. Let's go see how they're doin'." He then led the way toward the inn where they were staying.
"Xenai, WE'RE only 33..." Zion followed him.
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday August 21st, 2006
"Well, I'm 36. I'm the oldest." Duilin added, grinning.
"I'm actually 1,204." Aegidius said.
"I don't even know how old I am." Rink grinned.
"Whatever. Anyways..." Duilin said as they approached the inn. "After this, you think we should check back on Zeros'?" He asked the others.
Posted by: Xorlak on Monday August 21st, 2006
Draven folded his arms, flipping his cape to disperse the remnants of his aura from which he lent his energy to the machine below detectable levels. Wouldn’t want any interruptions…
He had never heard of the second one, but the first… ‘dark glass’… could it be? His right hand moved to the fold of his inner cape pocket. The Black Crystal… The substance that his alchemists had developed, and the catalyst for the dimensional warp spell… that threw the Crimson Capital into the depths of hell… Draven removed the small black crystal that he still carried around, fingering it in his gloved hand. He proceeded to walk closer to the broken automaton, the thing’s mammoth size dwarfing him as he drew closer.
“Machine! Is this what you seek?”
He held the black stone up for it’s inspection (though from his angle he could not see where the eyes, or whatever, were located).
“I’ve more of it, if that is what you require. However, I cannot merely give such treasure away. In return, I will require your service… Do you understand?”
Posted by: D. Ein on Monday August 21st, 2006
Horus bent down to his knee and glared at the crystal. One of the repair mechanisms hopped off his armour onto Draven's outstretched arm, then dropped back down, unable to hang onto it. It climbed back on Horus.
This substance, it seems, was really what he needed, after all. Wait... could it be?
He looked at the glyphs in his armour, glowing purplishly. Most of them he knew what they meant... others he had an idea of... but the one symbol he has never been able to even vaguely understand has caught his attention once again. It was a figure of a dragon with four wings, with a sword in the background. He noticed the same pattern on Draven...
Horus looked at the man. He understood his speech, but he had no way to reply. Battle was the only language he knew. He put his maul down before Draven, its magnitude almost hiding the man, and lay back down. Few repairs were still in need to be made, and although Horus did not feel time, his unexpected helpers probably did. He powered himself down, allowing the reparation mechanisms to do their job unhindered.
--- --- ---
The grand armies were marching through the lands of the Crimson Continent. They were ripping through the terrain like a spear through flesh. Wherever the legion under the seal of Kandarin passed, nothing remained other than charred, scarred land. Thankfully, they were not that far in their conquest...
...yet.
Division Odin was conquering a small castle, its defences completely inferior to the might of Kandarinian war machines. The clockwork scorpions were launching heavy projectiles at the walls, crumbling them. One of the mechanical abominations managed to crawl inside the castle. One was very much enough.
The castle gave in almost immediately after that. People were falling down with gruesome-looking spears fixed through their bodies. Their red-hot passion for defending their families, their battle yells and their weapons could not stand up to the cold speargun-like weapons that the Kandarian troops used. Others were getting ripped to shreds by the clockwork scorpions' claws, reluctant to waste ammo on such a small bother.
---
Division Dva was still advancing through the plains. Having shredded through a few small hamlets only made them angrier, and they continued marching onto their next target: a nearby town, which Kronos has labelled for destruction. It would seem that there are rather powerful entities in there, which Kronos detected. There must not be anyone more powerful than Kronos. No one.
---
Division Tri has just destroyed a large village, perhaps even a township. It was rather amusing: after the walls were torn down, the villagers got scared and ran into a nearby church to pray. The clockwork scorpions massed up around the church in a tight circle, with nothing but fires and corpses around them. The commanding officer of the Tri division stepped up onto one of the war machines, and, after clearing his throat, began preaching:
-"Sacred is our Lord; Sacred is our Master. Those who wish to live and embrace lord Kronos-"
A general sigh of fear broke the silence. The higher-ranking officers were one of the few who could pronounce his name.
-"lord Kronos, come out now."
A few people appeared from the side of the church. They were visibly scared.
-"We accept lord Kronos!"
The officer... laughed.
-"HAR! Fire at will!"
The small church was levelled almost instantly. The scorpions didn't even shoot, they just walked over it. Their legs (?) were splattered with blood, and loose bodies were hanging from a few. The sharp ends on the legs really did pay off...
The officer continued.
-"We do not want anyone who changes sides this easily. However, their loyalty will greatly improve once they are touched by the Lord's essence, letting them live once more."
---
Division Chetire was repleneshing their supplies, after a somewhat tough battle. The fort they were assaulting proved to be surprisingly well-armed.
After losing a hundred or so warriors, the entire army backed off and just let their war machines do the job. The scorpions' armour was invulnerable to the arrows and stones thrown from the fort; the larger rocks fired from ballistas and catapults put dents in their somewhat rusty armour, nothing beyond that. Most of the projectiles were either deflected by the scorpions' tough carapace, or shot down in the air with heavy round cannonballs, fired from their tail cannons.
Once the initial defences were overthrown, the rest was pathetically easy. The major populace of the fort were surprisingly peaceful civilians. The soldiers, after toying with the people, flayed them (skinned), and hung them upside down from the fort's crumbling walls. The soldiers that were not busy repleneshing resources from the fort's plentiful supply piles were drawing a large version of the Kandarinian symbol on the town hall - in blood, of course.
---
Division Piat encountered no resistance along their way at all. They, along with divisions Sheist and Vyosem, were to arrive at a Crimson-controlled fortress labelled on the maps as "North Point". They will start by offering peace to the commanders of the place, and if they will not get a satisfactory answer, they will assault the fortress from three sides. Splitting is often the most effective way to take down large targets.
---
Division Sedmoi, Deviat and Desiat were regrouping with each other, sharing supplies and men. All three divisions were almost undamaged, but due to their proximity to each other, they decided to meet together. Having three large forces meet, all from the same command, did miracles for the morale.
The least damaged of all ten divisions was Sedmoi. After crawling up to their target, they realized that they had a huge advantage. The settlement they were ordered to attack was in somewhat of a natural basin. They stationed their scorpion machines around the edges of the basin and began bombarding the settlement with cannonballs. The civilians rushed out of the burning remains, only to be greeted by cold spears through their hearts. The Sedmoi soldiers were always wary of such things, as insignificant as they may seem.
--- ---
"I was beholding the glorious battles that my warriors were waging (and winning!), when I got a telepathic message from Roland.
-"My lord. It seems that Sizri have unlocked the power of the orbs you gave them. Perhaps it would be wise to see it for yourself."
With a deep sigh, I phase-shifted, and floated through the floor, down through the seemingly endless halls of my grim palace, and out to the door. This is going to take some time..."
Posted by: Jenia on Tuesday August 22nd, 2006
Kerig stared in awe as the metallic being before him bent down before the large man.
"It's probably bowing, bone-brain." Weloss told him.
"Bowing...?" Kerig said out loud "I think it's pleading alligence to you or something, mister...Why don't you try commanding it to follow you and go to your place?"
Kerig knew it-
His potential allies were at stake as allies. He might not be able to follow the man along with the metallic one...
But he decided he will follow until told otherwise.
Posted by: Xorlak on Tuesday August 22nd, 2006
Draven clutched the stone, causing it to disappear into his fist.
"What in blazes? Blast it! Wake up!"
He brought his hand to his chin as the smaller things crawled about the machine. It was obviously a submissive pose, by the laying the gigantic maul down in front of him. And judging by the violet glyphs that appeared on the machine's sand colored-armor, it very well could have been a reaction to the stone. Draven thought one looked familiar, but they disappeared too quickly.
Draven did a large bound and landed on the machine's chest with a clang. Several of the repairing things skittered away from his boots as he touched down before continuing their work. The machine was in better shape than when he first arrived, and looking up and down it, he estimated it would be fifteen or sixteen feet tall if it stood up. He rubbed his chin again as he stared at the deactivated jackal-like head.
Was it worth it? Hmmm... His alchemists at North Point may have what he needed, if the place is still standing that is. He chuckled to himself amusedly as to how far he had let things go.
Of course, none of this would matter at all once The Dark Emperor returned...
"Machine! If you can move, I can take you to where you may receive your materials and be properly repaired..."
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Tuesday August 22nd, 2006
Alex activated the Long Jump Module again and leaped up to the island Ein was on. What Alex saw was something he had never seen before.
"Good...God..."
Some hundred feet or so ahead of them were enormous spires of blue crystal, with large deposits of the same crystal around their bases. They pulsated with blue energy waves that seemed to be emitting a very high-pitched sound. What was even more unsettling was the sight of an huge rift above the crystals. Alex could clearly see the city of Asgarnia being obliterated by the portal bolts, which arced through the rift and down to the buildings.
Alex tried to approach the crystals, but when he got closer, an intense burning sensation struck him. He quickly withdrew from the proximity of the crystals.
"Urgh!" yelled Alex. It seemed to be the origin of the Borderworld's harmful radiation. If the HEV suit couldn't withstand the extreme energy, what could? Despite the hazards, Alex knew that he and his new accomplices had to do whatever was necessary to destroy these crystals.
Alex turned back to Ein.
"If we're going to destroy these crystals, we need a plan."
Posted by: D. Ein on Wednesday August 23rd, 2006
-"Plan? HAH! I know of no such thing. Behold:"
Ein scribbled a sigil on the hard rocky floor of the floating island, then another one, right next to the first one. The second one seemed to shimmer a little, before turning liquid... a portal...
Without doubt in his eyes, Ein smacked his hand square in the middle of the first one. His whole arm made a nasty crack and mutated into some...thing. It was a tree-like substance, but still resembling his arm. Even though it appeared to be wooden, it was stone-hard. Ein backed off a little...
-"BANZAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII"
With a small run-up, he jumped up into the air, and slammed his fist into the portal. The crystals shattered, it seemed that Ein's portal exited right underneath them. He withdrew his hand, which was back to normal now. Both sigils disappeared, with a faint whisper.
-"Hah. Fool. Ein needs no planning."
Behind his back, the shattered remains of the crystals chimed a little. They grew closer, closer, closer... and rushed towards each other, effectively restoring the crystals. The high-pitched whine was back, which was the only way Ein detected that something was wrong. He turned around, then back to Alex. His face was positively sour.
-"Shut up."
--- --- ---
The armour plates on Horus were fully repaired, as well as the channels through his body that allowed him to move, except for his left arm. His eyes lit up with a grim red colour.
He lightly brushed Draven off himself, and (assuming Draven is no longer on him) got up. He stretched upwards into his full monstrous height: a whopping 20 feet tall, and picked up his maul. If there was a simple way to explain his situation to this guy, Horus needed it.
He pointed to Draven's hand, the one clenching the stone, then to himself. If Draven will provide materials, he will gladly follow him. However...
He pointed to himself again, then a little west of the place where the fortress used to stand. Even if he got the proper materials, he needed the equipment to repair himself correctly. The very place where he was created seemed to be most approperiate.
After looking several seconds in that direction, Horus' torso rotated around facing Kerig. He had no way to thank him for his help...
One of the repair machines jumped off Horus and landed onto Kerig's shoulder. It made a chittering sound, and Horus walked off, back closer to Draven. The mechanism made no attempt to get back to its previous owner.
//i wanna die right now... (not literally, i'm just tired) ...so i won't bother making another 60-page post about every single of my divisions taking over THE WORLD!!! by the way, any kind of NPC involvment from other participants is more than welcome.\\
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday August 23rd, 2006
Marshall flew his wyvern to Alex and Ein's location. He watched Ein's attempt on breaking the crystals.
"Hmm, it seems that perhaps these crystals can't just simply just smashed apart. Perhaps if we had some sort of way to vaporize them, it may do the trick. Do you think anything would be able to do that?" Marshall asked.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Wednesday August 23rd, 2006
//Wow I missed alot while being in soccer camp. Lets see If i still got some mojo..\\
Kronos Was gone in a second. "What where dide he go?"Nick said to himself. He walked through the streets of Kandrain passing citzens and shops. "Well Im bored..." Nick sat at a bench waiting for something to happen.
//Can't post long stuff to much call of duty today..\\
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Wednesday August 23rd, 2006
"Something to vaporize the crystals, eh?" Alex said. "As it turns out I have something here that might do just that."
Alex leveled his laser and looked down the sight. He trained on what appeared to be the weakest section of the crystals, and pulled the trigger. A bright blue beam raced through the air at almost light speed and slammed into the crystals. The crystal exploded and released shockwaves through the rest, prompting them to collapse. When the smoke cleared, all that was left was a glinting pile of shattered glass shards.
"See?"
Suddenly, the shards levitated into a stream that rained down on the site and rebuilt the crystals from the ground up. They continued pulsating.
"...Don't say anything."
Posted by: Xorlak on Wednesday August 23rd, 2006
Draven leapt off as the machine started to move and watched the hand motions with interest. He got the part about giving the machine black crystal, and vaguely guessed that it needed to go somewhere once it obtained it. Some sort of lab, for repairs perhaps? Were there more of these things? Now Draven was interested.
"I'm going to take you where you may obtain your supplies. Then I will procure a... large transport to take you wherever you need to go. Do you understand? Follow me."
He strode off northward through the wasteland at a quick pace.
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday August 23rd, 2006
"Okay, now that's not going to work." Marshall groaned. "That laser didn't vaporize it, just shattered it again." Marshall tapped his foot and thought. "Well, if the crystals are just blocking the area, maybe we could try and move them somehow." He looked at Ein. "Perhaps if you teleported them somewhere else?"
Posted by: Trent on Thursday August 24th, 2006
//Sorry, guys. I had my first day of school yesterday, and fell asleep the entire day promptly after. I then missed the second day due to having no gas (and I live in a different county so I can't take the bus), so I took a nap.
Zion led the others into the room... Only Tsu was there. "What the?"
"Little lady's gone, and the kid's still asleep."
Zion walked over to him. He's improved more than he should have... Did she cast some white magic on him? He noticed that her second set of clothes was on the chair. He walked over to the window and looked out...
Aura was training outside. She was currently doing push-ups, hand-stand push-ups. Something she obviously coudn't do in her other outfit. #18's Rule won't protect her from that. Zion looked off to the side to find that she had cut down many trees... Some looked like they had been cut down simultaneously, though they were a decent distance apart. "Wow. She's putting her all into it."
Xenai muscled his way to the window. "Hey, lemme see." He looked out and around. "Jeez!"
She sprung from her hands onto her feet, and sighed. She looked up at the window, and saw Xenai. She waved to him, and headed back towards the inn. He waved back. "She's comin' back."
It didn't really take long for her to get back. She was surprised at how many people there were. "Uh... Hi."
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday August 24th, 2006
"Well, then." Duilin said, looking at Aura. "I don't think I caught your name." He said.
"Aura, isn't it?" Rink said, he remembered her. "I met her on the airship to Redvik, when we tried to take out Haraldur at Laus."
"Okay, so now that we have everyone maybe we should go back and check on Zeros'...I have a feeling something is going on there." Duilin suggested.
"Rink, wasn't there another person at the ruins of Bandervil that you met?" Aegidius asked the imp.
"Oh, that's right. Yeah, you guys ready to go back?" Rink asked the other four.
Posted by: Zeros' on Thursday August 24th, 2006
Zeros' had seen all that went on between the three in front of him. He had masked his aura and was currently leaning against a three about a hundred feet away from the three, simply watching the interaction.
He saw the motions the machine made and was easily able to interperate them, letting out a mental sigh as he did. So Draven helping that giant machine would get said machine to follow him.
He closed his eyes before opening them again. He would simply wait and observe.
Posted by: D. Ein on Thursday August 24th, 2006
Division Dva already had their target in plain sight: a town, by the looks of it //the one with Xenai, Tsu, etc\\. They were still not close enough, though, so they had to continue going. The scorpions were almost in firing range. The three divisions heading for North Point were still far away.
--- --- ---
Horus grumbled, and followed Draven. The repairs to his arm were complete. He looked as good as new, save for two missing parts. Hopefully he should be able to find the material needed for his repairs in the laboratories. The recently cleansed channels pumped energy through him better than ever, and he was able to think much clearer than what he used to.
--- --- ---
Ein glanced at Marshall.
-"They aren't JUST blocking the way, they are likely causing the portal storms that Alex mentioned. Have you tried getting close to one?"
Posted by: Trent on Thursday August 24th, 2006
"Yes... My name is Aura, but... I can't go with you. I have to look after Tsu." She glanced to him, still unconscious. "When he gets better, we'll catch up with you."
"Of course." Zion nodded to her, then turning to the door. "Alright... Let's go." He walked out, Xenai following. They then exited the inn, and took off toward ground zero once more, expecting the others to follow.
When all the guys had left, she'd shut the door and change into her other outfit, and get into the bed with Tsu. She brushed his cheek with her hand and then attempted to sleep.
//I don't want anyone sticking around in the town. Aura will handle the approaching Division Dva.
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday August 25th, 2006
Marshall groaned, and then explained more of what he meant. "I didn't mean that, well, not entirely. But if you were able to make a portal into here, then maybe you could make a portal 'out' of here right at the location the crystals."
Posted by: D. Ein on Friday August 25th, 2006
-"Argh. I think it is YOU who doesn't get it. You see, even though when I make a portal, it looks non-solid-" Ein painfully remembered the green goo on the wall of the Kandarian house "-the object must have momentum to enter it. It has to move. Those crystals seem pretty solid to me... however."
He took a definitive pose.
-"I have just thought up of a plan. How about Alex here blasts the crystals using his beam thing...thingy, and then I open the portal underneath the crystals. The remaining shards falling down should be able to fall into the portal, right into - WAIT. That's not gonna work."
Ein started pacing back and forth, thinking.
-"You see, when I open a portal, it only has two ends - source and destination. When I open a source portal here, to down below those crystals, they will rematerialize back here, at the source... right where I will be."
He stopped pacing. Were these portal storms worth his life? Why would he do this, anyway?
-"Alex, tell me what is at stake here. I can think up of another plan, in fact, I already know what it will be. You see, even though it seems that I use a very specific kind of magic, of the Astral element - I can also do weak telekinesis. Sigil magic is incredibly broad, as is the Astral type magic in general. Anyways, here's what I was thinking of doing."
He drew a jagged circle on the ground.
-"This is the island."
Ein proceeded to scribble two circles - one in the middle of the "island", and another one near the edge.
-"That in the middle are the crystals. The one near the edge is us."
He encircled the spot in the middle, the one he marked as the crystals.
-"Using telekinesis, I can rip out the ground from under the crystals, then guide it into the void. Since that void looks pretty deep, I'm guessing they aren't going to return. Besides, they aren't going to have any place to return to, because they will still be on the ground that they originally were on."
The optimistic feeling that Ein had while explaining all that was now gone. If they sensed a big "BUT" coming, they were right.
-"But. You see, although as I said, sigil arcane is broad in appliance, it is mostly quite weak. I will need someone's life force to boost the sigil enough for my telekinesis to work. It won't kill you, but chances are that you're going to be unconcious for the next little while, and when you wake up, you're going to have a MAJOR headache."
Ein's face turned even more bitter.
-"Or we could stick to the other plan, which will render me insane. Either is fine."
--- --- ---
Division Dva summed up around the town. They took their positions, the scorpion artillery hiding behind hills, trees, and anything else sight-concealing. The troops, however, were still one homogenious (LOL U SAID HOMO) mass. The soldiers were chatting with each other, until the commanding officer, none other than Arlin himself, rose into the air.
-"Atten-SHUN!"
The command turned the crowd into organized columns of battle ready soliders. Arlin was still hovering about in the air.
-"Now, as most of you know, this is a special town. Here our Lord detected some sort of a powerful presence, and hence equipped us approperiately. Some of you are what the colloquial speech calls Adepts - people with great capacity of mental power. You know who you are."
There was a slight waver in the division. Soldiers were looking around at each other.
-"Adepts, you will be responsible for shielding our troops. I want one adept and nine soldiers around every single scorpion. Guard those machines with your lives, for they are the key to our success over stone walls. Without them, we would still be conducting sieges lasting for months. Now MOVE!"
The warriors hurried over to the scorpion machines. There were ten guards around each of the 200 scorpions in total.
Meanwhile, Arlin slowly turned in the direction of the city. He rose his hand.
-"FIRE!!!"
The silent peace was almost undisturbed, other than for Arlin's yell. The scorpions were frighteningly silent with lobbing incredibly heavy cannonballs - mostly because they used a catapult-like device to propel them.
In a few seconds, though, all hell broke loose. The town started crumbling, building after building. Tremendous shockwaves shook the very earth, felt even by the attackers themselves, as the cannonballs slammed into the buildings.
Right about that moment, one of the ten soldiers around each of the machines put up their index fingers to their temples. Each of the 200 encampments was surrounded by a shimmering shield now, capable of taking fair amounts of punishment.
Arlin took out a spyglass, and observed the city. Where are they...
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday August 25th, 2006
"No, Ein, YOU don't get it...you see...umm." Marshal stopped talking and then scratched his head, as Ein turned and looked at Alex.
Marshall sat down on the back of the wyvern that was staring blankly into the distance. Marshall watched Ein draw the shapes and explain his big plan. He then looked at his wyvern, with an idea.
"Hey, Ein." Marshall said, giving one last attempt on being useful. "Instead of risking one our lives, why don't we use my wyvern? I mean it's alive, and has a life force so it would be useful. If it's not enough I could always summon some more creatures."
Posted by: Trent on Friday August 25th, 2006
Aura suddenly sprung up. "What the hell?!" She darted out of the room as quickly as she could, and immediately out of the inn. The entire town was falling apart. She looked around, wide-eyed, and then glared in the direction of the army. Her wings appeared. I can't let them touch this inn... At all costs!
She'd brought her scimitars down with her, luckily. She stuck them into the ground and started charging white magic energy. The Zerobi wasn't with her, but she wouldn't need it.
Posted by: D. Ein on Friday August 25th, 2006
//Trent, she can't really see the army, the only one she can see is Arlin. The army is all broken up, separate, behind hills and trees. And since the scorpions don't produce gunfire when they shoot...\\
Arlin was still hovering about, as he noticed an aural surge from somewhere in the middle of the town. He pointed his spyglass at that location. A girl...? That can't be one of them... can it? Well, in either case, it should begin soon.
He took his weapon off his belt - a very long, spiky whip. Even though Aura was far away, he had a feeling that she would be here soon, and when she comes, he will apprehend her. Even IF Arlin fails to stop her, the city will still be ruined. Perhaps enslaved... probably wiped out. But that is a thought for another time.
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday August 25th, 2006
The other three then exited the inn. Duilin picked up Rink, and the imp grabbed onto Duilin's shoulder. "Let's get going, pretty boy." He said to Aegidius.
The angel nodded, and him and Duilin flew off along with Zion and Xenai.
Posted by: Trent on Friday August 25th, 2006
//That took a while, DM. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /> I didn't know I wouldn't be able to see the army. But she can clearly see the destruction ocurring, and she can faintly detect energy signatures. I'll make a correction.
She frowned... Where the hell were they? Oh... energy signatures. She closed her eyes... Hmm... There! She sprinted off in that direction, continuing to charge energy.
Posted by: Xorlak on Friday August 25th, 2006
Draven lead on northward and west, eventually coming out of the blast zone induced wasteland caused by the now revived war machine. It would be a long trip to North Point by land and Draven considered flying ahead, assuming the machine could not. Even if it could, the Crimson Emperor did not want this weakened relic to expend too much energy, and to leave it behind may allow it to come into enemy hands... No this was his catch.
After a long trek the terrain resumed its familar rockiness, and small shrubs and trees became more common. The reddish rock formations that jutted up out of the dusty ground was almost enough to make this dismal land that was the center of the Dark Continent beautiful.
And there he was.
The black figure stood at the cliff edged just before the horizon. Draven eyed the figure as he approached it's direction, his posture and gait noticeably shifting from relaxed to at edge, the hands that hung at his sides under his cape becoming clenched fists. He continued forward for a full minute, focusing on the figure until his eyes finally blinked. Returning his gaze to the point where the figure was, he found it had disappeared...
It took him a few seconds of searching with his eyes before he discovered the heavy black armored figure was now very much closer, standing on a small rock formation not ten feet above the ground, and less than fifty feet from Draven himself. His blackness looked quite out of place contrasted against the pale blue sky.
"Why hello, Draven..."
Draven stopped, slowly folding his arms in the exact same manner as the other. A soft wind blew through their hair. It was so quiet, until Draven returned the greeting.
"Why hello, Jayce..."
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday August 25th, 2006
//Yeah, sorry your post was blocked out by Ein's post. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /> \\
Duilin decided to speed up; seeing as Zeros' wasn't here to annoy Xenai and Zion he chose that he would tease the group. "Heheh." Duilin chuckled to himself.
Aegidius kept flying at his normal speed. He glanced at Zion and Xenai. He felt a bit uncomfortable since he didn't know anyone and just jumped in, literately out of nowhere. He looked forward, again.
He himself wasn't entirely sure why he was here. Zeus and the other head gods just told him to go here and stop some wrongdoers and they pointed him in a few directions. He was so used to following orders that he never stopped to ask question. Never mind that, he might as well help these people since his goal is similar to theirs.
"I hope that big machine didn't wake up." Rink said concerned. "I wonder who it was made by and why."
"Well, assuming it's finished we don't have to worry about. Hopefully who ever made that thing didn't make more of them, just one took the entire lot of us to take it out."
"But Duilin, we didn't, it just passed out because it ran out of energy."
"....Shit." Duilin gasped, laughing a bit afterwards. "Well, it's best not worry about things like this. I mean we took out a huge-ass multi-headed dragon, an evil entity. Plus we were able to defeat Abodahon."
"Duilin, Haraldur defeated Abodahon, we didn't do anything."
"Shut up Rink."
Posted by: Jenia on Saturday August 26th, 2006
//sorry for being gone <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /> lost my connection for a couple o' days\\
Kerig silently followed the man, looking around at his surroundings from time to time.
"Why in the name of all blazes are you gliding?!" Weloss asked him after a while has passed.
"My legs are tired!" Kerig replied hastly "Besides, that way, I'm not bothering anyone with the sound of footsteps."
More time has passed, and this time Kerig was cought wondering about the strange changes his body was going through.
"I told you, it's no use thinking about things like this...You need to throughly research them to understand them." Weloss told him.
"But...What am I turning into?" Kerig was still swept in his river of thoughts "All we know is that it has begun when we first met...And that it sped up since I was exposed to the explosion around here..."
After a moment of silence, Kerig added-
"I wish I could bring you to this side of the world, Weloss...With you, as your own self..."
"I daubt that it is possible..." Weloss told him "Whatever difference lies between me and the spirits of mortals, neither of us knows how to grasp it if at all feasable."
Kerig noticed that the man he was following came to a sudden stop. Only then he realised he never asked for the man's name. Since he felt it would inappropriate to ask for his name now...
"Draven." Weloss solved Kerig's problem, and allowed him to see Draven's reason for stopping. Kerig said nothing.
Posted by: Trent on Saturday August 26th, 2006
"We just need to get stronger, and/or make a plan for fighting the thing," said Zion. "We'll be much better off next time, now that we know how it works."
"Yeah, all we gotta do is fight it up close with physical attacks, and not give it a chance to use that fog."
They continued in the direction towards Zeros'.
Posted by: Zeros' on Saturday August 26th, 2006
Zeros' sighed and shaked his head. This wasn't good. The treaty they had wtih Draven would only last so long. He knew that war machine wasn't dead. He only left it alone because he couldn't sense anymore of it's strange energy. He had a feeling, for now, he was safe from the wrath of that machine, as were his allies.
He could sense his friends walking towards him and decided to simply wait, slumping down the tree and taking on a mediative pose, closing his eyes and crossing his legs underneath him.
He would simply wait for them here.
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday August 26th, 2006
Horus tightened his grasp on his maul. Whoever that other person was, the red guy didn't like him, and if Horus was to get his materials, he should show what he's capable of. However... perhaps this is just a misunderstanding?
He remained in a strike-ready pose, but without really moving. His eyes were fixed dead on Jayce.
Posted by: Xorlak on Saturday August 26th, 2006
Jayce smirked.
“I thought you were dead.”
“I thought you were dead.”
There was a long silence. The two simply stared at each other. One could cut the tension in the air with a knife. Finally Jayce spoke in his thick accent:
“I’ve come to ensure your total submission, human. The Dark Emperor has deemed humans unfit to exist in this realm, and therefore you are no longer qualified as a High General…”
Draven, snorted a “Hmph.”
“I would say ‘nice try’, but it’s not even that. As a general of equal rank, you do not have the authority to enforce such a decree. Only the Dark Emperor himself may remove a High General. And seeing that he is not here, your pathetic lie is quite obvious. So what now? Sneaking away when daddy’s not looking, huh?”
Jayce frowned bitterly, caught in his lie. He took a step forward, falling off of the elevated rock and landing gracefully on one foot. He was a good half foot taller than Draven, and the bulky black armor dwarfed Draven’s in every aspect.
“You should speak, Crimson Emperor,” the last words coming out in a venomous, mocking tone.
Draven remained calm and unmoving.
“You will find that I did nothing against protocol in the last five years.”
Jayce slowly began walking towards the man.
“Heh… that’s the problem. I never did get what father sees in you… You and the rest of the humans have done nothing but hold us back, and what happened on that island was your fault…”
Draven raised an eyebrow. Jayce was now less than thirty feet away. The black armored Draken continued,
“Guess it wouldn’t be much of a loss if you… died… some time before we made it back…”
It took just an instant for those words to sink in. Any longer would have been fatal…
There was a violent tremor as the dirt path between the two cleaved, fine dust shooting to the left and right of each man. A tremendous explosion followed a fraction of a second later in two parts. The half towards Jayce was pitch black, orbs of seething darkness sputtering into the air, the vile shrapnel vaporizing the nearby batches of rocks. The half towards Draven was a brilliant red, spheres of flame bursting forth, blasting the nearby landscape. For a few seconds there was much too much dust to see what had happened in this violent two second time span, but as the dust settled, the two burning red and black auras could be seen pushing against each other…
With fanged teeth clenched, Jayce was nearly on top of Draven. His gargantuan scimitar held in two hands, pushing downwards against the bright crimson blade. Draven was in the same spot he was before, except he was now standing in a small crater two feet deep with the dark Draken’s blade violently attempting to further push him down. He remained rigid, with both hands above to his right, holding the flaming blade horizontally over his head, blocking the strike. His teeth were also clenched with an additional scowl, and his eyes wide. The two auras from the warriors clashed violently, kicking up more dust and stone from the area…
Posted by: Trent on Saturday August 26th, 2006
"Hey there, Zeros'." Zion walked up to him.
"How ya doin', bud? Your booboos got any be-" BOOM! "What the HELL?!"
The two looked off in the direction of Draven and Jayce.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Saturday August 26th, 2006
//I just got out of soccer camp yesterday so i was to beat to post till now....\\
Nick felt all the energy signatures of the battles going on. None where of real importance. "Why doesn't Kronos order me around...?" he whispered to himself. "Nothing to do but wait."
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday August 26th, 2006
Well, this is getting out of hand.
Strange mechanisms grumbled inside Horus, and he leaped high up into the air, landing just behind Jayce.
He swung his maul around himself once, then slammed it aiming right at Jayce's ribs, from the side, in a golfswing-like move.
Posted by: Trent on Sunday August 27th, 2006
Aura stopped near them. She continued to concentrate. She saw the one guy with the whip, but the other members... She picked up many energy signatures coming from all behind the hills. "Okay... Try this!"
"Judgment!"
Numerous rays of light shot down from the sky on the hidden army. She had no clue what was back there, so she could only hope she got them. She glared in the direction of Arlin...
Posted by: D. Ein on Sunday August 27th, 2006
//even a 2-post attack would weaken if it is simoultaneously blasted at 10+ locations, not to mension 200, am I right? If no, just tell me, i'll gladly correct it.\\
The attacks bounced off the shields like pebbles from a stone wall, and the great thing is, the deeper the adepts' concentration was, the more powerful the shields were. The scorpions continued raining death onto the town. People who tried to escape almost surely encountered a scorpion encampment, and then were... treated accordingly. The tough part was ripping the spear back out of them, since it had small flags on the end to prevent that. Perhaps the manufacturers didn't want the victims to even stand a chance when they were struck.
Arlin grinned at Aura's magical assault. So she IS one of them...
-"Well then... how about... Some kind of awesome attack!" //sorry Trent, just had to do it <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />\\\
The ground shook, as if from an underground ping. A long and pointy rock pierced the earth, and aimed right at Aura.
--- --- ---
"I arrived at the magic research centre. The scientists seemed busy with celebrating, and barely noticed my presence. That silenced them quite instantly.
-"My Lord... we've finished reverse engineering the orbs. They are most powerful devices, very capable of destroying even large cities. However, perhaps there is a way to increase their yield..."
-"Well then, work on it. I have much business to attend to."
Without even leaving the research station, I headed over to the nearest M-Grid terminal. I put my hands on it, and tried to reach Nick's mind.
-"If you want to prove yourself, now is the time. There is a town a fair distance from your position, my army is conquering it. However, it appears that there is a... distraction... there. I want you to help Arlin deal with her. Go."
Posted by: Jenia on Sunday August 27th, 2006
Kerig was shocked at the sight of the great struggling auras. He kept asking himself why would such a nice man, who stopped to help a stranger who destroyed his own belongings, be attacked by anyone...Anyone at all...
"I guess I should help him..." Kerig thought, beggining to concenterate a large amount of spiritual energy in his right hand.
"Just make sure to avoid your new friends..." Weloss told him in a somewhat sarcastic manner "And keep in mind that you might hurt that man's pride by helping him..."
"Don't worry about it! Now help me with the finishing touches!"
A light flashed within Kerig's right hand, and within a moment he could be seen holding a giant white swallow, with the width of the blade being almost as high as kerig is and it's length being twice that. It was somewhat transperant and seemed to "phase" through any physical object.
"I hope no one will be knocked out for too long..." Kerig muttered under his breathe as he dashed towards Draven and jumped just behind him, where he swung his swallow at the strange person attacking him.
//Reminder: This "swallow" thing is made of pure spiritual stuff, thus it can only harm spirit, meaning that if it DOES hit, the most common result would be a knocked out (but alive&well) target, and OBVIOUSLY nothing physical can block it <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />\\
Posted by: Xorlak on Sunday August 27th, 2006
Jave suddenly jumped straight up into the air, avoiding the massive maul and swallow just barely.
"What are these? Your new peons?"
Jayce scowled at the massive machine and man that took a swing at him as he flew higher into the air. Draven was already soaring skyward after him, his crimson aura breaking up into large burning orbs that rotated about him. The distraction was just enough, for when Jayce turned his head back towards Draven, he found a gloved palm an inch from his face...
"CRIMSON !!"
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
A dozen explosions ripped across the dark Draken's body, each sending a shockwave of blinding red light ripping through the sky. The final one trumped them all, painting the sky an ethereal vermillion and sending vibrations through the ground below, even though they were over fifty feet in the air...
Jayce blasted through the air downwards, a black blur. He slammed into the rocky ground, cutting right through it as the ground tremored. Dust rose from the crater the impact crated...
Draven held the crimson blade to his side, trying to catch his breath as he floated in the sky. He wanted to tell these two to beat it, but this was a god forsaken Draken after all...
Posted by: Trent on Sunday August 27th, 2006
She flipped backwards, away from the rising spike of Earth. Crap... That's a pretty awesome attack... She glanced back toward the town, and the inn. It was still there, but it wouldn't be for long. She looked back to Arlin. "Gimme about 10 minutes and I'll come back to play with you!" She started off towards the inn, but saw the window by Tsu's room breaking. Tsu jumped out with Shin Kuon Yaiba... He's awake! What the hell's he doing?! His wings appear, and he weakly suspends himself in the air. He looks to Aura, grins, and flies off in the opposite direction from the army. She snickers. "Good boy." Soon after, the inn gets blasted and crumbles. ...Along with her normal set of clothes. Urk. She looks down at her long, flowy black skirt. When I'm done here, I'd better find some pants to wear under this thing. She shakes her head and looks to Arlin, twirling her scimitars around. "Shall we play a game?" I gotta figure out how to take care of this barrage on the town, too.
//Just as a warning, perverts will get hit by a really strong attack without any charging, as we all know that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /> If you simply need comedic value, I'm not stopping you, but your character's the one who's gonna get punched through the nearest hard object. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /> And please don't dodge it. We gotta have a fair trade here. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />
Posted by: Dude Man on Sunday August 27th, 2006
//Trent aren't Draven and Jayce like way far away? Or is he looking off into the distance?\\
Duilin and Aegidius landed on the ground. Rink hopped off Duilin.
Duilin looked around. "Crap! Did that machine get up?" He asked in concern. "I don't see it?"
"Maybe it's vaporized?" Rink replied.
"I think it got up." Aegidius said.
Posted by: Trent on Sunday August 27th, 2006
//Most likely off in the distance.
"Great... The machine's gone... We have two VERY familliar energies clashing off over there..." Zion sighed as he tried to think of what to do.
"What's worse... D'you think Draven might have something to do with the machine bein' gone?"
"Oh, please don't say that."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Sunday August 27th, 2006
"Great something to do!" he replied as he hastily left his posistion. He ran through the streets swiftly. He'd be there by day break. //At least it sound like its going to be day break if not ill fix.\\
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Sunday August 27th, 2006
Alex weighed the consequences. Ein seemed to have his idea very well planned out. Alex had done the math in his head, and Ein's plan was physically possible. The only problem was the life force factor.
"Ein, I believe that this plan is very well thought out. If executed with precision, we just might save Asgarnia, and you two would become very wealthy," said Alex, looking at Ein's diagram.
Alex still had a tiny bit of uncertainty. What if the plan should fail? What if they were sealed in the Borderworld forever? It was a chance they had to take. Alex turned over to Marshall and his wyvern.
"I'd rather no harm came to your wyvern, Marshall," said Alex. He walked back over to Ein. "I'd be more than happy to volunteer my own life force. Here's what's at stake. If we succeed, then Asgarnia will be saved. If not, it will be destroyed, and something horrible will most likely happen to us. Think you can do it?"
Posted by: D. Ein on Sunday August 27th, 2006
-"I can do it."
Ein looked over at Marshall nearby.
-"Using a wyvern wouldn't work. Animal auras are not nearly as strong as human ones are, and same applies to life force."
--- --- ---
//Trent, pervert? I don't get it, what do perverts have to do with anything here? <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wacko.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wacko.gif' /> \\
Arlin threw the whip over his shoulder. It still hung down from his back.
-"In that case, let's play."
He made a wild spin in the air, and the end of the whip came whooshing down at Aura's face at supersonic speeds //did you know that the whip was the first man-made tool to break the sound barrier?\\.
--- --- ---
Horus put his maul back on his back, and approached the smoking crater. He looked down, carefully...
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Sunday August 27th, 2006
With each passing second, more structures of Asgarnia were disintegrated by the ever-strong portal bolts. Most of the city had been destroyed, but perhaps there was still hope...
Alex stood on the pentagram Ein marked for him, so that his life force could be drained and used to remove the portal crystals. If all goes as Ein described, the portal storms should stop, and the group should be able to return to Gaian before the master portal collapses completely. Despite Ein's misfortunes earlier, Alex trusted his judgement.
While Ein prepared his spell and Alex waited, something crawled up behind Alex. It was a lowly headcrab. Something was different about it, though. It wasn't like a normal headcrab. It had four long legs instead of two long ones and two stubby ones. It was also black with a wet shine. Where its beak was, this headcrab had enlarged fangs. These fangs were used to inject a strong neurotoxin into its victim. However, this headcrab seemed to have no intent of attacking Alex.
It looked like this:
<img src='http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/93/halflife2poisonheadcrabzr0.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
While Alex waited, the headcrab crawled up behind Alex and secured itself on his back. Through the thick layers of the suit, Alex suspected nothing.
From the looks of it, Ein was about ready to cast his spell.
"All right, Ein. Whenever you're ready, go on ahead."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Sunday August 27th, 2006
//no thank you for that tid-bit.\\
Nick was halfway across the water when he sent a message to kronos. "So where am I going?"
Posted by: D. Ein on Sunday August 27th, 2006
//Burton, whatever you may say, i did NOT misspell the word "first." <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />\\
-"Your destination has no name that I bothered myself to find out. The only interest it poses to me is as a strategic support point. My army is bombing the town with some of the ingenious machines that Qim produced, while their commanding officer, Arlin, is battling some... woman..."
As I said the last word, a painfully sharp image of Steorra broke into my mind. I just stood there, looking into nothingness, a small drop of spittle running down from my open mouth. Steorra was the closest feeling I've ever experienced that one may dare to call "love". I quickly sent a wave of my energy, that, like a sonar, would recoil back to me once it found Steorra.
The energy came back into me, with a rather unsettling result. There were thousands, if not millions of individual small pings, from all directions. It seems she was blown to pieces... whatever scum did that will PAY!!!
However, now is not the time to think of revenge. The first step would be to resurrect her.
Since I was in the magic district of my land, I should take advantage of this. I went up directly to my own study, a large stone room with bare rock floor and walls full of books. There was also a bag of dark red sand.
I picked up the bag of sand, and began pouring it on the cold floor. I walked around, making patterns with the little pile of sand. The end result was a complex pentagram, consisting of seven smaller pentagrams. //a big grandma's cookie to the first to find them all!\\
<img src='http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/1089/septempentagramdy9.png' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
I sat down in front of my creation, and closed my eyes. Reviving someone who has been nebulized in that manner was pretty much impossible for me, back when I was still the pitiful worm calling himself a Necromancer. Now it is rather simple, at least compared to back then.
My mind had a hold of every single one of those particles now. I slowly tugged, trying to drag them forward, to this very location. It was hard at first, but after a few more practice tugs I got the hang of it. I slowly began backing them to Sizri, very, very carefully and slowly.
After some time, there was a small whirlwind of particles in the boundaries of my symbol. Time for the hard part.
I enriched every single particle with more energy than any human on earth (other than me) posessed during their entire lifetime. It was a lot harder than it sounds... it was like trying to control 10 million undead soldiers at the same time.
The energy boost drastically increased the particle cohesion. The whirlwind started taking shape of a twisted human body... evening out...
I could clearly see Steorra's outline now. The whirlwind was still there, though, so it seems that only one last step was necceseary. I sent another jolt, ten times stronger than the previous one, to every single particle.
The whirlwind exploded around the room, blowing the books off their cases. Even my reading table was knocked back down by the raging particle shockwave. I managed to phase-shift just in time...
After the initial power surge, the particles "cooled" off very quickly. The explosion took barely a fraction of a second, and Steorra was before me. She was unconcious, it seems. I retraced all my donated energy from her particles, and she fell down.
I stood up, and dove towards her. My hand instinctively reached for her shirt... NO! I am above this.
I restrained myself, which took more effort out of me than the whole process of reviving Steorra. Her beautiful shape was calling out to me, and judging by her short-lived alliance with the Crimsons, this may be the only chance to do this that I get.
Then again, miracles do happen."
--- --- ---
Ein scratched his head.
-"Okay... here goes..."
He slowly lowered down to his knees, just on the edge of the pentagram. His eyes were tightly shut, muscles on his jaws rippling from pressure. It was obvious Ein was stressed.
He began a chant in demoic-sounding tongues. The pentagram flared, and two lightning bolts struck Alex's hands, dragging him down on the floor. When he landed, some strange force spun him around in the diagram so that his limbs alinged with the pentagram's arms.
A deep rumble from the island followed. The crystals shook a bit, then... just fell through the floor, ALONG with the floor. The large airborne chunk zoomed off into the darkness of the void.
The purple shade of the Borderworld seemed to dim a little. Ein stopped chanting.
-"I have NO idea what I just said."
If Alex was still concious, he would be experiencing excruciating pain in his head.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Sunday August 27th, 2006
Alex's mind was a swimming void of thoughts. For a moment he thought he saw the ghost of the wise old mage that brought him up, Caulus Zalridge. It flickered in and out of his conscience for a while before disappearing completely. While he was able to see him, Caulus seemed to utter these words, with a smile on his face,
"Alex...so this is you at twenty-seven? In another dimension saving a city...I've raised you well."
Caulus' ghost finally faded out of his mind, and soon Alex regained consciousness, his vision extremely blurry at first, but then clearing up. He felt like he had been kicked in the head by someone with steel-toed boots. His skull was pounding.
"Dear God in Heaven...," moaned Alex. He made no effort to give up. He couldn't. He was far too exhausted to even move his fingers. Out of his fringe vision he saw something crawling. It crawled up onto his torso and chirped. It was the headcrab.
"Wha...? Hello there. What are you doing here, little guy?"
Perplexed by the human's words, the headcrab let out a small squeak and then another chirp. Alex didn't try to think too hard as to why the headcrab seemed so friendly. Any further thought would most likely crack his head open.
The headcrab obviously liked something about Alex. Not even Lamarr was this affectionate to him. It was as if the headcrab thought Alex was his father. Come to think of it, this poison headcrab seemed a little smaller than most others. Maybe it was younger? In a desolate place like this, it is plausible that Alex is the only living thing in the area. The headcrab was most likely imprinted on Alex. That is, Alex is the first thing that the headcrab saw, and so thinks that he's its parent.
...Then again, it might just be a lonely headcrab looking for company. Regardless, it seemed to like Alex.
Alex turned his vision up, to see the portal back to Asgarnia. The portal storms had stopped. The city of Asgarnia was saved. The portal sat there waiting for the interlopers to pass through.
"Urgh...guys? Could I get a little help here? I can't exactly move yet...oh, and make sure this headcrab comes back with us, something tells me he could use a friend."
Posted by: D. Ein on Monday August 28th, 2006
Ein helped Alex up, and loaded him onto his shoulder. However, he came close to the edge, and a small dilemma seemed to rise. How is Alex going to get down?
-"Alex, how are you going to get down?"
The rise from the ground, however, made Alex somewhat disoriented. His head was wobbling from side to side, and nothing but groans came from him.
-"I guess we'll have to improvise. Amaya, could you lend me a hand here?"
Amaya was still looking deep into the void. Ein's voice broke her trance.
-"Of course!"
-"Alright, I need you to stand there - no, not there, just here - yes, there, and catch this sack o' meat. Oh, and mind the little crabby thingy on his back."
Ein grunted, and swung Alex off the edge. He fell right onto Amaya, who, although expecting him, was knocked down. She pushed Alex off herself, and got up.
-"Guys, I have some pretty bad news. Whatever you did up there stopped these discharges, but it also destabilized the portal. It vanished."
With a heavy sigh, she looked at Ein.
-"I think we'll need to use your ingenious portal abilities now."
-"Right. Well, here we go..."
//Marshall doesn't have to be a part of this, by the way, just to get some weight off your shoulders, DM.\\
Ein scribbled the portal sigil into the rock face. He, along with Amaya carrying Alex went through the portal...
--- --- ---
"As I was... er... thoroughly examining Steorra for any defects, something rather unexpected happened. Part of the wall that was not covered by the seemingly infinite rows of books became liquid, in a way. Three people came through it, two of them dressed in my own land's clothes. I put Steorra back down.
-"Well, well, well. Who do we have here. If it isn't the most annoying Aspye on Gaian... and who would you be, girl? And also, what is that... that hideous contraption this one's wearing?"
This day will most likely be the highlight of my life, I can feel it already."
Posted by: Jenia on Monday August 28th, 2006
The shaking of the ground coused Kerig to clumsily fall on his hind and blink.
"?Dodged?" Kerig asked himself, slowly getting up.
"Well, if he gets up, I won't let him dodge again."
Kerig's expression turned somewhat serious as he nodded to himself.
"I'll make it even BIGGER to make sure!"
Both of the swallows glowing blades grew three times larger their previus size.
Kerig decided to use the moment of uncertainty to inquire about the foe.
"Oh um...Sir Draven?" He mumbled somewhat shyly "Just what in blazes is going on? Why are we being attacked?"
Posted by: Burton_projects on Monday August 28th, 2006
//"Love" conflicts\\
Nick was almost fully across the water when he saw a sight of explosions.
The water became rough and the sun was almost set. "This will be fun" he said in a low tone and evil smirk.
Posted by: Zeros' on Monday August 28th, 2006
Zeros' groaned suddenly after his silenced and placed his head in his hands.
"Just greeeeeeeeat. Draven and Jayce are fighting... And yes. Draven helped revive that war machine, which is now on his side, so, we're safe from it for the moment. Plus, Jayce and Retan are more important to slay then Draven," he said, while slowly getting up, dusting himself off. He seriously needed to get new pants.
He sighed and looked off in the directions of all the explosions and whatnot. From the intensity of the explosions, Draven appeared to have the upper hand over Jayce.
Posted by: camishio on Monday August 28th, 2006
caleb was in the forest picking berries when the explosion happened what the heck he mumbled to himself i better go check it out as he ran through the forest to the site where the explosion had happened
Posted by: Trent on Monday August 28th, 2006
//The pervert warning was because of what she's wearing, and in case anyone would want to... exploit it. Anyone who does will get their laugh, but their charrie'll get thrashed. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /> Though seriously, I don't think your character will do anything.
Aura flipped off to the side, and then darted up to him as fast as she could, pulling the scimitars back. The right one went to her left side, and the left one to her right. Once in range, she'd go for the neck, like a pair of scissors.
--- --- ---
"Damn... Should we go help Draven? Or stay here for now?" asked Zion. He hadn't much else to say.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Monday August 28th, 2006
Nick reached the land and saw the desruction in its all. "Shit..." he said to himself. He kept moving as he did he saw a woman with two smitchars. "I guess shes my target." he said as he let out a large breath of air.
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday August 28th, 2006
//Holy crap, I miss a few hours, and then I get this. My Marshall update will start during Ein's mid-post. And Ein, I'd actually liked to more involved it seems like Marshall is getting extremely ignored.\\
"Um, hey Ein. If you need help to get him down I could use my wyvern." Marshall suggested. Ein seemed to completely ignore him. "Oh why don't I just die then? Would anybody care if I died? Seriously? Anyone at all?"
Marshall was getting terribly annoyed. He then took his amulet out, removed it from his neck and swung it by the chain and smashed the wyvern on it's back.
The wyvern let out a squeak of pain, and then was sucked into his amulet.
He wiped some sweat off his forehead. "God, this armour makes me sweat like Mel Gibson at a barmitsfa." He mumbled under his breath, not even knowing who he was talking about, or what a 'barmitsfa' is.
Marshall watched Ein and Amaya do everything, while he cleaned the dirt out his fingernails with he teeth and spat after doing so.
Marshall put his amulet back on as Ein and the rest walked through the portal.
"I should have stayed at the prison." Marshall sighed. He then stepped in, after the others...
----
"So Draven fixed that machine?" Duilin asked in concern. "To be honest I don't think that's good at all. In fact he's likely going to use that thing against us. I mean we can't even beat it that thing. So what use would he have for us, plus this would also be the perfect time for him to get rid of us."
"Frankly I think it would be best to let Draven and Jayce duke it out." Rink suggests, "If we interfere it will likely scare Jayce off, if we wait maybe Jayce might kill Draven or vice-versa."
"Wait, Jayce? Rink never told me about him. Retan however? I recognise that name however? Any relation to Alpha Retan?" Aegidius asked. "Alpha Retan actually caused quite some conflict with the gods."
----
Marshall found himself in a very messy looking room. He saw Ein and Amaya carrying Alex...and THAT MAN (Kronos, not the dude from Excel Saga) at the other end of them room.
//Cookie to the person who can correctly spell ‘barmitsfa’ assuming I misspelled it.\\
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Monday August 28th, 2006
Extremely nauseated, Alex managed to tap Ein on the shoulder, and then point down to the ground, indicating that he wanted down. Ein promptly set him down on the ground as the headcrab leapt off and sat down next to Alex. He took a moment to get his bearings.
"Urgh...I'd rather stay on the ground if that's okay with you...ow...," moaned Alex weakly. His powerful headache made all other pain in his body seem insignificant. The headcrab paced around Alex while he made an effort to raise his arm. It was as if the creature was trying to think of a way to help Alex.
"Ein...any idea how long this condition will last...?" asked Alex, expending what little energy he had through speech. He was in bad shape, but in good shape also. While he was unable to move, his breathing and heartbeat were normal. Perhaps the immobility was all a mind trick? Despite his efforts, he couldn't sit up. He felt helpless.
Suddenly, the headcrab stopped over Alex's head, and put two legs on Alex's helmet. Using the other two legs to pull, and emitting a sharp squeal in the process, it was able to tug Alex's helmet off. The headcrab then proceeded to crawl on top of Alex and rest at his armored torso, with a clear view of his head. It seemed normal, aside from some perspiration that had condensed on the helmet's visor. Aside from that, Alex's head was fine. The headcrab approached his head, this time crawling off the torso and back on the ground, to sit next to his matted-down hair. The headcrab emitted a series of squeaks and chirps, as if trying to convey something. Unfortunately, Alex had no way of understanding the creature, and just groaned in reply. Discouraged, the headcrab simply sat down, making one final chirp.
Alex managed to force some speech out. "Ein, do you have anything that would speed up the healing process...my head feels like someone set off a bomb inside of it."
Posted by: Xorlak on Monday August 28th, 2006
Draven dropped a few feet in altitude and shouted back to Kerig:
"This is an old... associate... best not to get involved..."
The machine, however, might be useful. However, it was too risky in it's weakened state. No, Jayce would destroy it if he caught wind of what it was. Fortunately the vile dragon had tunnel vision in battle... Speaking of...
As the dust began to clear, the burly Jayce simply walked out the impact crater, showing no signs of injury... not good... The thinning smoke revealed a crooked smile as he carried the massive scimitar resting on his right shoulder.
"What do you intend to do, Draven? Kill me? Tell me, what would the great Dark Emperor think of you then?"
Draven gripped the sword made of fire in his right hand tighter, the flame intensifying and the blade gaining a few more inches in length.
"I don't know. Thank me for removing his idiot son from the line of successors? Nice scar, by the way..."
Jayce's smile vanished, quickly replaced with a scowl... The ground he stood upon cracked and crumbled, and in an instant he was raging skywards, towards the burning man...
And they began again--
A crimson fury exploded around Draven, and he shot forward, rather than down towards Jayce, effectively flying over the mad Draken. Despite his size, Jayce seemed faster than the human, and gained ground as he sped from behind. With a huge cleave, he bisected the air before him, sending a pitch black crescent of shadowy hatred raging towards Draven, who was forced to dodge to the left as the energy carried onward, cleaving a distant monolithic rock in two. Having been thrown off course, Jayce was upon him in an instant, and Draven was forced to spin around and throw up his blade in defense against the massive scimitar...
HIGH!-LOW!-HIGH!-LEFT!-LOW!-RIGHT!-LEFT!-HIGH!--
The blades of the two clashed madly in the air, with Jayce on the offense, their movements but a blur to the untrained eye...
Posted by: D. Ein on Monday August 28th, 2006
//Burton and Camishio: ok guys, what the heck? my machines aren't being attacked by anything. in fact, the occupants of the town are running away with their skirts in their hands. the machines are not exploding, and definately not imploding... why would they do that, if nobody's done anything to them yet? and besides, each encampment (a scorpion machine, an adept, and 9 soldiers) is protected by a mental barrier, cast by adepts. nothing short of a 3-post attack gets through, at this point.\\
Arlin calmly looked at his incoming opponent. So she thinks she's powerful... well then. It can't be helped, it seems.
He decided to use a defensive tactic, for now. He ghosted right behind Aura, while she was still flying upwards towards where he used to be, and sent a powerful whip lash at her back.
--- --- ---
"Somewhat angered by this intrusion, I tried to hide my fury... for now. After taking one last look at Steorra, I calmly walked towards the man in the suit. I recognized him as being the man I saw previously on the mountain, where I found the gravity orbs. I bent down to his level, and with the most peaceful and soft voice I could muster, I whispered:
-"Somehow, I am getting the feeling that your little headache is the least of your problems right now..."
Obeying my mental command, eight undead guards came inside. I pointed at the one in the metal suit.
-"Take this one down to the dungeon. Beat as much information out of him as you can, and perhaps try to get that metal off him - i could use some spare scrap."
The commands I was giving to the guards obviously had no effect on the undeads themselves - it was like telling the stick to fly before throwing it. They had no minds of their own - I was controlling them. Perhaps the content of the commands will strike some fear into these pathetic ones' hearts...
After another mental command, two of the guards picked the metal one up, and dragged him out of the room. I turned my attention to... Ein, was it?
-"Well then. Isn't this so very interesting. The last place I'd expect to see-" just then, I noticed that Ein was throwing quick looks at the girl next to him. This is going to be fun..."-see you. And my inquiry was never really answered - who is this girl? She bears the mark of Kandarin, as do you, Ein. But I know that those are not your clothes, for I found a citizen lying in his house, unconcious. I also found your old clothes in there."
The girl looked up at me with an unexpectedly stern look, just before turning her head away. Her facial traits revealed her to be Kandarinian... in which case, it was but a matter of skill getting her to talk.
-"Oh... I see, then. Stand up, child."
I lowered my hand, and touched her just below the chin. With that hand, I lifted up her head, forcing her to look at me, and dragging her upwards in a standing position. Her eyes were starting to get glossy... looks like she still had Kandarinian blood in her.
-"Tell me", I whispered. "How dare you disobey your Master?"
My hand slid down from her chin to her neck. I smoothly massaged it, while her eyes were starting to get red. She was breathing a lot faster.
-"Do you know what kinds of things they used to do to Citizens who defied their land, when my grandfather was in power?"
I put my hand around her waist, and forced her towards me. With undeniable pleasure, I licked her neck.
-"They would... break... every bone in your limbs. Then they'd cut your chest open..."
My other hand rested on her breast. Her heart was racing, which was (HONESTLY!) the only reason I put my hand there in the first place. I had no attraction for this one. I was simply using certain tactics to get her to talk.... and perhaps annoy the Aspye.
-"...break your ribs outwards.... all while pouring strongest vinegar upon your exposed flesh. They called it..."
My hand dropped from her breast, and down around her waist, like the other one. I looked straight into her eyes, which were wet with tears.
-"the Bloody Eagle."
One of the undead guards hit her on the back of her knees. I let go of her, as she dropped down an all fours, intensely crying.
-"Now... tell me your name, child."
-"*sob* A--*sniff* *sob* Amaya Ryleh, *sob* my *sniff* Lord..."
-"That's a good girl. GUARDS! Throw her down into the dungeons, with the tin man. I'll decide what to do with her later. As for you two..."
I turned to Ein and Marshall, another Aspye I captured recently. The guards slammed both on the back of the head with the hilts of their swords. Ein fell down.
-"Down into the dungeon with you. Put both of them in separate cages... I have a big, big surprise for them..."
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Monday August 28th, 2006
Alex rubbed his head. He awoke inside a dark cage in a dank dungeon. The tiny windows in the upper part of the wall shone in white light from outside. He was confused.
"Urgh...what just happened?" He got up off the...wait. He got up. Perhaps the headache was finally fading. Despite his increased mobility, he still couldn't stand on one foot or aim his rifle with a steady hand. Apparently the undead guards didn't confiscate anything from him. Not the suit or the rifle.
"Wow...those zombies aren't the smartest corpses in the cemetery, are they?"
When Alex said these words, that same chirping came from behind him. The headcrab leapt off of his back and onto the table next to him.
"Hey! You made it, too. Good to know you're safe."
The headcrab chirped happily. It turned around, as if surveying the rest of the dungeon. It squeaked. It was looking at the unconscious female in the cage next to Alex's.
"Hmm, I don't think we can do anything to help her, man. Not until she regains consciousness anyway. We need to find Ein."
At the word "Ein" the headcrab made a squeak. Did it know where Ein was being held in this dark place? Alex looked over at the sides of the cage. The bars were wide enough for the headcrab to pop through and take a look around. Judging by the slight warping of the bars, it seems that it had made several trips out.
"Hmm, say, can you lead me to Ein? Maybe he can help us out of here."
The headcrab chirped in an affirmative tone.
"Great! That's a good little...errr...you know what? I haven't even given you a name yet."
The headcrab squawked questioningly.
"Well, I should give you a name. It would make it easier to address you for whatever reason...hmm. Your name should reflect your personality. Ever since I first met you, you've been really concerned about my well-being. It should also be catchy and easy to say. How about....um...oh! I got it. How about Otis?
The headcrab squealed approvingly. Somehow now it was revved up. It leapt at the lock of the door and clamped one of its fangs into it. The neurotoxin coated the padlock and melted it away. The door swung open.
"Wow! Remind me to stay on your good side. Come on, Otis. Let's go find Ein."
Alex took a step forward, only to nearly fall. He grabbed onto the bars of the cage to catch himself.
"Whoa. Looks like I need to be careful. Otis, up!"
Otis skittered up Alex's back and draped two legs over Alex's shoulders, and clamped the other two around Alex's torso.
"Now, Otis, I'll need you to be my balance, okay? If I stagger to one side, simply chirp and I'll try to regain equilibrium. Got it?"
Otis chirped, as if he completely understood what Alex said. Alex carefully took a step out of the cage with his arms partially outstretched to help keep his balance. He heard something far off at the other side of the dungeon.
"Uuuuuurrrrggggggghhhhhhh.....," moaned the voice. It sounded like Ein. He most likely came to just now.
"I'd know that moan anywhere," Alex said. "All right, Otis. Let's go save Ein." Alex shambled out of the cage and down the corridor, Otis in tow.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Tuesday August 29th, 2006
//What ever, Im leaveing but first wheres my paycheck? whoops wrong story. What if the thing exploded because of manufature problems?\\
"You girl!" Nick said intensly. "Leave or I shall have to kill you." He took out on blade. It would be enough to take down this woman. "Answer now!"
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday August 29th, 2006
Marshall didn't like the looks of this. He had a good mind to run right at Kronos and sucker punch him right in the face. Before he could do anything he felt a pain smashing down in his head. His eyes closed and he fell to the ground as he passed out from the shocking sudden pain...
He woke up, his sight flickered back like an old buzzing light bulb. He thought we was back home in bed, but then he remembered everything that happened. It seemed like not even a second after he thought of punching Kronos, but then he realized where he was.
"Not again..." Marshall groaned. He got back up, he still had his amulet on, and those that stupid Kandarin clothing. (I forgot that he didn't have his armour on last post, sorry <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /> )
It was good he still had his amulet. Shouldn't be too hard to escape then. He held the sapphire with one, and pointed his hand to the ground as he backed to the wall. He began to summon up a monster...
"Okay, let's get the moon creature. I'm ready to rip some zombie a-" Marshall noticed that nothing was happening. He focused his magic energy through the sapphire and to his other hand, but nothing was happening.
"What the heck is going on here?!" Marshall asked himself, in confusion. He then sniffed the air. He recognized that smell. Back when he was training for Blue Minotaur Peace Keepers, he was trained to identify certain gasses, he was told of the infamous anti-magi gas. It totally disabled almost any type of magic, elemental, and sadly some of the non-elemental ones such as summoning. From what he could smell, it was defiantly anti-magi gas. He bet the entire prison was contaminated with it. Guess those zombies aren't too dumb after all.
Marshall sighed. "You've got to be kidding me..."
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday August 29th, 2006
"With but a few thoughts, I got everything ready. There will be an execution today, and I will try to make it most... enjoyable...
I have often stood for smaller offences - murders, theft, assault... but this was like a kick in the stomach. I suppose I should've expected it. The curse placed by Skorn is wearing off, and I am no master in curses... although I should hold my tongue about this, for my next little... toy... is arriving soon.
Just as I thought that, as if by my command, I heard footsteps behind me.
Without turning around, I said:
-"Well... look who's just in time."
I faced my new guest. A bland white mask was hiding his face... The clothes were quite free-looking, showing no outline at all. This one was skilled, at the very least. If this was nothing but a run-of-the-mill merc assassin, I would have known about his arrival much earlier.
-"...as we outlined in our agreement, I will help you get rid of the... curse, was it? In return, I have a task for you."
My guest was silent, replying with but a nod. As skilled as he was, no one could see through my lies. I had little to none experience with curses, which is something I should look into someitme soon.
-"After a certain event takes place, a man named Duke Ein will escape from Kandarin. Let him go; but follow him. When he reaches the main continent, strike when he least expects it. If you get the higher hand in battle, do not kill him... the first three times."
I came closer, and looked directly at the white mask. Chances are he couldn't see me under that thing, but the effect was nice, anyway.
-"On your fourth strike, you will fight like you have never fought before. Get him away from any public attention, and slaughter him in the most gruesome way you can imagine. Exactly how that will be performed is up to you."
A cold, soft reply followed.
-"...and the body?"
The body, yes.
-"I want you to take it and throw it wherever his groupies are at this moment. Chances are that after this, Marshall and the other one will stick together... after you have done this, return to me."
Another silent nod.
-"Now, go. The event will begin soon, and I must attend. I am sure you know what the event in question is."
Without a reply, he turned around and calmly headed for the staircase leading downwards, from the tower I was in. I just remembered something.
-"Oh, and Afelan?"
When he heard the name, he stopped, without turning around.
-"When you are fighting Ein... do make sure and mention the names "Kronos" and "Amaya" in your taunts somewhere, will you?"
A whisperlike reply followed.
-"...understood..."
and with those words, he was gone.
Everything was ready for the execution now, except myself. I hastily made way to the capital's city square."
--- --- ---
As Ein was groaning in his cell, three undead guards came in there and dragged him out. Same happened to Marshall... only Alex remained at large.
--- --- ---
Horus readied his maul and waited for a command from Draven. Perhaps he should not intervene... not yet, at least... and he needed to remind Draven that he had to go to his birthplace lab to replace some of his parts.
Posted by: Trent on Tuesday August 29th, 2006
"Yeah... We should just let Draven and Jayce fight it out now that I think about it," said Zion.
Xenai sat down and kicked back. Might be a while.
--- --- ---
//Burton, it's not your machine. You can't control what happens to others' machines.
The whip connected. It stung. It made a small cut on the back of the black shirt. She winced, and turned around. She heard the guy call out, and looked. She recognized him! "You're the guy that attacked us before!"
She scowled... getting angry... Now would be a perfect time to have the Zerobi... To sit back and let it thrash them. Hey... Maybe... No. She doesn't need it.
She went to sheathe her scimitars and missed. Oh yeah, her scabbards were with her normal outfit. Which is... er, was... in the inn. Whatever. She stuck her scimitars into the ground.
She held out her hand and started to gather energy to it, striking it in various places. The energy started to swirl, faster and faster. Once it was complete, she concentrated on retaining it. She looked up at the two men. "Hmph. If you're so confident, come and get me!"
Posted by: Burton_projects on Tuesday August 29th, 2006
//"Mine" "His" its an "npc"\\
Nick looked up at arua. "Hm...I thought you'd leave." He charged towards he in a fast but slow way. The sun was a beutiful orange and the sky was nested behind clouds. He was right near her when he said. "Your kinda cute in this light."
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday August 29th, 2006
//Burton the entire army is a group which is like ONE powerful NPC and he is controlling it in a character like fashion, therefore it's best not to control it.\\
"Well in the meantime. We should try and plan on what to do next." Rink suggested.
"Well plan for what? I don't think we can plan anything until we find out who wins the fight going on." Duilin said.
"Yeah, but can't we plan for several outcomes? Also, our plans don't need to revolve around Draven. Yet I admit it might be best, seeing as how he's got control of that thing."
"He's likely going to use it on us. With the Greys gone and the Aspyes have been pretty quiet."
----
Marshall's door was swung open, by three undeads.
"Well...it's about time." Marshall said, trying not to sound scared. "Do your worst."
They picked him up and started carrying him somewhere.
"Where are you taking me!?" Marshall demanded. Yet he was unanswered. "I hate zombies..."
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Tuesday August 29th, 2006
Alex peeked around the next corner. All was clear. He inched up against the wall towards the cages of Ein and Marshall. To his shock, they were empty.
"Bad news, Otis...," said Alex. "It looks like the guards have already taken Ein and Marshall..."
Alex noticed something. There were fresh footprints on the dusty floor. Jackpot. As Alex followed them, he came to a large set of double doors which had just slammed shut.
"Ugh. Hold up, maybe I can open them." Alex gripped the door handles, and pulled as hard as he could. As he did, the grooves in his suit flared up to a bright blue that illuminated the nearby surrounding feet. Despite his best efforts, the doors didn't budge.
"Gah... It's no good, Otis. We'll have to find another way around."
Otis chirped excitedly and leapt off of Alex's back. He skittered over to a grate on the wall.
"What is this? An air vent?" Alex pulled on the grate until it came off. "Well, it looks large enough to crawl through...all right Otis, after you."
Otis squeaked and crawled through the opening and into the network of airducts. Alex soon followed. The only source of illumination were the glowing grooves on Alex's suit. After some clambering around and hitting dead ends several times, the four-legged alien finally came upon an exit. With a ram of his body, Otis forced the grate off the duct and made an exit. He calmly walked out and sat down. Alex soon followed.
"What is this place, Otis?"
It seemed to be the town square. Strange preparations were being made for some kind of event. Whatever it was, it didn't look good. Alex looked back. He was on the other side of those huge double doors.
"Look over there, Otis, it's Ein and Marshall. If only we could bail them out, but we would draw too much attention...we should lay low for a bit."
Otis chirped quietly before finally going silent. He crawled back up on Alex's back as Alex snuck through the shadows to a dark alley. There, he climbed up a ladder which gave him and Otis a good vantage point to survey what was going on.
"Now we wait."
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday August 29th, 2006
//omg people lay off burton! Once is enough! And besides, it is totally plausible that Qim engineers aren't perfect. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />\\
Arlin looked over at the burning, crumbling city, then at Aura.
-"Come and get you? You know... I don't think I will. You, however..."
He turned to Nick.
-"You should still try and stop her. Kronos spoke to me of a reward without an equal... for one who brings down the entities inhabiting this city. I already have everything I need, whilst you are not even a citizen of the Kandarinian Sovereignty yet. Perhaps this is your chance to prove yourself."
The city was basically levelled. The mission was a success, save for the intervention of that woman... which really had no impact on the mission overall. As the town is ruined, Arlin felt no more need to stick around. Perhaps later Kronos will send someone over here to occupy what's left of the settlement... meanwhile, Arlin has to report on the success of the composite division strategy.
He rose further into the air, and took out a minotaur's horn. This kind of horn was used by the officers to communicate with the mass of the army. Arlin blew three short notes and two long ones, and the scorpions ceased firing.
The entire division moved into one large group. Every single Adept combined his mental powers with the other adepts, creating one big, incredibly powerful shield. The army began crawling off, away.
---
Meanwhile, the three divisions have reached the North Point fortress. The commanders were shouting at the walls, asking for some kind of a meeting, offering an alliance.
--- --- ---
Horus froze. His aural censors read a few more entities in the area, but they were the least of his worries right now. Something was trying to communicate with him... sending short ultra-high frequency arcane pings, at regular intervals. He peered into the distance, seeing a small dot.
As soon as he noticed it, the pings stopped. Instead, he heard a... a voice? in his own head.
-"Horus... you are damaged. Leave at once."
The dot vanished just as mysteriously as it appeared. He was no longer getting any signals on that particular frequency... how could they even know about it? Are there more beings like him? This was of utmost importance.
Even though this discovery was something Horus had to look into sooner or later, he could not risk losing a potential ally. He dove right into the fight between the Crimson Emperor and the Draken, trying to bearhug the latter. Considering he is 20 feet high, and he can easily swing a 500-pound maul, such an attack would deal considerable damage to anyone, let alone someone so... so very small... Jayce was a tiny thing compared to him...
--- --- ---
"I got to the town square just in time. A large crowd was amassed in front of the wooden construction in the middle, where Ein and Marshall sat, tied to their chairs. There was also a large circular hole in the middle, with faint chirping coming out of it. Above the hole was a crane-like structure.
I rose up onto the platform, and spoke.
-"Today, citizens, you witness what happens when you betray your Lord. GUARDS! Bring out the convict!"
Two guards entered the town square from the side of the dungeons. They were dragging an already half-dead Amaya, with visible bruises and scars all over her body. All of her clothing consisted of two ripped-up rags, one around her chest, and one around her hips.
Ein, it seems, was more than touched by this little procession.
-"AMAYA!!!" He unsuccessfully tried to get up. Now his attention was turned to me. "What did you do to her, you sick fiend?! Let her go! She had no part in this!!!"
I ghosted to right in front of Ein. The crowd awarded me with a uniform sigh of awe.
-"You know, Asype, I debated with myself at first, as to whether or not let you see this. Now, it seems, the answer is obvious. Of course, this may not be as fun with you here making a nuisanse of yourself, but it certainly will be more... pleasant..."
The guards tied Amaya to the aforementioned crane, just over the pit with chirping in it. I turned around, back to the crowd.
-"When the traitor is lowered into the pit, she will be assaulted by the most horrible creatures I could have resurrected from the dead. Also, to the half-anonymous contributor Jenia, if you are in the crowd, please know: I could not use your acid pool idea due to the absence of any source of the prementioned acid. Anyways - let this be an example, and let the fate of all traitors be known NOW!"
The guard began to spin one of the handles on the crane. Amaya was slowly lowered down into the pit. To pass the time, I walked around Ein and lowered my head to his ear.
-"Undead rabid flesh-eating rodents. Heheh."
Soon, Amaya was down in the pit to her neck. At the very moment that her head was no longer in my field of vision...
-"EEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</b></i>"
The scream was so loud and high that it even pierced me, caught me by surprise. The crowd stumbled back a little, making considerable space between them and the platform. Nasty churning sounds were coming out of the hole now... I was given the impression of a chunk of meat being dropped into a pool teeming with piranhas. Occasional chunks of skin and blood were flying out of the pit.
Soon, everything was silent. The guard-executioner spun the spinny thingy again, rising the rope with a bloody skeleton with loose half-eaten chunks of meat.
-"Now, I decided to spare these two." I pointed at the Aspyes sitting on the corner of the stand. "They will be thrown back to their home land, soon a part of the Kandarinian Sovereignty!"
The crowd wildly cheered. Two undead wyverns flew in from the west, and picked up both Marshall and Ein. They should be dropping them off at the coasts of the soon-to-be-mine Crimson Continent."
---
Steorra slowly opened her eyes. She was in a wide, beautifully decorated room, lying on a posh bed. The air smelled of an unknown fragrance, and the entire floor was covered in rose petals. She was wearing new clothes, and her staff was right next to the bed that she awoke on.
-"Wha... where am I?"
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Tuesday August 29th, 2006
Alex winced at the horrid death of Amaya. Ein must have been devastated.
"Good...God...," groaned Alex. "We have little time. Come on Otis. We've got to get out of the city as fast as we can and find Ein and Marshall."
Otis chirped and leapt off of Alex's back and got ready to leap some roofs. Alex had regained almost all of his mobility again, and was ready for some roof-hopping.
Alex pressed a switch on the suit's access panel on the left wrist. "Long Jump Module activated," rang out the suit's voice. A jet kicked Alex up into the air and across the deep alleys below. Despite the suit's heavy weight, it made little noise upon the bulky metal boots hitting the stone roofs. Alex drew his rifle and got ready for any encounter that threatened him. He called to Otis.
"Otis! If anyone gets in your way, attack at sight!"
Otis screeched and kept leaping. He finally came to a rest at the edge of a broken roof, and skittered his legs to keep from falling. Alex stopped short and nearly fell over.
"Otis...why did you..oh."
About fifty feet below was a harbor with ships docked as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately, undead guards wandered the piers and docks below. Getting through here wasn't going to be easy.
"Did they see us back there?" asked Alex. Otis simply chirped. "Well Otis? Ready for a little bit of fighting?"
Otis had his work cut out for him. His primary method of attack was the powerful neurotoxin secreted from his hypodermic fangs. Seeing as the guards were undead, poison wouldn't do much good. For an alien creature, Otis was pretty creative. He would think of another way to help Alex fight.
Alex finally had the coordination back to aim his rifle from the rooftops.
"All right, Otis. Here's the plan. You leap down there and get their attention, I'll cover you from up here. Got it?"
Otis squealed and leapt off the roof. He landed with silent precision. Unfortunately, he had to give himself away by emitting a piercing, screeching cry that echoed throughout the harbor. It wasn't long before hordes of zombies were shambling towards the alien. Alex viewed down the rifle's primitive sights, a series of grooves along the top of the gun. When he had a zombie in sight, he delivered a stream of destructive cerulean energy into the target's rotting head. The resulting blast caused the zombie to collapse into dust and bones.
Alex couldn't fire off shots rapidly. The energy for a shot was pent up over a time of several seconds, and then released it. This made the rifle's rate of fire suffer, but at least the shots were powerful.
The zombies began to advance on Otis.
"Hang in there, man! I've got an idea." Alex sighted a large metal container dangling on a chain about twenty feet above a group of zombies. Alex aimed at the chain and fired. The chain disintegrated and the two-ton container fell to the earth, crushing about ten or so zombies. Just a few more....
Alex pulled the trigger again. Nothing happened. Alex checked the vents on the sides of the rifle. The air near them was shimmering. The rifle had overheated.
"Damn, it's going to take a while to cool down. Hold on, Otis!"
Alex jumped down in front of the zombies and whacked one with the butt of his rifle, sending the hulking mass of decomposing flesh into the water. A zombie managed to get a shot in on Alex, making a long but shallow gash across the suit's torso with his sword. Alex picked up an empty barrel and rammed the zombie with it, knocking it down. Suddenly, Alex got clubbed in the chest with an oil barrel. The barrel cracked open and began to leak. In the shock of the attack, Alex was knocked down and dropped his hot rifle. The vent happened to land on top of the oil, which was enough to light the stream. The flame made its way back to the barrel and exploded.
Alex was thrown back into a pile of wooden crates and the remaining zombies were annihilated. When all was over, Otis crawled over and knocked some crates off of Alex. Otis squeaked to let Alex know that he was okay.
"Whew...what a fight, eh, Otis?" Alex got up and picked up the rifle. Luckily it wasn't damaged from the blast. His suit on the other hand, had taken some scuffs. There was a gash across the torso, and the visor of his helmet was cracked slightly from the concussive blast. There were also several dents from blunt attacks from the zombies. At least he and Otis were alive.
"Otis, up!" The headcrab scampered into Alex's arm and sat at his shoulder. Letting the rifle cool down, the two fighters made their way across the harbor and towards the gate to the coast.
Posted by: Jenia on Wednesday August 30th, 2006
Kerig was confused.
"Not to get invovled...?"
Kerig slightly moved to the right, dodging a spark that flew by.
"Well, I guess it can't be helped..." he thought, and was about to sit down.
"Oh no you don't..." Weloss stopped him "Now you stand right there and wait for the right moment to strike. Understand?"
"Sheesh..." Kerig muttered under his breath, but followed the advice given to him.
-------------------------------------------
Afelan was relieved to finally be out of the city.
The citizens were all gathered at the square and the undead guards posed no challenge, so leaving unnoticed was quite easy.
"What an unpleasant persona, that Kronos..."
Slowly walking, Afelan stared at the sky, holding a blindfold in the right hand...
It was bright, cloudless and clear. There was no hint to the bloodshed of today.
"...Well, as long as I get my work's worth, I'm satisfied..."
Afelan increased the pace. Blasting noises were heard in the distance, but no heed was paid to them.
"...I wish this would have been possible to do faster..."
Soon enough two undead wyverns were heard flying through the sky.
As soon as they entered vision's range, Afelan noticed that each was carrying a small figure....They were too high up to figure out, but Afelan knew that the target is one or the other.
"About time." Afelan hastly reached the shoreline and climbed into the blue boat which was prepared earlier.
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday August 30th, 2006
"Arg...That sick twisted freak..." Marshall growled. "How could the gods even allow something like that to happen? How can that person continue living with himself? Does he feel no remorse?"
He sighed, and looked at the ground below him, and then above at the undead wyvern, it was disgusting, but not nearly as horrid as what he saw. He looked at Ein, being carried by another wyvern next to him.
"Ein, you look deathly grief-stricken. Yet you barely even knew the girl, you were together for all of a few hours...Yet again, does that matter with true love?"
"Nevertheless Kronos and his Sovereignty is not only pure evil, but it's also against everything the Aspyes stand for. This Sovereignty must be wiped out; those people deserve to be shown a better life. They have been totally brainwashed, it's going to be hell to convince them the better ways of the Aspyes..."
Marshall sighed sadly. "I'm terribly sorry Ein. I hope you'll be okay."
Posted by: Trent on Wednesday August 30th, 2006
<i>Argh! I was totally useless! She scowled even more as Nick approached and the army left. She gave her response. "Thanks, but my boyfriend thinks I'm cute in every light." She brought the swirling sphere of energy back, and thrusted it out fiercely toward Nick's chest. "And for the record, I AM. <b>Spiral Sphere!" It wouldn't break the skin, but it would hopefully cause massive internal damage, and it would definitely create great external damage. She would retain the energy and it would swirl against his chest fiercely until she could retain the energy no longer.
--- --- ---
"If Jayce kills Draven," said Zion, "He might just get rid of the machine too. But if Draven kills Jayce, we very well might have a very angry Retan on our hands. However, that would be one less Dark Emperor to worry about. A plan... Let me think here."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Wednesday August 30th, 2006
Nick grabbed her wrist. "I'm sorry to kill a beuitiful woman." He pushed her wrist away. "I'll give you three options. one; join the kandrains, two; leave here so I don't have to shed blood, or three; Be destroied. So which will it be?"
Posted by: Zeros' on Wednesday August 30th, 2006
Zeros' sighed and held up one finger.
"For one... Jayce is more powerful then Draven. I know that almost for certain. Draven is a human, even if he is abit on the extremely powerful scale, but... Jayce and Retan are Draken's, if I remember correctly..." he murmured, a painful memory of Qeni being slashed in half by Jayce entered his mind. He held up another finger.
"Two, if Jayce does kill Draven and the machine, well... Then we'd have to deal with both Jayce and Retan alone... or as along as they'd be. I have no doubt that they've probaby gathered forces of some sort to protect them... Weither it might be other Drakens, undeads... whatever," he sighed again.
He held up a third finger.
"Third... If Draven does manage to kill Jayce, well, he wouldn't turn on us immediately. No matter how powerful Draven is, he can't beat all of us," he said, jesturing to his companions. "Also... That war machine of Draven's is damaged. I don't know to what extent... But it's damage enough that it can't use the cannon on us," he murmured and leaned back. He held up a fourth finger.
"And last... Draven wouldn't take on us until Retan was dead anyways. Retan poses a more immediate threat to him rebuilding the Crimson Empire then we do, due to the treaty we have. As for building our plans around Draven, it's always good to have strong allies, eh?
"Anyways, Anyone want to add anything else?"
Posted by: Trent on Wednesday August 30th, 2006
Missed! She still retained the energy. "Your overconfidence disgusts me." She then let it loose, and it swirled into the air. She pulled her scimitars out of the ground and stepped back a bit. "If you're going to be like that, so will I. I'll defeat you using only these swords." She twirled them around, and awaited Nick's move. "Though something seems strange. Why are you so bent on me leaving?" Tsu had already left safely... Well, safe enough. There really wasn't any point for her to stay. But this just seemed weird to her.
--- --- ---
"Yeh, that sounds good," said Xenai as he nodded.
"Then I guess there's nothing to do then just wait it out."
Posted by: Xorlak on Wednesday August 30th, 2006
Without warning, Draven suddenly ducked out of the way, jumping backwards. Jayce was caught in the totally unexpected grasp of the gargantuan machine.
"What the blood is this--?!"
Draven took the opportunity to shoot up and over the two. He was panting heavily from the fierce swordfight. His aura of flame flaring, his sword disappeared as he placed both hands above his head. A small point of crimson light developed just above them, and began to grow in size...
Jayce clenched his teeth and growled at the machine that was binding him, his features less human than before...
"Those who interfere will pay with a hundred deaths..."
A blackness emanated from the dark armored Draken... a blackness so deep that the very light around the two seemed to bend and distort, as if it were being absorbed into the void created by the man... The blackness began to engulf the machine, its life sucking aura threatening to emulsify Horus' metal body...
----
There was little sign of life at North Point. The only sound was the endless washing of waves... It was a dreary, stormy place.
The fortress was surrounded on three sides by inscaleable cliffs, with huge two hundred foot drop offs that plummeted straight into the angry ocean below. It stood at the end of a long, narrow peninsula with similar drop offs on the right and left. Any approaching army would have to traverse this narrow strip of land if they wanted to approach by ground...
The southern (and only) gate slowly opened, a lone black caped man appeared standing on the overhang above it. His face was pale, as if he had recently seen a ghost and was trying to recover...
"Our Lord has decided to grant an audience with your commanders..." he shouted back at the army...
Black clouds seemed to have formed in the area, and spread southward...
Posted by: D. Ein on Thursday August 31st, 2006
Both of the wyverns landed. Ein was dropped down onto the cold ground, where he stayed. He just sat and looked directly in front of him, saying nothing. His face was completely expressionless.
Soon, however, he heard a voice. In his own head. Figures.
-"So the wretch died, big deal. Move on!</span>"
-"Just. Shut. Up."
The voice seemed to get the point, and made no further attempt to make itself known.
--- --- ---
Commander Hasterb of Division Piat, commander Soghol of Division Sheist and commander Vorren of division Vosem left their underlings, and made way to the fortress. They were accompanied by 12 shock troops, each armed with a very brutal-looking arbalest (a large, more powerful version of a crossbow, able to easily punch through knight's armour). Before stepping foot onto the stone walkway, Hasterb stopped.
-"I do not like this place. I do not like this place at all. If it were not for the Lord's wishes, I would tear this place down without a second thought."
Soghol looked at his fellow commander, and with but a hint of annoyance, said:
-"GAWD, so it looks scary! Why do you ALWAYS have to be so PARANOID? I GUESS that paranoia makes a GOOD commander, but it ALSO makes him VERY ANNOYING..."
Vorren threw angry looks at the other commanders.
-"Both of you, shut up. I have more experience in this kind of thing, and trust me: this is one of those times when you judge a book by its cover. Be very cautious in there, and don't let your guard down. Those clouds also seem a bit sinister..."
-"GAWD, you TOO? Why does EVERYONE disagree with me today? I guess it's just one of THOSE days!"
Vorren angrily whipped around, his nose almost touching Soghol's.
-"If you want to keep your career, you will silence yourself this very moment, at this very point in time. When we get inside, you both will speak when I will allow you to speak. Don't you even dare to think unrelated thoughts in there, or you're going to be scraping your remains off the capital square's execution pedestal, you got that? Good."
Without any more discussion on the matter, the commanders walked across the bridge to the caped man, and shook hands with him.
-"Now, take us to your Lord, if you will."
Both Hasterb and Soghol spoke not a word; they genuinely trusted Vorren. Or they were just afraid of him. Either way, his little talk worked on both of the younger commanders.
--- --- ---
Alarmed, Horus jumped back, off the Draken. Seems this situation called for a more... drastic approach.
He flipped backwards, landing just in front of his maul. As he picked it up, though, the maul's head started to change shape... some of the individual plates making up the maul folded, while others deployed.
Soon enough, Horus' maul no longer looked like a maul. Instead, it was a long pike, with a rather deadly looking head. Spikes, hooks, splinters - you name it - all appeared at the end of the pike.
However, the time to use the actual pike did not come yet. First, he had to get Jayce to a position where he would be vulnerable to the said pike.
Horus flipped his weapon around so that the long handle was now pointing to Jayce. With a spin, he aimed the handle at Jayce's legs, attempting to trip him...
--- --- ---
Steorra was sitting on her bed, still trying to get her mind in order. The last thing that she remembered... the ship... dead Vincent... then, her mind was blank. What happened? Why was she here? Where exactly was here?
Her new clothes were substantially better than her last. It was all in the same style - black flares for pants, and a black shirt for top - but it was made differently.
Instead of the plain black fabric, the clothes were now made of a very strange material - it felt like metallic fibres. Inside, however, it was as soft as any silk, and the best part was that it covered her almost entirely. Other than the fact that it was a little hard to breathe in, this new clothing was amazing.
Still somewhat confused, Steorra walked over to a window. She was overlooking a very misty island, with a lot of... buildings? on the ground.
The door behind her creaked. She whipped around, instinctively scanning the room for her staff, which was right next to the bed. After a short thought, though, she decided to not even bother getting it. Whoever prepared a room like this for her probably wasn't going to brutally kill her now.
The door opened completely. A very strange man dressed in equally strange robes entered the room. He had a black headband with five dark red feathers on it, and his robe was coloured equally - dark red and black, with a few streaks of beige. There was a loose torn up semi-ring of black fabric around his shoulders, just floating around him without any support. Steorra saw this person the first time in her life, but something seemed eerily familiar about him...
-"I see you are awake." The stranger's voice further puzzled Steorra. She almost definately heard this kind of strange pronounciation before: the 's' was longer than normal, and pronounced in a creepy whisper...
-"Who are you? What happened? What am I doing here? Wha--?"
The stranger put his hand on Steorra's shoulder.
-"I know you have a lot of questions. Not even I know what happened... something to blow you into a million pieces happened, but other than that, I do not know how you ended up dead."
Steorra was taken somewhat aback by the last sentence, especially the last word. She took a few stumbling steps back, before falling down on her bed.
-"D-dead?"
-"Yes, but I won't go into details now, we can discuss that later-"
-"Who are you, anyway?"
The man looked down at Steorra. When she saw his eyes - those cold, unfeeling eyes - she remembered everything. Everything.
-"K-k-k-.."
-"My name is Kronos."
Steorra completely collapsed on the bed, unconcious. Kronos sighed, picked her up, and carried her out of the room.
Posted by: Jenia on Thursday August 31st, 2006
Kerig just stood there, watching the growing blackness.
"That doesn't look good..." he muttered "Maybe we should..."
Weloss silenced him. Obviously he had an idea of sorts.
Weloss begun talking into Draven's mind, just as he did before.
"Look, I don't care what's your problem with this freak..." he told him "But obviously he has a lot of stamina, therefore physically damaging attacks would be ineffective. If you want the fight to end now, hold him in place somehow..."
Weloss stopped for but a moment, but continued shortly after.
"Kerig's strike will couse him to faint no matter how strong his defenses are, as long as it doesn't miss."
--------------------------
Afelan's blue boat quickly reached the main continent. The boat's color and the magic glyphs made sure it remains fast and hidden from praying eyes, making it an ideal sea transport.
After getting off the boat, hiding it and marking it's location, it was nessecery to locate the target. The task was not hard, since the undead wyverns were easy to follow. The dropping spot was spotted, and from there it was a matter of footsteps on the ground.
Afelan hopped on a tree, pushing a small squirrel aside and continued to hop from tree to tree, searching for the prey.
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday August 31st, 2006
Marshall was dropped on the ground and landed next to Ein. He heard him speak, seeing as nobody else was around he assumed he was talking to him, and replying to what he said.
"Listen Ein, getting angry at me isn't going to make anything better." Marshall said, sincerely. He got up, and tore the Kandarin clothing off, leaving his blue muscle shirt and black pants.
"I know you're upset about Amaya's death and I'm not asking you to get over it, but we've got to get to closest Aspye camp and inform our comrades of these people. So why don't you get up..." He looked oddly at Ein's face. "...And maybe try to blink a little..."
----
"Well, as much as I'd like to start fighting Draven again..." Duilin mumbled, but then spoke up. "I guess now would not be the time for it."
"Yeah and with Retan and Jayce back, they're probably more of a threat then Draven and the Aspyes are." Rink added.
"Oh, and Aegidius." Duilin said. "The current Retan is the long descendent of Alpha Retan, I'm not sure of the first name of this one...Sigma Retan I think. Back in the Empire, us grunts barely even spoke his name."
"I see...well then." Aegidius said. "So, assuming Draven survives this fight, we will have him as an alley? From what I've heard of him, I don't really like this Draven person."
"Join the club." Rink and Duilin both said. (And anyone else, if they want. Heh.)
Posted by: Burton_projects on Thursday August 31st, 2006
//Ein: I wonder what room shes going to go in now...\\
Nick looked at Aura's blues eyes. "Sad.." A dark colored energy appeared in his hand. He clenched his fist and the energy covered is fist and made its way down his arm. This was not magic energy but pure energy from Nick. It was harder to control but much stronger. He punched towards her.
Posted by: Trent on Thursday August 31st, 2006
She smirked, tilting out of the way. She twirled around him, getting behind him, and then slashed downwards toward him with the scimitar in her right hand.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Thursday August 31st, 2006
After the bout with the zombies, Alex and his alien companion had finally made it to the coast. The beaches were oddly pristine.
"Wow, it's as if these beaches have had no human intervention. Interesting..."
His thoughts were cut short by the fact that the grooves on the suit were blinking. Suddenly Alex was concerned. Dr. Kleiner had told Alex that when the grooves blink, the suit had used up the metals needed for fusion. Definitely not a good thing.
The voice warned, "Emergency. Suit power supply depleted. Locate an energy source immedia..." The voice wound down until it finally stopped. The HUD on the suit's visor blinked off, leaving only an unaltered view of the environment. The grooves stopped glowing blue, and faded out to the inactive grey color.
Otis chirped in question, obviously wondering what had happened to the glowing blue mass of metal he was clinging to.
"Well, buddy, it looks like the suit's power finally died. I guess we used more energy than we thought, the suit was supposed to be well-fueled for at least a week. Maybe a bug in the system..."
While Alex had no HUD and could not keep tabs of his lifelines, the suit would still be able to sustain a good amount of physical damage before finally falling apart. Undaunted by the sudden suit failure, Alex and Otis kept going.
"I saw a pair of wyverns fly in this direction...they've gotta be here somewhere. Otis, what do you see?"
It was a mystery as to how Otis could see anything. He had no eyes. Maybe he sensed heat given off by the environment, or perhaps he echolocated like a bat. He chirped a lot. As a matter of fact, Otis lacked most of the sensory organs most terrestrial animals had. The headcrab had no eyes, nose, or ears. The only main feature was his gaping maw on the bottom of his body, and the razor-sharp fangs that surrounded it, as well as the beak headcrabs normally use to couple with a victim to zombify. However, Otis had small hairs on his body and legs. Maybe those sensed vibrations? Only Otis knew for sure, and he didn't speak English. However, he seemed perfectly capable of understanding Alex's instructions back at the harbor. Regardless, he made a good traveling companion.
The sand must have been deeper here. Alex's foot sunk calf-deep when he took a step. The weight of the suit was taking its toll. The suit weighed at least two hundred pounds, but Alex had perfect balance when the suit was active, for reasons unknown. Now, he struggled to get through the deep sand while bearing the weight of the suit. It was also quite hot in there. Alex had managed to drag his frame up onto a large flat rock. It was here that he finally got out of the suit, and switched it out for his trademark jacket. As he sat down to take a break, the suit lay down on the rock like a lifeless metal man.
"Oh well," Alex sighed. "It was good while it lasted. At least I still have the rifle. Of course, that's going to run out of power eventually, as well."
If Kleiner was still alive, and hopefully he was, it was a good chance that he would let Alex keep the suit and gun just as a reward for saving the city. Alex's thoughts perked.
"Y'know Otis...I have a friend in a far-off city, and he has a headcrab for a friend, too."
Otis chirped questioningly. He raised one of his legs and pointed it at himself. This supposedly meant Otis was asking if the headcrab in question was like him.
"Well...," Alex pondered, "not exactly like you, per se. She's more of the normal headcrab."
Otis was clearly confused. He chirped again.
Alex slid off the rock and picked up a stick. He etched the shape of Lamarr in the sand.
"She kind of looks like that. Kleiner calls her Hedy Lamarr. Never heard that name before."
Otis studied the drawing with whatever bodily structure he used to see. He squeaked and swayed his body back and forth. This was something new, what did that body language mean?
"Hmm. There's much about you I've yet to learn, Otis. We better keep going."
Hold on. What would Alex do with the suit? He couldn't keep it out in the open. He looked back at the knee-deep sand. He suddenly had an idea. Alex climbed back up on the rock and dragged the suit down and let it fall to the ground. He covered the suit up with sand.
"That should do it," said Alex. "If all goes well, we should be able to come back here and claim it when we're ready to go home."
Alex picked up the rifle off the rock and stick a piece of driftwood into the sand that the suit was buried under so he could find it again. He took care to position it like the other pieces of salvage wood on the beach so as to not draw attention to it. Alex collected his belongings and called Otis back up to his shoulder. With his goal in mind, to find Ein and Marshall, Alex continued down the beach with jacket, gun, and headcrab.
Posted by: Xorlak on Thursday August 31st, 2006
"Listen, specter," Draven shot back telepathically. "I happen to be an expert in slaying colossal dragons, which is exactly what we're going to be dealing with in a few minutes once he gets bored. Your petty tricks will have no effect on a Draken of the highest rank. But if you wish to buy me time, then my all means go ahead, as I will require it to prepare. I've dealt with this sort before..."
The crimson light flashing above his head swelled to a burning orb over five feet in diameter...
The black energy flowed around Jayce, and his eyes gleamed with a sadistic glint. He watched the massive shaft fly towards his legs, and at the last second flipped his scimitar skyward and then jammed it into the ground with one hand. The thick pole that was the gargantuan spear's handle slammed into the blade at full force, decimating the ground below with a long crack that rumbled the earth, though the blade did not move...
----
The black caped man bowed to the entourage of Kandarinians.
"Right this way."
The darkness inside the fortress was impenetrable, and the faint light of the entrance quickly disappeared as the huge metal doors shut behind them...
One by one, torches lit in slow succession, revealing a passageway, though one could not see more than twenty feet ahead...
The were lead into the darkness, the passage seemingly unending. They took no turns, and seemed to be walking at a slight decline... Despite their training, the shock troops began to whisper among themselves a few minutes into the fortress...
Finally a double door was revealed at the end, though the man who was leading them was no where to be found. He had walked slightly faster than the group, and disappeared into the darkness ahead a few minutes ago. The doors were brazened in ruby red stones, alternating with intricate black patterns. One could make out the shapes of two twisting dragons facing each other, one on each door. Slowly they creaked open, and the soldiers had no where to go but inside...
As the last man stepped foot in, the doors quickly snapped shut behind them, a chilling breeze filling the dank air... This room was at least slightly illuminated. The base of the far wall seemed to have a dark blue hue rising upward, which provided a meager light source...
"Greetings..."
The black chair in the center of the chamber slowly turned, revealing the slitted red eyes and heavy black armored figure of The Dark Emperor Retan.
"I have recently returned from... a minor outing... and have noted the antics of Kandarin with much amusement."
There was a loud <click>, as if the doors behind them locked.
"Since I am a generous ruler, and your nation has... certain qualifying talents... I propose an alliance. I shall allow your nation to inhabit 75% of my Dark Continent and maintain its island home. In return, you need merely continue your current show of force against the rest of the land. If you do not have the authority to accept this offer, I ask that you contact your ruler..."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Thursday August 31st, 2006
Nick skided towards the right just missing the blade. "Hm...Cute and skillfull." Man shes hot but I can't let that get in the way of my mission. Nick said to himself. He turned around slowly keep his eye on the woman. The energy fled from his arm back to his hand and bursting out towards Aura. I can't do this.He said as the energy flew back into him. He knelt to the ground. "I can't kill such a beuitiful woman so ruthlessly." He bowed his head looking to the ground.
Posted by: Trent on Thursday August 31st, 2006
Aura was all ready to dodge. She waited for the right time, and... it didn't come. She smiled as she listened to Nick. "Well you get points in my book. While we're in this temporary truce, would you mind telling me why it's so important that I leave?"
Posted by: D. Ein on Friday September 1st, 2006
The commanders, followed by their convoy, entered the dark chamber. The shock troops took positions around the three leaders in a semicircle, occasionally throwing quick looks at the Dark Emperor and at each other.
Soghol and Hasterb were wild-eyedly looking around the room, obviously uneasy at the dark, gothic style of the entire place. Vorren, however, kept his cool.
-"75%, you say... and on what basis do you claim the 25% that you assigned to yourself? Exactly who are you, anyway? This particular hardpoint is noted on the map as a part of the Crimson Empire."
He studied the man sitting in the throne.
-"You don't look a lot like someone belonging to the Crimsons. In fact, you don't look like anyone I would recognize at all."
The click in the doors, probably a locking mechanism, somewhat alarmed Vorren. The other two commanders took two steps back and drew their crossbows, pointing them at the Emperor with quaking hands.
Vorren threw a dark glance at Soghol and Hasterb, which was enough for them to put the weapons away. They were still, however, very tense-looking.
-"Your greeting manners are rather interesting. However..."
The older commander looked around at his fellow Kandarinians. He noted their looks, comparable to that of a cornered thief. The Lord has to be informed of the low amount of morale training in his armies...
-"Since you claim you know a fair bit about the Sovereignty, you should also know that death matters very little to his followers..."
--- --- ---
Horus looked at Jayce. Things didn't seem to be doing good... perhaps... it is time...
He threw his gigantic pike aside. At the same time, something started humming in him, and a large black pentagram just appeared on the ground, with him in the middle. The same kind of black matter was seeping through the fissures in between the armour plates. His hands also underwent a strange transformation. The palms were thinner but broader, while the fingers elongated into vicious claws.
Horus felt his energy capacitors being tested to the extreme. This kind of attack would take a lot out of him... it would be amazing if he could still function afterwards...
--- --- ---
Ein didn't reply to Marshall. He just got up and started walking away from the beach, into the depths of a dense forest, starting right after the yellow sand ended.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Friday September 1st, 2006
My master asks of me to despose of the 'annoance' that was getting in the way of his army. It's just that I can't do this to someone like you....The kandrians really aren't bad people." Nick looked up ad noticed a small spring in the ruins of the small town. "So how is your back?" Nick asked in concern.
Posted by: Jenia on Friday September 1st, 2006
Kerig did not like the sight.
"...Now?" he wondered if the time is right. Recieveing no immediate response from Weloss, he assumed the answer to be positive and jumped into the air as if shot from a cannon.
Fully concentrated on his swallow's aim, Kerig swung it as fast as he could unto Jayce.
Posted by: Zeros' on Friday September 1st, 2006
Zeros' shrugs.
"Not many people - if any - really like Draven, but you have to admit... He does have a hellva lotta power and a kingdom with followers... Sometimes, you have to work with people you don't like or understand," he said reasonabily.
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday September 1st, 2006
"Yeah, he can actually be a good alley." Rink added.
"Well, I guess I can respect that, but from what I've heard of this Draven and you say Retan is even more dangerous then him and that Haraldur fellow, he must be a terrible person." Aegidius said.
"Yeah, he is." Duilin replied. "I saw him once. He killed a very good friend of ours. He was kind of the one who brought us all together, kind of."
"I see..." Aegidius replied.
The three looked off back at the fight between to two tyrants.
"I see the machine is helping Draven." Aegidius said. "If Draven does become our ally, perhaps the machine may as well."
"Hmm..." Rink thought. "Hopefully."
----
Marshall sighed in annoyance. "Ein, where are you going!?" He yelled, following him into the woods.
Posted by: Trent on Friday September 1st, 2006
"That machine's massively powerful. Rasengan Chidori's no attack to be scoffed at. And it's already back in this good of shape? Having it as an ally would be great!" Zion nodded as he analyzed that situation. Meanwhile, Xenai sat on the ground indian style and picked his nose like a moron.
--- --- ---
"Aww. Hee hee." She smiled. "My back's alright, thanks for asking. The Kandrians... I've not heard of them. Tell me about them."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Friday September 1st, 2006
"The leader Kronos he looks young but he is so ruthless. He said if I ever failed him he would not hesitate to kill me. Theres something wrong with the people there. They are all fine with this evil ruler. Not that I wish to go against Kronos its just that it makes me feel akward." He looked down and waited a few moments. " So who are you with?"
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday September 2nd, 2006
//>.< why does everyone insist on misspelling Kandarin? kan-dar-in, and kandarinians live in it. Man, Trent, I feel your pain when everyone spelled "xenai" as "xenia"...\\
"It took me quite a long while to get Steorra back into conciousness. Explaining my complex situation was even harder and longer, even more so Steorra's part in it.
-"Well... with Vincent dead, and you becoming the main world power... I don't see how I have much choice but to stick with you for now. However, even when it is with someone I barely know... I hate living off other people."
She looked at me.
-"Perhaps I could be of some help? Surely you need to manage your nation, and you have no time for small bothers like me..."
I sighed. It was best not to admit this just yet, but I would gladly throw my entire empire aside, just to be with her and her alone. But a force this powerful must not be left unsupervised... at least not now.
-"Well, I do, in fact, have a small task for you. I need you to go scout out a large populated center, labelled "Asargania". It is a short distance away from Bitterfrost Mountains, where lay the ruins of the Nightshade. I currently have three divisions surrounding it from all sides, but they are quite far away right now. I need you to see if there is anything worth capturing... and if there is, I want you to lead the assault."
My hand happened upon a secret fold in my robe, with a small metallic object in it. The object shook my memory.
-"Oh, and one last thing. Come here, if you will."
Steorra came closer to me. From the fold in my robe, I took out a rhombical talisman with the Kandarinian seal on it. However, the eagle was not red... The talisman also had four claw-like features at the corners of the rhombus.
-"Now..." I lifted the talisman by its small red chain, and put it around Steorra's neck. "Now you are no longer a wanderer. Now you are Kandarinian."
The talisman made a faint click, and the four sharp teeth dug dug deep into Steorra's flesh. The eagle part of the symbol filled with her blood...
-"Now, go. I await your return most eagerly."
With but a hint of a smile, Steorra opened the nearest window, and jumped...
I looked out the window. About half-way down, Steorra casted her wing spell on her... a pair of blinding wings of pure light cut through the mist covering my islands. She took off in the direction of the Continent."
--- --- ---
Ein said nothing, but continued walking.
-"Marshall, I need rest. As do you, I suppose. It has been a long day, and both me and you had their fill of necromancers. I suggest we set up camp somewhere in here."
He pointed to a nearby meadow, in the clearing inside the forest.
-"Why don't you gather some long poles while I get a fire ready?"
His voice was pointedly dry. He stared at Marshall with an empty expression.
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday September 2nd, 2006
"Uhh, sure, sure. Why not?" Marshall replied.
He walked deeper into the woods, looking for some long sticks of wood that have fallen off trees. One who would go into the woods would find no trouble obtaining long poles of wood.
Marshall was a bit concerned with Ein, he didn't like him acting in this way. He's bottling everything up, it's not healthy for him to do this.
Posted by: Xorlak on Saturday September 2nd, 2006
The swallow slammed into the unsuspecting Jayce’s chest at full force, and he was thrown backwards several feet.
“What the--?!”
Though the Draken’s deep black aura absorbed most of the spell, just enough seeped through to delay him… just barely…
From above, Draven saw Jayce reel for a split second, and knew that this was the only chance he’d get…
“Blast it… the spell is incomplete…”
The blazing, crackling orb above his head had swollen to 15 feet in diameter… far smaller that the one used to destroy Alpha Retan… but he had no choice… there was no way that fiend would let himself be hit with that swallow again…
He stretched his arms high above, grabbing the coursing energy surrounding the orb with both hands. He pulled the mass of flame down, and the huge orb plummeted like a spiked volleyball…
“CRIMSON DEATH ANNIHILATION ATTACK !! ATTACK !! ATTACK !!”
Just as the paralyzing effects of the swallow brushed off, Jayce looked upwards as the massive fireball loomed just overhead.
“Holy f--”
Draven clenched his fists. Realizing Kerig was way too close…
“Blast it, get out of there!!”
Jayce threw his blade above his head in defense as the blazing volley connected. The sky turned blood red as a pillar of flame burst forth, blasting apart the surrounding terrain in a massive explosion…
----
(Update for Retan later.)
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Saturday September 2nd, 2006
The sun was starting to approach the horizon. Unfortunately, Alex was walking west.
"God, I wish Ein and Marshall would stop moving. It's that much more distance I have to cover."
Otis sluggishly chirped. He was getting tired as well.
"At least it's cooler now," Alex said. "Less of a strain."
Alex stopped for a moment. He saw footprints in the sand. Two pairs of feet continued down the beach and then turned north into the forest. Finally, a lead! Alex hoped that if he could get to the end of these footprints by nightfall, that he would find them.
"Just hang on, Otis. I don't think we'll be out here much longer. Once we find Ein and Marshall, we can take a breather."
Alex upped his pace to a fast walk, shielding his eyes from the vermillion light coming down from the sun. As the two continued, Alex noticed that his feet sunk less and less into the sand. He was approaching the forest borders. Tall evergreens reached up into the sky, at least a hundred or so feet tall.
"At least with a forest, we can find some shade," Alex remarked. It wasn't long before the glaring, coarse sand was replaced by lush, green grass once again. Alex sat down for a moment and took off his shoes. Quite a bit of sand had found its way in.
"Urgh, I hate sand in my shoes," Alex complained. Otis made no reply. The little alien had finally drifted off into a slumber.
"Sweet dreams Otis," murmured Alex softly as he put his shoes back on and continued.
Alex continued to trek through the shady forest, safely out of the harsh heat of the coast. If Ein and Marshall had any brains at all, they would have found a place to rest by now. Alex knew they had common sense, but Ein could be a little...simple-minded...at times. For the most part, he got things done.
The foliage of the forest floor mainly consisted of small shrubs and twigs, with occasional big rocks to sit on. Alex wondered why he hadn't seen any wildlife yet...no deer, no bears, no nothing. There weren't even any mosquitoes in the air, much to Alex's comfort.
The effects of shade were immediately noticeable. The air temperature in the forest was at least fifteen or twenty degrees lower than what it was on the beach. The odor of pine needles filled the moist air. It was almost a pleasant environment to be exploring in.
Alex came upon a river that cut through the forest and emptied out into the ocean beyond. The water flowed at a brisk pace, which meant it wasn't stagnant.
Alex carefully sat Otis down beside him as he cupped his hands and dipped them into the river. He scooped out some water and splashed it on his face to cool himself off. Not even the roaring river stirred Otis from his sleep.
Placing Otis back on his shoulder, Alex continued into the forest. The trees got rather thick here, Alex had to be careful and step between them. Finally, he managed to penetrate the wall of pines to reveal a pristine meadow.
"Well...this should make things easier," said Alex to himself.
Otis gurgled a little bit in his sleep. Did headcrabs dream?
Alex sniffed the air. Was that smoke? It must have been, there was a thin but long stream of greyish smoke rising up into the air, on the other side of the hill, about a thousand or so yards off.
"Maybe it's them," Alex sighed with relief. "Maybe they found something to eat, I'm getting a little bit hungry."
With his thoughts turned to his empty stomach and fatigued body, Alex and the slumbering headcrab continued in the direction of the smoke.
Posted by: Xorlak on Saturday September 2nd, 2006
The Dark Emperor chuckled slightly, leaning back in his chair more and resting his helmeted head on his right hand.
“Heh… I will forgive your ignorance given the… uniqueness… of your nation.” He mused, referring to the Kandarin Sovereignty’s xenophobic nature. “I am Retan, supreme ruler of the Dark Empire. The Dark Continent and several surrounding nations belong to me and only me. Five years ago an… unfortunate event… drew me away from my duties. Apparently one of my subordinates took up the throne in my absence, but was ineffective. This is the ‘Crimson Empire’ you speak of. I have returned to find several insurgent movements in my land that will be swiftly punished. However since your nation happens to be doing just that, I have determined that it would be mutually beneficial to allow you to continue traveling your current path as well as allow you to inhabit certain sections of my domain that I find useless.”
Another figure became apparent in the room, to The Dark Emperor’s left. It was difficult to make out in the darkness, but it was short and cloaked, wringing leathery hands and making a scraping sound as it hobbled over to the side of its master… Retan continued,
“Do give me your decision quickly, for it would be unfortunate to see your legions wasted in a moment of indecision due to the fault of my anxious servants…”
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday September 2nd, 2006
-"As I said," hissed Vorren. "Death means little to us.... Then again, we certainly don't want those servants of yours sweating on a fruitless task - attempting to slay three divisons of Kandarinian soldiers."
The shock troops, although still a bit uneasy, puffed out their chest in pride.
-"I will admit, our troops are as not skilled nor as well-armed as our Lord wishes us to be..." The troops' chests sank. "...but our Lord grants us the gift of immortality."
Vorren awarded Retan with a dark look.
-"However, due to our... uniqueness... I am willing to forgive your last comment."
He took out a scroll out of his long black coat.
-"This contains the original treaty proposed by my Lord himself."
<img src='http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/8254/treatyly3.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
//I have too much time on my hands...\\
-"Are you still content with the alliance?"
--- --- ---
Draven's volley missed Horus, but only by so much. The energy stopped seeping through his armour, and he jumped up. No - jump would not be a correct enough word. Horus soared, unable to be detected by any eye. The black pentagram vanished as mysteriously as it appeared...
--- --- ---
Ein was sitting in front of the logs heated by a sigil sketched under them. Amaya... This was really no time to sulk, he thought. Perhaps that thrice cursed voice was right. Perhaps it really was time to move on. Perhaps.
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday September 2nd, 2006
Marshall came back, with a bundle of long sticks and placed them on the ground not to far from Ein and himself. He picked up one and stuck into the ground. He picked up another pole and leaned it against the other one, yet it fell to the ground, nearly hitting Marshall's foot.
"Umm...now how would I start with this..." Marshall wasn't the best architect especially with sticks. "Um, Ein. You want to give me a hand with this perhaps?" He asked, hoping for a reply.
----
"Holy crap!" Duilin exclaimed, as he spotted Draven use his CDAA attack. "That was the Crimson Death Annihilation Attack, the one he used to kill the black dragon."
"Yeah, but it wasn't nearly as big, but still the CDAA is a fairly powerful attack. I'm assuming not as strong as the Mega Death Annihilation Attack?"
"Heh." Aegidius smirked. "The name is almost as original as the performance of the attack." He commented sarcastically.
Posted by: Jenia on Sunday September 3rd, 2006
Kerig was quite suprised that his attack only stunned his foe.
As he took a moment to ponder wether he needs more training, he heard a loud voice behind him.
Draven was apperantly yelling something, but before Kerig could figure out what it is, he noticed a big shiney ball heading in his direction.
"Crud!" Kerig yelped as he blasted himself in another direction.
Only after Kerig saw himself to be far enough, he actualy bothered to look where he blasted himself to.
BANG!
Kerig's head hit the ground with a loud "puff!", raising a small cloud of dust.
His nose begun to bleed, and for a few seconds, he continued to lie still.
Suddenly, his eyes opened widely. Both shining in crimson red, his body seemed to have begun flaming. His nose stopped bleeding. He slowly got up.
All of his limbs shook like a mad ghoul.
"NnnnGHnnnn..." His voice seemed to be much deeper and darker now.
------------------------------
Afelan was comfortably lying on a tree branch above Ein's still unlit campfire.
"What a nuisance... This is taking too long..."
An idea was to sprinkle water on them, confusing them into thinking it's raining and thus forcing them to move somewhere else, but it was quickly scrapped.
"Drat...I guess I'll wait.
And so Afelan remained to silently observe the two from above.
Posted by: Zeros' on Sunday September 3rd, 2006
Zeros' shook his head.
"Yes... It wasn't as powerful, but we can only hope it was sufficent to destroy Jayce. One less Draken to worry about," he said, waving his hand vaguely.
Posted by: Dude Man on Sunday September 3rd, 2006
"Indeed." Rink nodded. "From what I've seen of this Jayce he is quite a dangerous character."
Aegidius sighed. "No wonder I was sent here."
"Heh" Duilin wispered to Xenai. "Ten gold says Jayce lives." He said this jokingly, but he wouldn't turn down a bet.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Sunday September 3rd, 2006
Alex continued to walk through the shin-deep grass that carpeted the meadow. It was like the eye of the forest.
Otis gurgled once again, and started to move a little bit. He chirped groggily.
"Well, glad to see you up again," Alex said. "We're almost to Ein and Marshall, I think."
While Alex kept walking, Otis took his time in waking up. It was doubtful that all headcrabs were this groggy. Then again, Otis has seen much more than any normal headcrab would.
Alex topped the hill and peered down the other side. The smoke rising into the sky was indeed a fire, a small camp fire. Much to his relief, he saw Ein and Marshall milling around the camp. Marshall was busy trying to build what seemed to be a crude shelter, while Ein was sitting down staring blankly into the fire. He must have been more racked up about Amaya's death than Alex thought.
This was certainly a change of character for Ein. Normally he was outgoing, mischievous, and a bit clumsy at times. It confounded Alex to see him in such a skulking state. He seemed inconsolable.
Alex started down the other side of the hill, anxious to finally meet up with his friends.
"Ein! Marshall! Over here!" Alex called. "It's Alex! Thank God I found you guys."
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday September 4th, 2006
"Alex!" Marshall said happily. He let go of one stick and the entire thing fell down, he shrugged and looked back at Alex. "Alex, how did you get here? Did you escape? Man, those Kandarin really need to get better prison security."
Posted by: Xorlak on Monday September 4th, 2006
The thinning smoke revealed yet another crater, this one much larger than the last...
Now he really was angry...
The Draken slowly emerged from the hole, looking a bit ruffled. His teeth were clenched and a deep blackness swirled about him...
"Now you shall experience the power that puts gods to shame..."
Just then dark clouds became visible on the northern horizon, running southward... Jayce seemed very distracted by this and turned his head, his look of anger turning to one more of concern...
"Blast it... he's here..."
He flashed Draven one last look of malice, then turned and flew northwards like the wind...
Draven watched this wide eyed before realizing exactly what had just happened. He began to bellow a cackling laugh, landing on the ground near Kerig.
----
The Dark Emperor chuckled again.
"I admire your arrogance. It is a most... useful trait... But a word of caution..."
He leaned a bit closer to his guests.
"... There are alternatives far worse than death..."
He leaned back again.
"Your treaty is accepted on the condition that the same is recognized for us, the border permissions in particular. I envision this alliance to be most... beneficial... for all of our... people...
"You may have all of the Dark Continent except this fortress and all lands with elevations greater than 8,000 feet. These are mountainous areas that you would find uninhabitable anyway."
Posted by: Trent on Monday September 4th, 2006
// Forgive my extended absence. My cable modem died. :[
"You're on, pal." The smoke cleared. "Dammit. Fine, here you go." Xenai pulled the gold out of his pocket and forked it over, grumbling. "Hey, where th' hell's he goin'?"
--- --- ---
"I'm in no real alliance. I'm just with my boyfriend Tsu Nami, who's with a couple of guys named Zion Ultima and Xenai Omega. They're not really aligned with anyone, though they seem to have a temporary alliance with Lord Draven. I'm in the Crimson military... though I joined quite a while ago, and I was very... different then. I'm not sure if I still belong there. I'll tell my friends about your land and your ruler. I'm sure we might be able to do something to help. But I have to go now. My boyfriend woke up and flew off during the siege on the town. He's badly injured from a previous battle, and I have to make sure he's okay. You're not so bad after all. I'm Aura Hikari. You are...?"
Posted by: Burton_projects on Monday September 4th, 2006
"Oh...Its Nick. Well I guess I'll see you around." Nick started back towards Kandiran.(if I spelt it right) As he did a sent a message to Kronos The pest you wanted has left. Nick put his sword back, and felt pressure was off his back.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Monday September 4th, 2006
Alex was glad to finally see Marshall again. Ein apparently hadn't noticed his return.
"Actually, I did manage to escape, with the help of Otis here," Alex said, pointing to the black headcrab on his shoulder. "I managed to get to the harbor before having to deal with those goddamned undead guards. Again, Otis was able to help. By then, the suit had been completely drained of its energy, so I left it behind so I could travel lighter. I covered it up with some sand so no one else but me could find it. I got into the forest and into this meadow...and here I am now."
Alex looked over to Ein, who was still staring into the fire.
"Poor Ein. He must've really had feelings for Amaya," Alex said somberly. Alex picked up one of the wooden poles that Marshall had been trying to fashion into a shelter. "Maybe I could give you a hand? I know a thing or two about building things."
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday September 4th, 2006
"Yeah, he hasn't really talked much since we got to the island. First thing he said was 'shut up', I assumed he was talking to me because I tried to talk some sense in him." Marshall explained.
"So yeah, I'd appreciate that. I've never been to good at building things. Other then smelling gases, knowing my history and geography and summoning monsters I haven't been to good at anything else."
----
Duilin let out a quick laugh before taking the money, and pocketing it.
"It looks like Jayce is flying away. I could have guessed it would end something like this, really." Duilin said, answering Xenai.
Posted by: Trent on Monday September 4th, 2006
"Great," said Zion. "So that fight was pretty much pointless." He gave a sigh.
--- --- ---
Aura smiled and turned around, flying off. She looked once more at the town. She sighed and looked around for Tsu. She saw him leaning against a tree, asleep. She slowly descended to the ground and landed, walking over to him. "Hey... Are you alright?"
He slowly opened his eyes. He was still too weak to even turn his head. She turned it for him. "...I've been better." With that, he just fell asleep once more. She frowned, picking him up. Looks like I'm headed for another town. She then flew off in search of another town to stay in.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Monday September 4th, 2006
//Aww...I wanted post # 4500.\\
Letting Ein collect his thoughts, Alex proceeded to teach Marshall the basics of construction. Otis leapt off Alex's shoulder and sat down on a nearby rock.
"All right. First things first. You want your walls to be structurally stable, because they support the roof. What good is a roof that crashes down on you in the middle of the night?"
Marshall nodded thoughtfully.
"That's why it's important to know the strengths of certain shapes," Alex continued. He took some wooden poles and arranged them into a square.
"While a square is a standard construction shape, it's not the strongest one," Alex explained. Alex took another pole and fit it diagonally inside the square, forming two triangles that fit into each other.
"Triangles are the strongest shape in construction," Alex went on. He raised the wall until it was upright. "Having four of these will easily support the roof." Alex took his time in constructing three more, one of them having an opening in it for an entrance. He raised the rest of the walls until he had the basic structure of a shelter...that is, until it collapsed. The loud noise made Otis squeal and duck behind Marhsall, shivering. Ein remained glued to his rock like a statue.
"Of course, it helps to have a form of adhesive or constraint...," Alex said. "It's a pity we don't have any nails. Maybe there's something around here we can use as a substitute."
Alex figured out a solution, but didn't like it. Ein had some barbed crossbow bolts. Alex remembered seeing someone else back in Glacia use crossbow bolts as a substitute for nails. Unfortunately, Ein didn't seem to be in any mood to be spoken to.
"Well...um...would you have any ideas, Marshall?"
Posted by: Zeros' on Tuesday September 5th, 2006
Zeros' nodded and shrugged. He had a gut feeling that Jayce would barely be touched by that attack of Draven's.
"Well... I guess it's time to see what MR. Insanely cackling man is... cackling about," he said before walking in the direction of said cackling man named Draven.
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday September 5th, 2006
"Well, maybe we could tie the sticks together with vine." Marshall suggested. He looked around. "If we can find any vine, that is..."
----
"Probably something about Jayce flying away." Duilin said, walking along with Zeros'.
"He probably feels proud of himself for making him fly away." Rink added, following the two.
"I'd get pissed if he did that. I usually don't case them down if they do. But I prefer to end my fights. If they do run away I count that as a win on my part." Duilin replied.
"Well, let's get this over with." Aegidius sighed as he walked with the others.
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday September 5th, 2006
Ein glared at Marshall.
-"Just put those sticks together like a cone, then cover the rest up with leaves or something. I will be right back."
He wandered off into the woods, off the meadow.
--- --- ---
-"She has left? Very good. I will dispatch salvage and collonial squads, meanwhile you stay there and guard the city from any other... enthusiasts..."
--- --- ---
Steorra was now around Asargania. She peered at the large settlement.
It was in a somewhat bad condition, with destruction seemingly caused by either fire or lightning. A large dome-like shield was flickering, its source probably damaged by the same thing that crumbled those buildings. This should be a good target...
Meanwhile, the Kandarian divisions were massing up around the unsuspecting city in a huge circle. They were still a good 20 km away, and hence needed to get closer in order to do some actual damage.
--- --- ---
From the sky, Horus noticed Jayce leaving. It seems that his attack would not be necceseary after all. His weapon and his hands changed back to their original form, and he dropped down on the ground. A huge shockwave followed.
He approached Draven, and pointed in the same direction where the dot has appeared earlier. Incidentally, it was also the place where he was created... an underground sanctuary, spanning a good five miles beneath the surface of the earth.
Posted by: Trent on Tuesday September 5th, 2006
Zion and Xenai gave a sigh, and followed the others off toward Draven.
--- --- ---
Aura looked around, and soon found a decent-looking town. She descended slowly and landed, immediately looking around for an inn. She soon found one and entered. In a few moments, she'd found a room for Tsu and put him on the bed there. She walked downstairs and paid the inkeeper for an extended stay. The guy was nice, considering Tsu was very injured. She then headed out for the nearest clothing store, with only a little bit of money left.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Tuesday September 5th, 2006
Nick stoped. Looked towards the town. "Look over what? rubble..." He said to himself and he leaned against a tree folding his arms and sinking to the ground. He started thinking I wonder if I really will ever see that girl again. He waited for the salvage party to arrive.
Posted by: Xorlak on Tuesday September 5th, 2006
Not noticing the entourage of coincidently winged men in the distance flying his way, Draven traded in his laughter for a smirk which he shot at the machine.
"He won't be bothering us as long as daddy's in town. Speaking of which... he's going to want to have a word with me as well... But there's time yet. I will escort you to where you need to go and see that your repairs are started..."
He took off at a slow pace towards the direction the machine pointed, but flew close to the ground and slowly so that the machine could keep up.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Tuesday September 5th, 2006
Of course! A cone shape. It was like a triangle, but three-dimensional with a circular base. It was so simple.
"All right Marshall," said Alex, "Get over on the other side and put that pole up at an angle, and I'll do the same here.
Marshall followed intructions, and they soon had two wooden poles steadily leaning against each other about ten or so feet above the ground. Alex and Marshall proceeded to enclose the rest of the circle in the same way until they had a large wooden cone. Alex took the belt from his jacket and tied off the top so the poles would remain fastened.
"Well, it's not my idea of shelter," Alex went on, "but shelter is shelter I guess..."
Otis had been watching the bizarre feat of construction from the rock Ein was once sitting on. He was clearly comfortable on the rock, all four of his legs sprawled out completely, obviously enjoying the warmth of the fire. Suddenly something caught the little alien's attention. It was a little bird flying through the meadow, it swooped down and perched on a tree branch a few feet away. Seeing the little animal made him hungry, he chirped and got back up on his legs. Seeing his prey, he bore his fangs and let out a chilling hiss, similar to that of a rattlesnake. Alex hadn't noticed, being too busy with the shelter. Otis emitted a shrill cry and leapt at the bird, knocking it off the branch and trapping it under his gaping maw. The headcrab sank his fangs into the victimized bird, delivering his paralyzing neurotoxin, and proceeded to ingest the avian whole.
Alex turned around at the sound of Otis' cry and ran over to him.
"You okay, buddy?" Alex asked. He saw ruffled feathers on the ground. "...You ate the bird, didn't you?"
Otis chirped happily. His body was swollen with the ingested bird.
"Wow. Yet another reminder for me to never piss you off. I had no idea you could do that. I wonder if you can swim...you'd make a great fisherman..err, crab."
Otis chirped questioningly.
"Otis, up!" Alex called. While he was able to get on Alex's back, the plump little bird in his stomach made it a little harder. Alex went back over to Marshall.
"Marshall, Otis and I are going to go check that river back there for any fish. If we find any, we'll bring them back. Guard the camp while I'm gone. If I see Ein, I'll tell him the shelter's done, okay?"
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday September 5th, 2006
//BLUH!!! Forgot to update my diplomatic mission. My apologies.\\
-"In that case, it is settled." Vorren's expression was changed from annoyed to careless. "I am sure we will both benefit greatly from this alliance. Now, if you would be so kind as to release us from your room... I mean, it is marvellous and all, but we have towns to pillage, and I'd be guessing that right about now my troops are wondering what is taking us so long. I do not think you would want to break this pact the moment it has been sealed... Oh, and while you're at it - would you mind signing the treaty document?"
--- --- ---
Horus heavily trotted after Draven. The sanctuary should not be far now...
Suddenly, the sand a good distance in front of Draven exploded. A gigantic tiger-like creature leaped out of it, having the same basic appearance as Horus. Sand-coloured armour, purple glyphs... except while Horus was mostly humanoid-looking, with only the head of a jaguar, this thing looked completely something out of an animal-loving mad scientist's wet dream. Its armour also seemed a lot thinner than that of Horus, and it looked like it was put together out of the scraps of the material it was made of.
The strange quadruped rose to its hind legs. Two panels on its back opened up, revealing four mildly charged dark glass cannons. They were a lot smaller than the one that Horus had, and they also seemed to lack the purplish coil around it.
A cold, hissing sound came from the new machine, and slowly turned into a voice.
-"Identify yourself, intruder, or be evaporated."
Another high-frequency ping... Horus recieved a signal to proceed into the desert. What was this thing? Was it really the same as him, or was it a clever enemy trying to fool him? Nevertheless, he had little choice but to proceed... Although Draven did promise him the Dark glass, in exchange for his help... This was a most confusing dilemma.
Posted by: Trent on Wednesday September 6th, 2006
//I've only just now noticed I have #4500. XD
Xenai scratched his head. "I get the feeling something was just denied from me." Zion raised an eyebrow at him, then snickered. "You're weird. Anyways, I don't think Draven notices us yet. Should we call out to him to get his attention?"
--- --- ---
Aura walked out of the shop and spun really fast, causing the long skirt to rise. Didn't matter what all was exposed as a result, it was all covered by a pair of black pants. Ha ha. I guess that's too bad for Xenai. She walked back into the inn grinning, though she wished she could have bought a whole new outfit.
//Now anyone attempting to exploit her outfit will just get laughed at, Ralph-style. Ha ha! XP
Posted by: Jenia on Wednesday September 6th, 2006
Weloss was quite pissed.
"You pass out on me just when the prey leaves..."
Kerig's body slowly lifted not too high into the air and drifted in Draven's direction, looking like some floating ghoul following it's master.
"I wish I could have had more fun today..."
Kerig's head was slowly lifted as the four-legged machine leaped from the ground.
"Not waking up yet are you...?"
Kerig's body landed on the soft, warm sand. It's head leaned towards the left and seemed to be expressionless.
"I see...Maybe I WILL have some fun today..."
Strange, distorted blackness started gathering around Kerig's hands.
------------
Afelan was quite displeased with the arrival of the new guest.
"What an annoyance."
Silently watching the ongoing progress of the target's companions, it was soon noted that the target left to sit on a rock in a meadow further away from any interference.
"Good enough...The time is now."
Afelan quickly leaped from one tree to another, soon climbing down...
Silently approaching Ein from behind, Afelan drew out a small knife and thrusted it at Ein's right arm.
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday September 6th, 2006
//Trent, I think you mean Nelson-style. n00b.\\
"I guess we could yell towards him." Duilin said. "But I don't feel like it, I'd rather fly towards and him and land on the ground in a generic fashion and then give our greetings. Of course Zeros' would get there first, and I'll get there last, regardless if I'm flying faster then you guys." Duilin grins, stating what usually or recently happened/happens.
"Um...yeah." Rink mumbled. "He's getting to far ahead of us. Should we fly?"
----
"Yeah, okay then." Marshall said nodding. He then looked at the shelter. "So…um...here I am by myself...and talking to myself."
He sat down on the ground cross-legged, and looked at the fire. "Well, I'm sure nothing bad is going to happen to Ein or Alex."
Posted by: Xorlak on Wednesday September 6th, 2006
(Perhaps the ‘good guys’ could get distracted with something else? I’m afraid we’re going to have a one-sided 10 vs. 1 again here. Heh…)
Draven stopped short, hovering some seven feet in the air as a wave of dislodged sand sprayed him. Another one…! Draven clenched his fists.
“Blast it! Just how many secret radical military organizations are there on this blasting continent?!”
He glanced back at Horus.
“Friend of yours…?”
Judging by the machine’s reaction, he guessed a ‘no’.
Turning back to the gigantic cat-like war machine, Draven crossed his arms before him, gathering energy into his palms. Floating seven feet in the air, he was about at its torso’s height. Really, that last fight took a lot out of him, though he did not want to show it… This could get ugly if this second machine were both as strong as he gauged his own to be, and it were at full strength…
Completing the gathering, Draven snapped both arms down to his sides as his fists burst into flame, a bright red orb a foot in diameter surrounding each.
“The Crimson Emperor Draven demands that you reveal whatever it is you’re hiding. Step aside and I shall show you mercy…”
----
“Yes, of course…”
The doors behind the Kandarinians clicked, and slowly creaked open. A small burst of flame appeared over the treaty, and the words “THE DARK EMPEROR RETAN” were burned upon the document in script. The scroll re-rolled itself in the air and floated back to the Kandarinian commander.
“Do be mindful of my… soldiers… as you continue your conquest. Though they will not attack you, your paths may intersect, and they may be razing some of the same targets as you…”
Dismissing the group, his chair turned back around and his attention returned to a pale blue orb behind him. The short robed figure turned as well, waiting to be called upon by his master…
The exterior of North Point was not how the commanders left it when they entered. The dead silence was gone, replaced by the pangs of scratching armor, of movement, of yelling, of fire… which became audible near the exterior gates as a dull roar, escalating to a thunder on the outside.
The three proud Kandarinian divisions were completely surrounded and boxed in by many small platoons of massive, heavily armored lizard creatures. Some were standing in perfect lines, spike armored officers barking orders in raspy reptilian voices. Many were carrying huge chunks of metal, large pieces of catapult, and various other simple machines into and out of the fortress. Makeshift furnaces were built out of campfires, and there was pounding and shaping of metal. It was chaos. But a cold methodical chaos that worked around the waiting troops.
There were small human legions as well. Proud troops displaying the symbol of the Crimson Empire, now nervously looking about, at the intimidating mass of reptiles, and the new cold blooded commanders that ordered them about… They seemed to be mostly lead… herded more like… into the fortress… A glint of fear and uncertainty in their eyes as they passed the Kandarinians…
The lizards themselves ignored the waiting Kandarinian divisions for the most part, save for a few glances from some of the lower reptile troops. Some were hateful glances, others lustful, others hungry…
Posted by: Trent on Wednesday September 6th, 2006
//Dammit, you're right. I gotta watch more Simpsons. *Dies.*
"Uhm, I think Draven's in a tight spot again," said Xenai.
"Should we go help him?" asked Zion.
--- --- ---
Aura watched over Tsu for a while. She was really pooped, so she hopped on into the bed, instantly falling into a deep sleep.
// PLEASE don't pick on her anymore. Since Horus recovered relatively quickly, I'll have Tsu up pretty soon here. But until then, please leave them alone. They're supposed to be relatively inactive. Thank you. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/happy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='happy.gif' />
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday September 7th, 2006
"Hmm…let's wait for it…" Duilin chuckled. He kind of wanted to see Draven get killed or at least have the stuffing beaten out of him, so he wanted to see what was going to happen.
Rink and Aegidius shrugged, and nodded in agreement with Duilin.
Posted by: Zeros' on Thursday September 7th, 2006
Zeros' rolled his eyes, but shrugged.
"OK, ok... We can watch Draven and see how he does. Although, I still do want to know what that cackling was about," he said lightly, as if there wasn't two war machines standing several hundred yards away.
Posted by: D. Ein on Thursday September 7th, 2006
The new machine took its head slightly off focus of Draven, and towards a small group in the distance. Its eyes slightly flashed.
The cannons folded into its back, and it dropped down to all fours again. It dipped its massive ... paw? into the sand, and sent a cascade of dust flying over Draven and Horus. When the sand settled, the trio was nowhere to be seen.
Both Horus and Draven, however, remained where they were. Around them was a purple wavering semisphere, invisible from the other side. The sphere also dulled aural signatures, thus making it impossible to detect anyone inside it.
Without rising to all fours, the tiger machine deployed its four cannons again. It hissed again, in a completely different tone.
-"Crimssson Emperor Draven? Liesss... Imposster!"
The cannons let forward a little. Black lightnings sprung from each, forming a square of sorts between the four weapons. They, however, did not fire.
-"Do put out that annoying little candle, human, and sstart making sssome sensse... Thesse blessed glyphss you see on my hide will protect me from any of your... tricksss... Now tell me who you are, so I can take thisss... asset... from you... and everybody livesss..."
Horus looked down onto their welcoming party. He completely dwarfed the tiger mechanism, with it only being about four feet taller than Draven, when it was standing on its hind legs. The armour didn't look too reliable, either - with a good blow, Horus would most likely be able to grind this thing into pieces far too small to pick up. But... would he do this or not?
Horus' grip on the maul tightened, his eyes darting back and forth between Draven and the machine.
--- --- ---
-"!!!GAWD!!! Vorren, could you be any MORE MEAN in there? I mean, the guy DID lock us IN! What was I SUPPOSED to do? Watch him BURN US to CRISP?!"
-"Soghol, shut up."
-"GAW...!"
-"Soghol, SHUT UP."
Soghol complied. Since the commanders accomplished their primary objective, of sorts, Vorren needed no more pressure on his nerves. He made his way through and out of the fortress.
-"Sweet Skorn.. what is this?"
Hasterb, who kept quiet, softly replied.
-"I do believe that these are the servants that the entity at question talked about when we were back in his throne room."
Interestingly, Hasterb's sentences were like a ball of wool - one had to untangle them before understanding what they meant.
-"I see."
Vorren took out his minotaur horn - a standard piece of equipment for all commanding officers. He blew one long note.
The Kandarinian soldiers waiting for their commanders seeped through the tight ring of reptilian troopers standing outside. They regrouped in one giant cluster of rowdy, shaken up soldiers. After another long note, they started walking away from the dark, terrible place...
--- --- ---
The horde around Asargania was now in position. Scorpions deployed themselves and began raining death //DM, rain of death - inside joke\\ upon the unsuspecting city. Although the shield blocked a lot of the projectiles, some passed through, due to the shield's flickering.
Steorra flew down onto the ground, and sat down near a tree, looking for a short rest.
//I'm guessing Dark Spartan might want to do something about this invasion...\\
Posted by: Trent on Thursday September 7th, 2006
"OMG NO FARE >:(" Xenai frowned as the second war machine created a cloaking barrier around the three of them.
"You were saying, Duilin?" said Zion.
Posted by: Xorlak on Thursday September 7th, 2006
"You insolent cur!!"
Draven brought his fists to his sides, the two burning orbs surrounding his hand flaring. He suddenly blurred to the left, then forward. In an instant, he was upon the offending machine, his right palm practically in it's face.
"You will find out the hard way then, wretch."
With that, he let loose the crimson fury contained in the open palm, sending forth a superheated wave of hateful fire at the thing's cat-like metallic face with the explosive force of a cannon...
Posted by: D. Ein on Friday September 8th, 2006
//forgot Ein's part >.< Thx Jenia for reminder\\
The blade slashed Ein's hand a little, missing a bit to the side. Ein didn't even bother turning around.
-"Now is not a good time. Leave."
Posted by: Jenia on Friday September 8th, 2006
Kerig's body was peacefully hovering towards the direction of the semisphere, guided by Weloss.
To Weloss, the barrier stuck out like a sore thumb. To him, who "lived" out his entire existence on the spirit plane, raising an aura-dulling barrier was like creating a cloud of dust.
Weloss was in no hurry to throw everything he had in...yet.
He came to the edges of the barrier and stopped.
Kerig's hands, containing strange light-sucking black balls the size of a large fist, slowly grew as they kept sucking what looked like black nothingness from thin air.
-----------------
Afelan was quite suprised to see the target only barely trying to dodge.
Slowly nearing the knife to Ein's neck, Afelan spoke-
"I'd have never thought that Kronos would give me such an easy job..."
Although it was impossible to see, Afelan smiled. A thought went through the assassin's mind-
"Maybe I should just finish him now...Kronos will never know..."
The thought was, however, quickly brushed off.
Afelan's grip on the knife tightened.
"It is so pathetic...Killing a man who doesn't even resist because his whore got spanked is so boring..."
A short, sinister laugh followed.
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday September 8th, 2006
"Um, well I really wanted to see Draven and that machine cat guy fight." Duilin groaned.
"Out of curiosity, do you have something personal against Draven?" Aegidius asked Duilin.
"Not totally," Duilin replied "it's mostly just because Draven just parades around like his shit don't stink and chants things like "Oh yeah I'm so great, I shoot fireballs and I stole an empire from two seemingly dead guys. All bend over for I, Draven, am the great gift the gods have given to the world.". It really gets on my nerves."
//Just as a side note, Draven is actually my favourite character. Not all of Duilin's beliefs and opinions reflect mine.\\
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Friday September 8th, 2006
"Oh goodness!" cried Dr. Kleiner. "What's going on?!" Lamarr scurried under the table and shuddered in fright.
An Asgarnian guard walked up to Kleiner to tell him the news.
"Isaac, it seems that some malefactor has taken advantage of our crippled state to finally decimate the city. The other mages have been evacuated to a safe place, you should get going too," informed the guard.
"Oh my..." replied Kleiner. "I've spent my whole life here, it's a little disappointing to see it all go..."
Some buildings collapsed in the background, filling the air with dust.
"Now's not the time to reminisce, Kleiner!" exclaimed the guard. "Get your stuff together and let's go! I've been assigned to keep you safe. One of our scouts has managed to locate Alex."
"Alex...?" said Kleiner, shocked. "My goodness...he's still alive? Where is he, is he still on the Borderworld?"
"Not exactly," the guard said back. "He and his friends escaped the Borderworld after the portal storms collapsed. He's in a forest on the coast of the Kandarian Continent."
"If I remember correctly," Kleiner went on, "there's a lot of military uproar occuring on Kandarin... Well, whatever the problem, you're right. Let's get out of here. Lamarr? Come on, girl!"
The headcrab crawled out from underneath Kleiner's desk and climbed into his bag.
"All right, Sven, whenever you're ready," said Kleiner.
"Isaac, I know a route that'll keep us lying low for a while until Alex can make contact with our scouts. He'll know what to do. Come with me."
Sven led Kleiner to a manhole that led to a tunnel out of the city. He pulled back the cover and motioned Kleiner in. He did so and climbed in himself, sealing the manhole.
The scorpions continued their onslaught against Asgarnia, with soldiers fighting a hopeless battle. The odds of Asgarnia surviving the attack just after the portal storms were a million to one.
--
"Otis, can you swim?"
Otis chirped, looking at the shallow water.
"It's only a few feet deep. If you start to sink, I'll get you out," Alex said.
The headcrab inched towards the glassy water. He dipped his foot in. The water was rather warm for a natural stream. Otis eased his way in until all four legs were in the water. Finally, Otis kicked off the bottom of the stream and out on open water. There was oddly enough no current. Otis seemed to have no problem keeping himself bouyant. The only problem was that his mouth was underwater. It was unsure if headcrabs had gills or not. Somehow, Otis managed to pull off swimming and even dove below the surface once or twice.
"Nice job, Otis!" Alex shouted. "Hey, if you see any fish, you think you could try to catch some? I'm sure all of us are hungry."
The headcrab kept swimming, undulating his legs when underwater and dog paddling on the surface. He saw a nice fleshy trout a few feet below the surface of the water. Hissing, Otis dove underwater and lunged at the fish. It quickly swam away to ten feet to Otis' left. Aggravated, he attacked the trout again, this time hooking it with his fang. He was able to control his poison reflex to prevent the fish from becoming tainted.
"Great! Now bring it to shore," said Alex.
The alien quadraped obeyed. Otis crawled out of the water, shaking what water he could from his small round body, leaving it with a wet shine. He unhooked his fang from the trout and let it flop hopelessly on dry land.
"That's amazing! You think you could get some more?"
Otis squealed and jumped back into the water.
As Alex sat down on the bank of the stream, he heard some rustling behind him. Was someone sneaking up on him?
Alex withdrew the rifle and turned around, quickly scanning the surrounding area.
"Otis," Alex called, "keep fishing. I'm gonna go check something out. If anything happens, give me a screech."
Otis chirped and kept fishing. Alex walked towards the dense trees to locate the source of the noise...
Posted by: Burton_projects on Friday September 8th, 2006
//omgz i gtoz ot spot moer...sorry had soccer try outs.\\
Nick waited for the scavanging party. "....." His eyes shut for a moment. "God!!help me!" he said out loud...
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday September 9th, 2006
//huh, nobody's posting. I guess I'm just too important.\\
Draven's fist slammed into the machine, sending it flying across the dome. With inhuman agility, it twisted in the air, landing on its feet. The metallic surface revealed not even a scratch.
-"Hss... my turn..."
The cannons let out a scream, like a wounded animal... but stopped a moment from firing. All energy faded back down, and the weapons folded into the machine's back.
-"Lucky human... Pass, but be quick about it."
Right in the middle of the dome, a large aperture opened, revealing a spacy underground hall. It was all covered with sand, probably the same sand that poured into the opening when the way was first made. A long corridor extended from the main room. The walls everywhere were riddled with glowing purple channels. Liquid of the same colour pumped through them, with a slight waver, adding a torch-like impression. The visible floor was made of compound plates.
These must be the labs. However, Horus did not remember this particular passage. He hopped down into the room anyways. Surprisingly, it was barely noticed - the small mound of sand dulled the noise, while the solid plates beneath absorbed the shockwave. The corridor was just enough for him to fit through.
The other machine remained outside, along with Draven. Horus looked up questionably at the latter.
--- --- ---
The last remark lashed sharply at Ein's heart. His mind, raging for one moment, became puifyingly calm right afterwards.
-"'Whore' is not a good word. Please don't use it to refer to Amaya."
Without even touching his bolts, a bright cyan sigil appeared right under him. The ground directly beneath the demonic sign stood still, while everything outside of the sigil got blasted a significant distance away - the grass, bushes were uprooted, trees fell down...
-"Do not bother me again, pest."
Another sigil changed the first one, this time a yellow one. It produced a glowing shield around Ein.
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday September 9th, 2006
"Sweet mother of Gaia!" Marshall exclaimed. He noticed that trees and bushes were being uprooted; he could hear the sound all the way from his location.
Marshall picks up a spare wooden pole, about a couple feet in length and walks off towards the commotion. Completely forgetting that he should be guarding the camp...
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Sunday September 10th, 2006
"What the hell was that?!" cried Alex, hearing the ruckus in the woods a few hundred yards away. Alex leveled his rifle and kept going. Otis was capable of defending himself.
Something rustled through the bushes behind him. Alex whirled around, and only saw Otis a few hundred feet away still diving for trout. He had caught three more. Suddenly, a hand grabbed Alex's shoulder and pulled him back into the woods.
"Gah! What the?!" Alex spun around again and realized he was pointing his rifle at an Asgarnian scout. He was a tall, slender man with slick, black hair that reached down to his shoulder, and icy blue eyes. He was a man of about thirty or so, and was equipped with a variant of the Asgarnian guard armor, but augmented for forest camouflage.
"You must be Alex," said the scout. "Call me Evan. I'm from Asgarnia, and I was sent to locate you after the portal storms died. It's good to know that you're okay."
"Wait. What condition is Asgarnia in now? Is there still even a city?" Alex asked.
"There's not much of one," Evan replied. "The portal storms took out about two-thirds of the city and left our shield crippled."
"Oh, man..." mumbled Alex. "What about Dr. Kleiner? Is he okay?"
"An unknown power immediately launched an attack on our weakened city just a few hours after the last portal closed. That must have been at least nine or ten hours ago. The malefactor has been using some kind of army of scorpions against the city, raining down hell. From what I've heard, half of the Asgarnian army has been killed off so far."
"And Isaac?" Alex shot back.
"Has been safely evacuated. He's been led to an underground hideout that will make him nearly impossible to find," said Evan. "However, we did not expect you to survive the intense conditions of the Borderworld. How did you do it?"
"I got the help of some passersby," said Alex. "One guy in particular, called Ein, devised the plan that destroyed the source of the portal storms. Unforunately, his dimensional portals aren't perfect. Instead of emerging in Asgarnia, I wound up here on the Kandarin Continent. It seems that he and his friend Marshall aren't exactly well-liked around these parts... It would be my luck to wind up with two nuts with huge bounties on their heads."
"Isaac knows that you're still alive," Evan went on, "and he will try to find some means of contacting you soon. Do you still have the H.E.V. suit?"
"The suit ran out of power a few hours ago after a bout with some zombie soldiers. It was heavy so I had to ditch it," replied Alex.
"You're positive you hid it safely?" asked Evan in a concerned tone. "Who knows what the Kandarin Sovereignty could do with technology like that. It's also a matter of what the malefactor attacking Asgarnia will do with our prized technology...I fear that Asgarnia's time has ended."
"Don't jump to conclusions yet," said Alex. "You make your way back to Asgarnia, do your best to keep the enemy away. I'll work on a way to contact Kleiner also. I noticed something strange when I held one of Ein's possessions in my hand a while ago...some sort of buzzing...I remember Isaac handing me something of his before I left, maybe I still have it. I'd love to stay and talk more, but I think Ein's in trouble. He's in trouble a lot."
"Very well then," replied Evan. "Take care."
As soon as he had appeared, Evan vanished. Alex was alone in the woods. The sound of Otis' enthusiastic chirping got his attention.
"What is it, Otis?" Alex asked, walking back to the river. He saw Otis swaying his body in front of what seemed to be a pile of fresh fish, some still flopping.
"Nice job, buddy! We'll have plenty to eat now." Alex picked up the large pile of fish, trying to keep his balance. "Otis, we need to drop these fish off with Marshall so he can begin cooking them, and then we need to investigate what just happened over in the woods."
Otis squealed and followed Alex as he lugged the dozen or so fish back to camp.
Posted by: Xorlak on Sunday September 10th, 2006
Draven balanced the second orb of flame on the tips of his left fingers.
"Well, thank you..."
Wretch.
He dropped down, landing in the thick sand. The orb disappeared, flowing back into his aura, which in turn disappeared. He took one more glance at the cat like machine, which stood there silently, then turned his attention to the gaping tunnel and it's eerie violet radiance...
He didn't get the feeling often, but when he did, he was usually right. He had a bad feeling about this...
Nonsense. Whoever is in charge of these war machines will be put in their place, and their power harnessed for his own use. This should be interesting, none the less...
He followed Horus into the opening, which was quite large given his relative size.
Posted by: Jenia on Sunday September 10th, 2006
Weloss intesified the black flames within Kerig's palms.
He felt pleasurely sinister as he thought of the pain he will inflict upon his foe, regardless of who the opponent is...
Suddenly, the srimson light within Kerig's eyes begun to fade. Kerig fell on his behind and looked around, confused.
"Damn, you always choose the worst of times to wake up."
Kerig Shook his head, trying to freshen his blurred vision.
After finally realising he was on warm, soft desert sand he looked around and came to a conclusion-
Something was missing.
-"Weloss, where did you bring me? Where is Dra..."
-"In the invisible sphere before you, blockhead. Where else?"
At the first few moments, Kerig stared into empty space, expressionless.
The blazing desert sun didn't seem to bother him at all, and yet he enjoyed the cool, soothing breeze.
Eventualy, he smiled and decided to relax. He stretched his arms and looked quite at peace.
-"Well, aern't you going to follow him?"
-"They have an invisible barrier around themselvs...They put it there for a purpose. Let's be nice and leave them alone..."
If Weloss had a physical body, this would be another one of those moments he would slap his forehead. But there was still one thing left unsaid...
-"Kerig, your hands are on fire."
------------------
Afelan's right hand quickly moved to protect the mask from any damage by random flying objects.
Being quite suprised by the casting of the spell, Afelan was actualy pushed back two feet from Ein by the strong winds. There had to be a change of plans.
"So he does resist, not only physicly but psychologicaly as well... This might be fun after all..."
Afelan slowly took out a scroll from the worn shirt.
"I'm sorry, but it cannot be done." Afelan said, opening the scroll, revealing strange runic inscriptions within.
"Do you not regret it?" the runes within the scroll begun to shine, opening a wide round hole within the shield protecting Ein. Afelan went through...
"Had you never met her, she would still be alive and well..." Afelan let go of the scroll, which quickly crumbled to dust as it traveled towards the earth.
"Regret it as much as you like, fool...It is too late..."
And with that, Afelan thrusted the knife into Ein's left shoulder the second time around.
Posted by: Trent on Sunday September 10th, 2006
Tsu slowly opened his eyes and sat up. He looked himself over. He still had a few burn spots... But he felt better. He got out of bed... Ooh... A tiny bit of soreness. He started stretching to try and fix it. Aura soon woke up too. She sat up and looked. "Tsu! You're better?"
He finished stretching. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm not at 100% just yet, but I'm up. Are you ready to go?"
She got out of bed. "Yeah, I'm ready."
"No you're not." Noting the second outfit.
"Yes I am." Pulling the skirt up a little bit to show the pants. "My normal clothes were in the last inn, which got destroyed."
"Oh, okay." He started for the door, but stopped. "By the way, how did that fight go?"
"It didn't go. There was only a tiny bit of action, and my second opponent didn't fight for very long. He was helpless against... my beauty." She said it in a somewhat joking way. "It was the guy that attacked us before that Xenai decided to fight, but he seemed really nice."
"Interesting... Alright, let's go."
The two went down the stairs and exited, thanking the innkeeper. They then took off toward Zion and Xenai's location.
--- --- ---
Zion looked off into the distance. "Ah, he's recovered."
"And it feels like the little lady got a little stronger, too."
Posted by: Dude Man on Sunday September 10th, 2006
"Ah, good more people to sit and watch with us." Rink mumbled.
"Hey, Rink. I still see that one other person over there." Duilin said.
Rink looked at where Draven and the machine where. "Why yes. He is. Why don't we go and talk to him?"
"I don't see the harm." Aegidius added.
"Well, okay." Duilin said. He looked at the others, mostly Zeros'. "We're going to check out that one little dude over there. If you want to come with, then please do."
Rink hopped onto Duilin's shoulder. Duilin flapped his wings, nodded at Aegidius, as he did the same, and the two flew off towards Kerig.
Posted by: Trent on Sunday September 10th, 2006
"I'll stay," said Zion.
"I'll go," said Xenai as he took off with them.
--- --- ---
"Kandarin?"
"Or something like that," said Aura.
"I can't help but think I've heard that before. Maybe I haven't. I don't know."
Zion and Zeros' were now visible, but still kinda far.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Sunday September 10th, 2006
The scavenging party arrived. "Great now I'll go..." Nick got up and started to move towards a nearby town. He waited for Kronos to give him new orders.
//Should i make new guy?\\
Posted by: Zeros' on Sunday September 10th, 2006
Zeros' shrugged. He never really was one to be sociable with new people, so, he deicded to stay behind with Zion, watching the others walk over to Kireg.
Zeros' sighed and looked over at Zion before glancing back at his friends walking towards the strange boy. He knew there was something different about the boy, but he couldn't place his finger on it.
He could scan deeper and find out... but, he didn't do that. Yet.
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday September 11th, 2006
Marshall arrived seeing the newcomer thrusting his knife towards Ein.
"NO!!" He shouted, in fear for his friend
----
Duilin landed a few yards from Kerig. Rink hopped off his shoulder and onto the group in front of Duilin.
Aegidius landed a couple yards behind Duilin, and watched silently.
"Hey Kerig. It's me Rink, remember?" The imp said in greeting.
Duilin rubbed his upper lip with his knuckle. "So, kid." He said calmly. "I noticed you've been walking with Draven and that...thing. So, what is Draven up to?" He asked.
Posted by: Trent on Monday September 11th, 2006
"Yo." Tsu and Aura landed behind Zion and Zeros'. Zion turned to look at them. "Hey there. You seem a lot better now."
"I like to think I am a lot better now."
He then looked to Aura. "And you seem a bit stronger."
"Yeah..." She blushed and scratched the back of her head.
"Xenai's busy over there with Duilin, Rink, and that new angel guy." He pointed off that-a-way.
--- --- ---
"Just as importantly... What's that machine up to?" He thought he'd contribute with a question of his own.
Posted by: D. Ein on Monday September 11th, 2006
The aperture closed, leaving the glowing channels in the walls as the only credible light source. Horus advanced through the dim halls, in hopes that he has not been decieved. Other than the occasional spider-thing skittering by through small holes in the ceiling and the walls, the hall was completely deserted.
Even though Draven might not have noticed anything, Horus did. The air was buzzing with quick high-frequency pings that he recieved earlier, from the other machine. Were there even... more? The pings were too quick to be decoded, which unsettled Horus quite a bit.
After a fair bit of walking, the group came up to a closed door. It was, mildly putting it, big. Covering the entire passage, the door consisted, it seems, of two heavy moving parts - one at the bottom, and one at the top.
Horus felt hurt. After all these years of pointless wandering, he finally gets to see his home - and he is stopped, just like this? This must not be.
Clenching his maul, he took a mammoth swing at the obstacle.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
The sand-coloured door absorbed the impact as if the maul were made of paper. The impact shock hit Horus' hands like a boulder, and he dropped the maul. That dark gem in the middle... if only he still had his glass cannon... it HAS to have been activated by the same kind of energy his cannon shot.
Fortunately, the door didn't keep Horus wondering about its origins for long. Without further problems, the two gigantic halves split, letting a dim beam of purple light through. With a forced sound, they heaved into their open positions.
The next area seemed to be their destination. It was a hangar-like space, with purple tubes hanging from the cieling like some sort of a demented web... those tubes... those tubes!
[flashback]
At first, there was static. At first, there was a little bit of pain, as the nerves were being connected. At first, there were jolts from non-existing organs, probably from shock. At first, there was confusion.
-"Hey... I think he's coming to."
-"All right, Horus?"
Horus tried opening his eyes, or made a motion similar to doing so. He felt nothing from his eyelids. No movement, no nothing. No eyelids.
No eyelids?! What the...? How could this be? But the explosion!...
-"I'm sure you have a few questions right now, but unfortunately I can't hear them. The voice module has not been inserted yet, much less plugged in. The nerve array can only support so much right now..."
Voice module? Nerve array?
-"Noul, I don't think you're starting off right."
The two voices were coming from somewhere next to him, one from left and one from right. Horus made a very futile attempt to move his head, which, it seemed, was no longer there either.
-"Oh... yeah. Horus, the explosion in Tega complex killed you... your body, anyways. What you are right now is a brain, a living brain, the only part we could save. Remember the Unity project?"
The Unity project... Horus could not remember well anymore, for reasons unbeknownst to him yet. He did have an idea why, but he didn't think about it.
The project, last he knew, involved attaching parts of living creatures to an arcane-powered device. Their most successful experiment involved a twitching rat leg, connected to a Dark Glass stimulator. But a brain...! Even more, an almost fully-functional brain! If this was not some kind of a nightmare, Horus would write it off as a hallucination. There is no way that the project was so successful.
-"A short time after the accident, the Empire pulled the plug on the project. We had accomplished too little in too long, they said. Miracles need time for working, we told them, but they were quite firm with their desicion. Of course, we knew, we knew the entire way, that it was his fault... He had a spy in the Crimson midst. The spy helped to extinguish these projects just as they were becoming ripe..."
-"Ironically, we were a day away from a huge breakthrough. Instead of using the nerves to span the entire body, we inserted tubes like those you see right now. They are filled with Kao liquid, an arcanum-enriched compound that took us about ten months to develop."
Ten months? What? If Horus still had a stomach, he would've felt that uncomfortable cold that everyone is too familiar with. If it took ten months to develop but a part of the project, how long was he ... dead for?
-"And now, here we are, almost five years later, in this little hangar we managed to dig out and build... nearing your new body's completion, too! But first, we've just gotta do a few things."
Horus' sight returned back to static. More of those little prickles, probably meaning they're attaching more nerves. Twelve years... all this time... dead...
His mind fell into an inactive, sleep-like state. He was awake, but barely. Seems that his colleagues introduced something into his brain, putting him into this state.
Through the misty shround of the sleep that surrounded his mind, Horus heard banging. Then voices. Then whooshing of fireballs. Screams. More banging. Silence. Then, a single voice.
-"What the hell's this?"
-"I think it's just some wacko experiment those two were working on."
-"Hey, think we could pawn it? The Emperor isn't gonna know!"
-"Na... looks kinda dangerous, I'd leave it alone... besides, it's probably dead anyways. Look at those clowns - shoving a brain in a jar. Lol."
The voices faded away, and footsteps followed. Then, nothing but a black shroud. Complete silence.
[/flashback]
Horus snapped out of his short trance. There were two skeletons in the hangar, as well as a few more doors in the walls. The silent doors, looking as if they haven't been used in 10 years or so, looked very uninviting. Horus neared one of them.
Another forced moan, and the door let upwards. The dusty, web-ridden passage beyond was unlit, not even by the glow of purple tubes. Horus squeezed through the half-open door, which looked very jammed at that point. His footsteps echoed a little, and as he entered, the channels in the walls also lit up.
Mechanisms. Everywhere.
Prototypes of Horus, those tiger machines, and other abominations one dared not name, were all lying motionlessly in the chamber. They were all piled on top of each other, some having parts falling out of them. The room itself was drowned in the Kao liquid, up to Horus' heel, and probably around to Draven's knee. Strangely, none of them had the Dark glass weapons - the empty holders seemed violated, as if someone had torn all of the cannons from their bases.
Digging through the trash, Horus quickly found a replacement Convertion engine, and just in time - the capacitors were already three quarters drained. With the composite sphere in his hand, he turned around and took one last look at the pile, just before leaving the room, not looking back. There is so much to find out about this place...
--- --- ---
Ein did not resist. The knife jammed into his shoulder, making a fleshy cracking sound as it went. His head was fixed at Afelan, in a transfixing stare.
-"Not smart."
He thrusted his good hand right at Afelan, palm-first. Just as it touched the assassin's chest, a small sigil appeared right under his palm. Just for a second. Then, it vanished in a sea of electrical discharges crawling up over the assailant's body...
//sorry for making the attack so "to-the-point", but I don't see how Afelan would dodge it, being rendered immobile by holding the knife in Ein's shoulder... Now, however, as the attack was discharged, Afelan's welcome to block/abosrb it.\\
Posted by: Jenia on Tuesday September 12th, 2006
Kerig turned around to see a small group of people coming.
He seemed to recognise Rink, the smallest in the group Larger man came with him, and all started asking questions. Kerig smiled and looked blissfully at them.
"Hi! Nice to see you again, Rink" He grinned at the imp, then turned to the others.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Kerig! And you must be..."
Kerig paused, and stared at each of them from his left to right.
"Duilin, Aegidius and Xenai!" He finally named them at the order in which he looked at them. He then jumped off the sand and suddenly remembered he was asked a few questions.
"Oh, Draven?" He started, rolling his eyes from side to side, holding his chin with his left hand "He was being very nice, helping the shiney guy and all... And the shiney guy? Well, I don't know, but he was nice, too! I mean, look, he gave me a PRESENT!"
Kerig joyfully showed them the tiny fixing bot he recieved earlier.
------------
"Curses. I hate early distractions."
Afelan didn't bother looking behind, and on the outside it seemed as if Marshall was completly ignored.
Suddenly, Afelan felt something pushing against the chest.
"Cra...No wait..."
Afelan let out a short sinister laughter as the electricity bolted off.
"Well well, look who's talking! And here I thought that YOU, of all people, would recognise my clothing material."
Afelan twisted the knife to make sure the damage is severe enough and then kicked Ein's hand away.
"I'v had enough fun for today."
Afelan whipped out a small round object.
"Let us meet again...And next time, let's throughly enjoy our meeting...Hehehehehe..."
The object was dropped, raising the mist-version of the smokescreen. Afelan used that chance to quickly get out of their vision's range, and headed to a nearby village, where they were expected to arrive next...
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday September 12th, 2006
//Twelve years Ein? The Crimson Empire has only be around for 5. Before then it was the Dark Empire, and ruled by Retan. Only now they are two separate empires, I guess.\\
"Holy smokes..." Marshall ran towards Ein, looking very worried. "Ein! Are you okay? Who was that? Are you hurt? Will you make it? Who was that?" He asked rapidly.
----
"Umm...yeah." Duilin mumbled, as Kerig correctly guessed their names. He didn't think to much of it however. "So, Draven and the shiny guy were being nice to you?"
"I mean that thing attacked us on sight, yet he stopped to make friends with you?" Rink asked.
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday September 12th, 2006
//Fix'd. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />\\
A blue sigil appeared in mid-air around Ein, and his wounds closed. There was still considerable damage, but that will heal itself soon.
-"I don't know who it was, and I'll be fine."
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Tuesday September 12th, 2006
Alex and Otis got back to camp to see that no one was there.
"What the...Marshall. I'll kill him for this." Alex put the fresh fish down on the ground and looked to see what direction Marshall went in.
"There, footprints into the woods. Come on, Otis." Both human and headcrab began to nudge between the trunks of the thick trees, following Marshall's fresh footprints. Finally, a small opening between the trees was where Ein and Marshall stood. Some dense smoke hung in the air, as if an explosive had been detonated.
"What happened here? I got back to the camp with a load of freshly-caught fish and noticed there was no one there."
Posted by: Trent on Tuesday September 12th, 2006
"Nice, huh? If you wanna call emitting gas that will kill on contact nice, then yeah, that guy is the nicest guy on Gaian." He chuckled and then put the sarcasm aside, curious about the little bot. "What's that thing do, anyway?"
Posted by: Xorlak on Tuesday September 12th, 2006
Draven trailed behind the machine, wide eyed. These strange contraptions were even more foreign to him than the nonsense his alchemists worked on in Redvik.
The machine looked very distracted itself, so Draven took the opportunity to wander around. He noted the skeletons as he entered what appeared to be a laboratory, a thick layer of dust and grime coating the facility. Just how did such a place exist without his knowledge? Well, that was easy, given the desert entrance, with probably a host of illusionary spells cast upon it… And it was obviously not in use during his recent reign… But did Retan know about this place…?
A loud door clanked, and the footsteps of the machine turned into a sloshing sound in the next room. Turning his attention back to Horus, Draven followed him through a half pried open doorway, but stopped at the edge, as there was some sort of strange liquid covering the entirety of the floor. Not wanting to get wet, he slowly hovered above the liquid, returning to Horus’ side. Ripples formed underneath him, flowing in unison with the invisible force that kept him airborne, about a foot above the surface.
Could it be?
More war machines! How utterly delightful! He skimmed ahead of Horus, strafing in the air towards a heap of twisted metal. They seemed to be similar to the one he met outside, but very much in a state of disrepair… If only his alchemists could repair them, or at least learn their secrets…
Draven’s ambitious day dream was shattered when he felt a sudden forceful tugging at his legs. Looking down, he saw that the liquid had risen and formed around his boots, almost like a fist. He could feel the substance draining his energy… With a downward thrust of his palm, he hit the liquid with a blast of heated air, causing it to disperse into a plume of droplets and fall back down, freeing him. He in turn rose a few feet higher, shifting his eyes back and forth at this truly bizarre environment…
Posted by: Zeros' on Tuesday September 12th, 2006
Zeros' waved at Tsu and Aura, as he used his ears to pick up on the group ahead of them's conversation. He tilted his head, hearing that the man had made... friends with Horus. He found this very strange. Very strange, indeed...
He knew there was something strange about this kid (Everyone was a kid to him, he was, after all, millions of years old. Give or take a few thousand). He had saw something vaguely out of the corner of his eye during the fight with that war machine. He might have to pick up his scanning abit earlier then he thought...
//Just a confirmation, Jenia. Kerig's companion is purely spiritual, right?\\
Posted by: Jenia on Wednesday September 13th, 2006
//Yes, 100% spirit until further notice <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' />\\
Kerig laughed softly and cheerfully, almost giggling.
"Anyone will be nice to you if you are nice to them." He said "I'm sure of it!"
Kerig looked at the little bot in his hand. He thought of it to be extremely cute, even though it's metallic contruct was far from being the common "soft and fluffy".
"Hmm, I dunno...Maybe I can ask it to call the shiney guy for some tea sometime?"
--------------------
"Not as good as I'v hoped, but will suffice"
Afelan was no closing in on the nearby village. Stopping on a small wooden cabin's flat roof, Afelan noticed two villagers talking.
Listening in on their conversation, Afelan figured one of them to be not only the village medic and herbalist, but also the local innkeeper's daughter.
Afelan skimmed her from head to feet.
"Perfect"
The girl gave a small bottle to the other villager, apperantly a lumberjack (judging by his rough looks and the herbalist's comment on "staying away from trees"), and turned to go home.
A sinister smile has yet again covered Afelan's face.
Posted by: Dr Eams on Wednesday September 13th, 2006
Soadakke finally reached the shore. He wasn't alone anymore...
"Look, there are two boats here...I wonder who left them", Soaddake said.
"We can sell one of them and use the other, if you agree", the short, somewhat chubby man walking beside him suggested.
"Is the gold I gave you not enough? Besides that, we will need both boats."
"Are you saying I'm too fat to sit in your boat?"
"No...of course not."
They stopped near the boats.
"You will stay here, Eshom. You can only hinder my progress."
"Progress? I can walk faster, If that's what you mean."
"Umm..It is not just about walking. We will have to stop more times a day, buy more food...Just be here when I'm back - alone or not."
"Will you take me If I give to back half or your money? Hee hee hee..."
"I don't want it. You let me hide in your wagon, therefore you deserve the
payment."
"Fine. I won't come with you, but don't be surprised if you don't find me here."
"I won't be surprised..."
"So...On the last time, can you tell me...how much is one plus three?"
"Stop trying to be funny. It's four."
"That's right! Hehehe...Goodbye, your highness."
"Don't forget you can escape using the other boat if the soldiers come."
Soadakke put his bag in one of the the boats and pushed it into the water. He then jumped into the boat, sat down and started paddling.
20 minutes later Eshom had already left island, with the second boat; He was headed in another direction.
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday September 13th, 2006
"That's a hard logic to live by my friend." Duilin replied to his 'anyone will be nice to you if you are nice to them.' little saying. "But you can just keep telling yourself that if you want to."
"Plus, I don't think the shiny guy would be much of a tea drinker." Duilin commented. "Seems more of a molten organic muscle tissue drinker."
"Anyways. So, Kerig, where did Draven and the machine go? It's important. We need to talk to Draven." Rink asked.
"Yes, and find more about that machine." Aegidius said. "It's either allied with Draven or plotting to kill him, I suspect."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Wednesday September 13th, 2006
Nick reached the town Aura and Tsu were previously at. He looked for a shop to get new clothes to replace the ones he was wearing for what seemed forever. He walked in browsing the store. He noticed ablack almost translusent shirt and dark grey pants. He took them to the shopkeeper. "I'll like to buy these."
"That will be 50 gold coins."
Nick reached into his pocket pulling out 50 shimering gold coins. He placed them in the shop keepers hand and as quickly as he did this he was gone.
Posted by: D. Ein on Wednesday September 13th, 2006
//Xorlak: I was originally planning this complex to be built by the Crimsons, but it seems as though there is a lot that I have not known before. Reviving that idea now may not work, as Draven was oblivious to what this place is. Perhaps we could write it off to the Dark Empire? If yes, then what is the D. E.'s symbol?\\
The strange, temple-like build of the laboratory did not appear as something that scientists would create. Horus carefully inspected the channels on the walls. There was a small metal rim around the glowing tubes... why would it be there? Wouldn't the rock already give enough support for these pipes, whatever their purpose may be? Perhaps the rock was not here in the beginning, at all...
He bent closer towards the wall. Indeed, the stone had occasional seams in it. It was as if it was placed there after the construction of some sort of a frame, probably holding the ground and sand at bay from pouring into this facility. However, if this stone was the same material that his armour was built out of... this would be a very heavily-defended station. The cover of sand on top, perhaps an enchantment here or there, then this...! Nothing short of a meteorite would break this fortress.
As he was inspecting the wall, he heard... a sound. He leaned to the wall.
-"H...s... Th... help... ss... kill... tr... h...s... Draven..."
The voices were slowly fading. He followed the direction of the mysterious whispers, and started to make out some words.
-"Horus... you are the one... help us... kill Draven... he does not belong... You are the original... help..."
He lightly pushed himself off the wall. These must be just hallucinations. God knows what that transfer process did to his brain.
He went back into the main area, opened up the armour covering the hole in his stomach, and began reattaching the Conversion engine. The voices, which were but a silent whisper, suddenly turned into a booming roar.
-"He only came for the conversion engine!... He is low on energy! Attack!"
His head darted around to the wall behind him. Suddenly there was clicking everywhere, whining, groaning... It was like there was something moving behind these walls...
--- --- ---
"I began to grow fond of this tower. The Sizri district was, in fact, the only one I felt comfortable in anyway. The tower itself had a nice little study in it, a broad round table, with a few chairs around it. The shelves on the walls were groaning under the weight of the books pressing on top of them. I took out a few... "Curses and Other Enfeeblements", "School of Destruction for Noobes", "Binds and how to use them"...
I sampled the books by flipping a few pages. Most interesting... All these books taught spells use something called a "siphon", using the opponent's energy to cast your spells against the opponent... An intriguing read, while I wait.
Oh, of course. I forgot to mention that there is some sort of a lord coming to see me about... well, he wasn't specific, all he said was "property". I assumed he wanted to buy land from me, and I already started picking out potential spots. The most promising one, other than Asgarnia, was the town I assaulted earlier. This was the one with those pesky worms that I saw earlier fighting a mammoth machine. This particular town still had a relatively large amount of buildings standing, and build on a lone river in a desolate wasteland. All the occupants were gone... this meant both more and less problems for this buyer. On one side, he would encounter no resistance once he got there. On the other, he would need to populate this habitation himself... I wonder if he is up to the task...
I decided to read these tomes for a while, at least until my client decides to show up."
--- --- ---
Ein brushed his shirt off any remaining blood. This was nothing compared to the loss he experienced earlier...
He came back to the encampment.
-"No more distractions. Alex, Marshall, come help me."
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday September 13th, 2006
"Help?" Marshall asked. "Help with what? The camp?"
He scratched his head and then followed Ein.
----
A horse pulled wagon, which seemed to be carrying something, either very big or something small but in a massive amount covered in a blanket, rode towards the gates of Sizri.
The cart was being pulled by a man who had a beard and was wearing...normal clothing (he's not important so you think of something, if you care about him that much). The passenger was a man, who looked like he was in his fifties, but still very fir and healthy. He was wearing a dark burgundy shirt, a black cape, dark green pants, and black leather boots, with a design of foliage on the sides. He had clean white hair and a short beard. He looked quite wealthy with no signs of any bad health to him, except around his eyes, he has bright green veins. Also if one were to smell his breath, they would smell a slight hint of poison. The expression on his face looked quite casual, like the sign of somebody important about to do some very important business. However if you asked anyone, nobody would be able to tell you who he was. In fact the driver of the cart was just paid to carry this luggage, and transport this man, he had only recently met this strange person.
The cart stopped in front of the gates, the iron wheels squealed as it came to a stop and the horse screeched and the driver wiped them to indicate them to stop.
The guards at the gate walked looked at each other in doubt. They have dealt with a lot of people claiming to be important, and they really don't want somebody to waste Kronos' time.
The strange well dressed man hopped from the cart, and stared at the two guards.
One guard, stepped towards the stranger, trying to look unimpressed, yet truly this stranger could purchase the man's rear end with the change in his pocket.
“What business do you have with the great Marshal of the Kandarinian Sovereignty?” The guard asked demandingly.
The stranger grinned and let out a slight laugh. The guard could smell his rancid breath from where he stood. “My name is Theodore Vandrin.” He stranger spoke. “I have come to buy a county of land from your Marshal.”
“Um…listen here. You’re not the first person to try this. If you think you’re so smart to pull of a stunt like this just to see our great Marshal, think again. Please do not waste our time.”
“I assure you, I am not wasting your time. I have truly come here to do buisness. He is expecting me.”
The guard was still in dis belief. Perhaps he stole this clothing, he was sure that somebody as well dressed as this would be able to have a better oral hygene. He rolled his eyes. “Listen, our Marshal IS expecting somebody, but how do I know you're him, and not some well dressed bum trying to attack our leader. I'm not letting you in unless you can prove you are who you claim to be.”
“Is that so?” Vandrin asked. “Come take a look at this.” He walked towards the back of the cart, and put his hand on the large blanket and beckoned the guard to come to him.
The guard took a deep breathed and walked towards the end of the cart.
Vandrin lifted up the blanket. The guard rubbed his eyes. Before him, was a huge ammount of gold, diamonds, gems, and tons of treasures, worth millions. Obviously this must have been stolen, but who cares? (Aslong as it wasn’t stolen from the soverinty) This is a fourtune we are talking about.
The guard smiled. “Very well then sir.” He looked at the other guard. “Open the gates, he checks out.”
Vandrin nodded and then hopped back onto the cart, back onto the passenger seat, displaying some impressive agility for his age.
The horses screeched again and the cart wheeled through the gates, untill they reached the tower of Sizri.
Vandrin hopped off the cart, and walked towards the end of it, and reached under the blanket. He pulled out a large bag, full of treasure. This would probably be enough to at least get this great Marshal’s attention.
The doors of the tower were opened for him.
He looked at the cart driver. “You know what will happen if you leave, don’t you?” He said.
The cart driver gulped and nodded.
Vandrin then headed his way into the tower.
----
The door in Kronos’ room was opened.
"Greetings oh great, Marshal of Kandarinian." Vardin says. "Sorry if I was late. Your guards seem to be a bit over protective of you. But seeing as you are a man of your position I can't blame them." He said, sounding respective but not to flattering or like a suck up. "So anyways, my name is Theodore Vandrin. I would like to buy a county of land from you. I would also like to purchase about one hundred slaves, and perhaps hire fifty guards. I will fully pay upfront for the costs, and I will give you my loyalty."
Posted by: D. Ein on Wednesday September 13th, 2006
"Another pest...? I swear, when I get my hands on those guards....
Oh, it's him!
I put down my book, and listened to the Count's introductory speech. The little devil on my shoulder was constantly nudging at me to ask the Count when was the last time he brushed his teeth... however, the little angel on the other shoulder told me to keep this as formal as possible. I am a man of class, after all, and although this one may not have an empire like I, we are still monarchs.
-"Count Vandrin, I see." I was surprised how he didn't claim to be a heir for the Kandarinian throne. With a name like that, he'd fool most folks. "So, it is a county you desire? Why, I may have the perfect location in mind..."
I took a map of Terian off one of my shelves. I pointed to a very empty-looking barren.
-"Although it is not on the map, my troops have recently decimated a township in this area. Although it is not as big as one may have desired, it is bigger than most of the... filthy ghettoes that dare call themselves cities... Some buildings lay in ruins, but most still stand. What can I say, it's war!"
"I did not bother myself to find out its name... You can give it a new one when you arrive."
-"Also, as for the slaves: I have a good 10,000 lowlives stashed away somewhere in the mines. Since we are both men of rule, I will give you 200 as a gift. Likewise for the guards, I'd say about 75 Kandarinian Legionnaires, all armed with first-grade speargun weaponry will do. The township itself, however, will not come at such a small price..."
I looked at the Count with a sly smile. My Necromancer skills paled in comparison to my bargaining ones... however... Let us hope that the initial offer seals the pact."
Posted by: Xorlak on Wednesday September 13th, 2006
(Ein: No problem, but PM me if you want to set things up in the future. Otherwise, I'll assume none of my characters have knowledge of it, unless it's obvious.)
Draven flew a bit away from the heap of scrap, some sort of markings on the far wall catching his eye. Floating over to the panel, he dusted off the rune like etching and moved back a little.
That would answer his question. Before him was the insignia of the Dark Empire etched into the wall: the four winged dragon outlined in a deep red against a diagonal sword. It was slightly disturbing to see it again after all this time, through it only differed slightly from his own insignia of the Crimson Empire. When he had risen to the throne five years ago, he only modified the insignia slightly, filling the dragon in with deep vermillion to symbolize improvement but retaining past superiority. This newer insignia bodly graced the back of his black cape. But he knew that he would be seeing the old version a lot more in the near future...
Draven was only half surprised at this. Retan had many secrets, that even as a High General, the second highest position in the Empire, he was left out on...
Suddenly the walls began to rumble-- Draven darted back next to Horus, finding that the machine was in the middle of repairing itself.
"I would have assumed this place to be more hospitable to you... More defense mechanisms?"
A dim aura of flame appeared around the floating man. If something did attack, that meant it was functional... Perhaps he could disable it without causing much damage?
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday September 13th, 2006
"Not to sound egotistical, but I'd think the Vandrin County would actually sound nice." The count said, grinning.
The count grinned once more, as he was offered some extra minions for his county, and nodded.
"So you say it will not be at a small price. Well then." Vandrin then opens the large bag, revealing many gems and gold, enough to make any person rich. "This is only a fraction of what I have outside. I assure you that money will not be an issue with me."
"So, yes. As I am buying a county from you, I accept the fact I will also be expected to work for you. I actually would like this. Like you, I am a great leader, and a powerful man. I intend to not only build a 'civilization' under your law, modified with a few of my own 'additional' rules. I also plan to build a military establishment, to expand my territory, and also yours. Perhaps I could suggest, that If I ever, oh say conquer a small militia run village, perhaps sell it to you. I prefer to only have a small amount of land and I think we can both agree that money is a great form of power."
Posted by: D. Ein on Wednesday September 13th, 2006
//Ach, pardon pardon... Well, what can I say? I'm still a newb <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ohmy.gif' />) \\
"Despite the the foul, fetid stench slowly filling up my room, I could not agree more.
-"Yes. Other than some, er, direct methods, if you will, money is what helped me become me as you see me now - a leader of a great empire."
I peered into the bag. This was one of those few occasions when I felt that I am not surrounded by obsolete morons.
-"Hm, yes... I do believe we are on the same page, lord Count. Now, as for your proposition..."
His proposition was very close to home, but there were a few points I disagreed on - mostly of etiquette.
-"I am fair. You are buying that land, hence it is no longer mine, and hence my laws will have no effect upon your rule. However, I do think that perhaps an alliance of some sort would be greatly beneficial to both of us. You see, other than a few outposts here and there, and perhaps a capital centre, I have no plans of urbanizing Terian. I am taking over for two main reasons. One, because of raw materials. Two - the most important one - because I can."
I waited, for a dramatic pause.
-"Anyways, we may as well discuss this alliance now. I will supply you with troops, materials, and sustenance. You and your county will serve as a strategic hardpoint. I will put my complete trust in your command over my soldiers. You may claim the cities you conquer at your desire."
My eyes thinned, and I looked directly at the count.
-"But please... for the sake of your well-being and for the sake of my time, please do not try to backstab me... Believe me, my empire, although geographically small, is quite powerful..."
I sat down at the table. This was proving to be an interesting discussion.
-"Do we have a deal, lord Count?"
Posted by: FightingFork on Thursday September 14th, 2006
Othainan smiled grimly smiled as he swam, that is, if you can say the twitching and clicking of the mouth of an eel/shark hybrid is a smile smile. For that is what form Othainan had assumed for his long swim to the Kandarinian islands. Not large enough to attract attention, yet big enough to swim deep, and fast. After 2 days of swimming, he had finally entered the ring of islands that made up the sovereignty. But he was having trouble finding the correct island.
He was smiling about the thoughts of revenge that his mind was unable to abandon. After such a long time, revenge was finally in his grasp. All he has to do is...find the wretched island.
Othainan cursed the fog that surronded him as he swam on.
Posted by: Jenia on Thursday September 14th, 2006
//Small reminder, Ein...Ein is POISONED and won't be able to move a muscle within moments of the stab...Unless you sigil also purified his blood as well?\\
Kerig stared at the group before him, confused.
"Erm, I think they walked into some invisible barrier over there" He said eventualy, pointing at what seemed to be the horizon.
"You better not bother them. They probably want privacy if they made an invisibility barrier..."
Kerig nodded to himself.
Only then he noticed that something is missing-Weloss.
---------------------
Under a cover of darkness, Afelon follows the innkeeper's daughter into her own home. During the stalking, Afelan noted that the village is much smaller than the village on the map-much smaller.
Assuming the map was simply wrong, Afelan sneaks into the local inn, a three story high redwood building with a big, round golden sign on it's door saying
"Flyby Inn".
Inside the inn, Afelan hid behind a grandfather clock and listened in to the conversion between the innkeeper and the herbalist.
Upon taking a closer look, Afelan noticed the Herbalist was wearing a strange, shining green shirt on an unknown material and a glittering yellow skirt. Although the sandlas she wore were a little bigger than Afelan's footwear, the rest of the sizes about matched.
"Perfect. All I have to do now is to find the right time and place..."
The rough-looking innkeeper suddenly got up from his stool behind the counter and went into a nearby corridor. Near the entrance leading there was a staircase, probably leading to the other 2 floors. But the Herbalist went inside the door behind the counter...And that's where Afelan will head to as well.
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday September 14th, 2006
Vandrin nodded in agreement with most of what Kronos had said.
No backstabbing? Well, obviously anyone would say that. It never really crossed his mind until now. Before he came here, he had slain his best friends just to get the money. Sure he is upset with the loss, but the insane amount of money was more then enough to dry his tears. He thought he'd just put back stabbing off for a wile.
"You have nothing to worry about lord, Marshal." Vandrin replied.
"Yes I suppose this all sounds good. One last thing however, I don't suppose I could use a larger transport? I was in a horse pulled cart, and the smell of the horse was quite unbearable." He said, this would probably sound very hypocritical to Kronos.
"But yes, perhaps a larger vehicle of some sort, if any cost for them is needed, it's fine. Again, money is no problem."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Thursday September 14th, 2006
Nick went to a near by inn and got a room. He changed into his new clothes and left the inn through a window and into a tree. He droped from the tree and ran out of the town.
Posted by: D. Ein on Thursday September 14th, 2006
The door leading to the corridor opened. About four machines, all modelled after different animals - the good old tiger one, a rhinocerous one, a crocodile one and a flying eagle one - emerged from the passage. They were all about twice as big as a normal human being, still dwarfed by Horus.
Horus, in turn, took out his maul, on the ready.
--- --- ---
-"Then we have a deal."
I smiled at Vandrin.
-"Do not worry about the transport. Just try to make it to Qim, I have arranged a servant to guide you there. The guards and slaves, as well as a few hyrdojump transports have been prepared for you. I expect to hear from you as soon as you make a good start with your city."
--- --- ---
//I don't remember you mentioning that you used poison on the dagger, but that just might be me, so free forgiveness plz <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /> let's just assume that the poison was slow-acting\\
Ein suddenly grabbed his closed wound, and collapsed on the ground.
-"Ow... damnit... what's going on...?"
Posted by: Dr Eams on Friday September 15th, 2006
Soadakke was too tired to keep paddling. The waves pulled Soadakke's boat southwest; He decided to rest for a while, until the wind changes direction.
Soon enough, he fell asleep.
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday September 15th, 2006
"County, Lord Marshal, county." Vandrin grinned. He left the large black treasure bag, and bowed upon his exit.
He walked through the tower towards the exit. He was quite proud of himself. He never really thought he'd ever get his place back as a rich tyrant count, but here he is, about to rebuild his life. He has allied himself with the most powerful nation on Gaian, and has probably gained a high rank in the Kandarinian Sovereignty, in just a brief period of time. Soon he will have his group of pawns, to boss around, give the people what they deserve...a life of pain.
He exited the tower, he saw his cart driver starring at him, trying to not act afraid, but hiding it terribly.
Just after he exited, a servant wearing the standard suit of the Kandarinian exited after him. //I'll just assume he was already on his way, just to save time.\\
"Lord, Count. Shall I guide you to Qim?" the servant asked.
"Yes. Let us go." Vandrin replied as he hopped onto the cart. He sided over, inviting the servant to hop in.
The servant climbed into the seat of the cart.
The driver snapped his whip at the horses, they screeched and then they were off...
Posted by: Zeros' on Saturday September 16th, 2006
Zeros' slowly sat on the ground, crossing his legs under him and folding his hand onto his knees. He pursed his lips into a thin line, as he started to concentrate more on the spiritual plane.
Slowly, he felt his awareness with the physical plane disappear. His sense of smell, touch, hearing... anything was almost completely gone, but his spiritual awareness was increased a hundred fold. He slowly looked around. Even through closed eyes, he could see auras clearly.
The trees gave off a shimmering green... the air a faint grey... almost unnoticeable... people gave off a viratey of different auras, depending on their moods. He slowly turned his senses towards Kerig, slowly scanning his aura for something... anything different...
//You get to decide what Zeros' sees. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />\\
Posted by: Xorlak on Saturday September 16th, 2006
Draven folded his arms, floating a few feet higher as the animal-like war machines entered.
"You there! State what exactly it is you are doing in this facility, your purpose, and who is in charge..."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Saturday September 16th, 2006
Nick sent a message to Kronos. So my lord what shall i do now? He continued out of the town back towards the scavanging party.
---
//I'll post bio when i get time.\\
Galak Was resting in a forest, looking up through the leaves and branches. He took he pack from his shoulder and took a peice of paper out with a symbol on it, meaning Galak in his language. He placed it on the tree and it bursted apart shooting splinters in the air.
//Any one thats near any forest can make it the one thats blowing up.\\
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday September 16th, 2006
"So they don't want to be bothered eh?" Duilin said, rubbing his chin. He debated whether or not he should just jump into this invisible barrier anyway. He was quite curious about this machine and what Draven is doing with it.
"Well, let me think about this for a moment." Duilin said to Kerig.
----
Marshall looked at Ein in concern, as he grabbed his wound. "Ein! Are you okay?"
He looked at Alex. "Alex! Ein's hurt! We need to do something!"
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday September 16th, 2006
-"Actually, Nick, I do have a small assignment for you. You are to regroup with Steorra in Asgarnia. From there on, you will be part of another colonization attack. However, this will not be an easy battle. It will be you and her against a city."
I relaxed a little. Now I was truly the nexus of of all events in Kandarin, and perhaps even more. And to tell you the truth, I did not really like it. Perhaps it is time to do something in the field, and flex that arcane muscle of mine.
The books, it seems, were perfect for my preparation for the said event. They included many spells which I have never used before. In fact, I haven't used anything other than Necromancer spells, and a change of pace, so to say, was quite welcome."
--- --- ---
The cart sped through the thin streets of the Qim sector. Qim was very comparible with the slums of an industrial city: tall, monotone, silent buildings, covered in rust. The buildings were made of iron, it seemed, and were for the most part of a rectangular shape. This sector was the oddest one of all four districts in Kandarin. The entire architecture of all of the buildings vividly contrasted with the stone pyramidic edifices seen in Jovil.
The servant urged the horses. Qim was even more of a mystery to Kandarinian citizens than Sizri. The only movement here was seen from clockwork mechanisms doing maintenance work on the buildings. No one saw anyone enter or leave the buildings. Ever.
Apparently, some kind of intellectual life forms operated the buildings from inside. Who and what they were remains a closely-guarded secret, known only to the highest-ranking staff.
The cart approached the docks. Eerie silence broken only by occasional waves hitting the piers created a very tense atmosphere. A few hydrojump transports were present, all loaded with slaves and troopers. An empty one was standing by, reserved for the count. A servant was at the helm, ready to go.
-"We are all set, sir. We may depart when you board."
--- --- ---
The machines did not make another sound, attacked. Two of them, the rhinocerous and crocodile, pounced at Horus. The eagle one and the tiger one, on the other hand, dove for Draven.
Horus was still attaching the engine. Time, time... Never enough... he would need at least five more minutes before it is safe for him to act...
--- --- ---
Ein was curled up on the floor.
-"Marshall... Alex... Wat...er..."
His eyes slowly closed, and he stopped twitching. He was still breathing, though, and his skin started to turn reddish in some areas.
--- --- ---
Steorra peered at the city below her, being overrun by Kronos' soldiers. Perhaps soon, when Kronos took over Gaian, she would sit next to him, the Marshal of Kandarin... no... the Marshal of the World...
She thought back a little. Back when Vincent was alive. Back when she was so scared of Kronos... and for little reason. Kronos would never harm her, which was obvious to her now. Either it was because he was lusty for her body, which was the most plausible explamation at the moment... or he truly had feelings for her. She could not imagine why; he had not even known her for that long...
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday September 16th, 2006
"Alex! He needs water! Get him water! I'll keep an eye on him!" Marshall demanded. He kneeled down, and patted him on the back.
It would probably be best if he was left him on his side, so in case of vomiting, he wouldn't drown on it.
Marshall patted Ein on the back. "Don't worry Ein! We'll help you. Don't you die on us!"
----
Count Vandrin, hopped out of the cart. He looked at the driver. "Help me carry the sacks into the cargo hold, and then you can go." He said.
The driver nodded and then climbed of the cart. They both carried the remaining sacks of treasure into the hydrojump, the occasional gold coin fell to the ground, but wasn't even bothered to be picked up. Vandrin could probably retire with this money. He was old enough; then again he hasn't finished his plans.
After the sacks of money were in the hydrojump, Vandrin looked at the strange machine. He never saw anything like this. This Sovereignty was quite advanced. Maybe a bit too advanced to be safe, but as an alley, it would prove very useful for him.
Vandrin, nodded and then stepped into the hydrojump...
----
"You know what. Screw it." Duilin snapped. "I was just minding my own business, enjoying MY privacy and then that machine came up and started shooting at us!"
"Yeah, and?" Rink asked.
"Well, why should I respect its privacy when it didn't respect our privacy much less our lives." Duilin answered. He then rolled down his sleeves. "I don't know about you kids, but I'm going to go down." He looked at the others. "Actually. Rink you stay here. Keep an eye on this guy." He pointed to Kerig. "Xenai, Aegidius, if you want to come down then wait until I send you a telepathic message saying it's safe down there."
"I'd rather just stay here." Aegidius replied.
"Good." Duilin said back. He then saluted the others and then jumped backwards, into the invisible barrier. Expecting to sink under the sand...
Instead he smacked into the ground butt first into the ground. He rubbed his forehead in embarrassment. "Heh.." He stood back up. "Must, um. Be over here."
He then took a few steps to left, and then he vanished...
----
Duilin found himself…basically in the same place he was before. Except now there was some sort of aperture below him. Except for the fact that it was closed.
"Great, this totally ruins the moment." Duilin thought to himself. "Here I am TRYING to be heroic, but I'm blocked off by a friggin' metal door…" He looks around. "And I can still friggin' see everyone. What the hell? Am I destined to be left at the tail end of the action?"
Duilin tried opening the aperture, by pulling it open, but only accomplished pulling his arm muscles. "Sonofa.." He then examined the aperture a bit more. If he could get a huge blast, and I mean one mean shot, he could blow that hole right open. Perhaps if he got some help he could do it.
In his right hand he began to gather his energy and then he sent a message to Xenai. "Hey, it's uh safe. But, why don't you come help me out with something here?"
Posted by: Burton_projects on Saturday September 16th, 2006
Yes I'll get there right away. He ran towards the direction of Asgarnia. "Steorra.....I know that name from somewhere."
---
Galak took another peice of paper out of the pack and placed it on a rock, smashing it to peices. "Gla sna for ma!" He chuckled as he said he had all the power he needed. His pack was filled with mysterious things such as trinkets and spells he gathered from his trips.
Posted by: Jenia on Sunday September 17th, 2006
Kerig slowly sat down and looked around. He couldn't pick up Weloss anywhere using his pineal gland (AKA "inner eye") so he closed his eyes, now ignoring the newcomers.
Because of their special bond, it was much easier to track Weloss. After a few moments of thin auric line following, Kerig found Weloss observing something strange.
-"Weloss, what are you doing?"
-"Researching. Don't worry, I'll tell you everything later...Keep your guests busy in the meantime.
Confused, Kerig opened his eyes.
//He would probably see something of a random pulsating pure auric color with dark-shark thingies embedded in it. Maybe it would also look torn in some spots?\\
Posted by: Trent on Sunday September 17th, 2006
Xenai snickered at Duilin as he smacked himself. A few moments later, he recieved the telepathic message. Alright, I'm comin'. He tried to go through the barrier, but just smacked himself. "Dammit!" He moved over a bit, and then got it right. He noticed the door, and Duilin gathering energy. "Ah, I get it." He started charging up some energy as well.
--- --- ---
"Duilin and Xenai just vanished..." said Tsu.
"I'm starting to become a little curious," said Zion. He looked to Zeros', whom he noticed was quite focused on something else. "Hey, what's wrong?" Of course, he didn't know that he wouldn't be able to hear him.
Posted by: Xorlak on Sunday September 17th, 2006
"Blast it!"
Draven shot straight up into the air, narrowly dodging the metallic tiger's pounce. But at the same time, the metallic bird was upon him, razor-sharp talons extended. Draven extended his right hand upward, as the talons descended, a mere few inches from Draven's palm...
A bright flash of red, and a thundering explosion followed. The metallic gold bird machine shot skyward, slamming into the facility's ceiling, causing stones to become dislodged and pepper the ground. Draven flew backwards, landing on a balcony some 5 feet higher than Horus's head, his boot clanging on the metal floor as he continued watching the aerial machine he smashed into the ceiling. Wedged in the ceiling, there seemed to be some violet runes glowing about it's body...
Did that thing just absorb his attack?!
Before he could react, Draven was pinned face down on the floor. The tiger-like machine-- several times larger than a real tiger-- had it's massive claw upon his back. Draven spun around, dislodging the claw and lying upon his back, and brought his hands up before him to catch the thing's massive jaws before they could snap into his head... With his left hand on the bottom jaw, and his right hand on the upper, he struggled against the metallic beast, instinctively flaring his burning aura to a bright crimson. However, violet runes appeared on this machine as well, and the increased temperature seemed to have minimal effect...
Finally, with a swift kick to the stomach, the huge machine was sent three feet into the air. It was just enough... Draven sprang upward as his aura disappeared, condensing and swelling into his forearms. His muscles bulged as he reared his fist back and delivered a crushing right hook to the machine's jaw. The thing flew backwards wailing off of the balcony and crashing into a heap of junk on the other side of the room...
Draven took a second to breath, as the metallic bird swooped upon him from behind...
Posted by: Dude Man on Sunday September 17th, 2006
"Yeah." Duilin said to Xenai, as he continued to charge energy, a bit of golden light appeared around his hand. "So, when I say now blast your energy right at this metal door."
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Sunday September 17th, 2006
//I do apologize, been busy lately. Hope Ein's not dead from poison yet.\\
"All right, I'll be right back. Come on, Otis."
He and Otis took a container from the camp and immediately returned to the river to get water. While on the way, Alex consulted Otis (if it could be called that) about poison.
"Otis, you're a poison headcrab, what do you know about Ein's condition?"
Otis emitted a series of chirps and squeaks, as if Otis actually understood what Alex had told him. Unfortunately, the same was not true for Alex.
"Erm...damn," Alex muttered as he filled the container with fresh flowing water. "I need a way to actually understand you. If only... Gah. I doubt it's anything special."
Otis made a questionable chirp, as if asking what Alex was talking about.
"Well, everytime I grab an item or possession that belongs to someone else, my head starts buzzing...it's almost as if I can see something else while I do it...like I'm seeing in that person's perspective. It's very hazy, I can hardly make it out. Come on, we've got to get this water to Ein."
Human and headcrab returned to where Ein lay almost motionless. Every now and then he would make a quiet gurgling sound followed by some labored breathing. Alex handed the water off to Marshall, who immediately administered it. While Marshall was helping Ein to water, Alex turned back to Otis, whispering to him just barely audible.
"Otis...there has to be something of yours that I can have, maybe if I can do this weird thing, I can understand you... Wow, that sounds crazy, doesn't it?"
Otis paced back and forth slowly on his four spindly legs, chirping occassionally, looking at Ein, and then continuing to pace. He was clearly thinking about how to help Ein. Were headcrabs supposed to be this intelligent?
Alex left Otis to think and turned back to Marshall.
"Well, how is he?"
Posted by: Trent on Monday September 18th, 2006
"Alrighty then, pal." He could feel how dense the energy was becoming. It started to crackle. He pointed his hand at the door, the energy orb suspending itself in front of his hand. "Whenever yer ready, jus' say it!"
Posted by: Zeros' on Monday September 18th, 2006
Zeros' heard some vague buzzing in a corner of his mind, indicating that someone was talking to him. He ignored it, though. He scanned Kerig's aura, a frown slowly appearing over his face.
Kerig's aura was a pulsing and pure, but there were several dark shapes imbedded into it... To him, it also looked like there were several tears in it. He shook his head slowly, coming out from focusing on the spiritual world.
He blinked severalt imes and look up at Tsu.
"Huh? What was that?"
Posted by: D. Ein on Monday September 18th, 2006
Deep within the bowels of Hell, a figure sat motionlessly on a throne, made of piles of human skulls. Hell was in disarray; demons everywhere were blabbering about some 'revolution', they called it... this must not be... especially not with his new plan...
The shadowy figure of his was sitting so still for so long that one could mistake him as a statue. However, today appeared to be an exception...
With many loud cracks, his head slowly turned around, to look at the flames of Hell erupting from the endless abyss beneath. Since his throne was on the tallest of towers in Hell, he could see everything everywhere. Demons, all armed with something, it seems, were advancing upon his summit.
-"Today... war..."
-"Down..."
Some voices were making their way up to even the top of the tower, which his old ears could barely distinguish. So they want war, do they? They will get it, then.
He barely even twitched, and with lightning-fast speed, he simply appeared in the midst of the demons. They immediately backed off, growling, scowling, clutching their weapons.
-"It is a simple question: do I want an explamation, or shall heads roll now?"
Instead of an answer, one of the larger demons let out a blood-chilling roar, and charged at him. The mammoth club that the demon was wielding, though, did not quite reach his hood - it stopped about an inch from it. The demon was also as still as him, although his expression of fury was still burning with the previous rage.
-"Appears as though you have taken the latter choice. Very well."
The gargantuan demon rose into the air. He only looked at the demon; and the entire crowd around him watched in horror as the hellion was being twisted into a tight coil, eventually exploding into a rain of guts and blood, covering the crowd.
Other demons were frozen by this act. He, however, was angry.
-"Now, you follow."
He slightly tapped his staff on the brimstone. The stone around him bent in, making a dent beneath him. The hole was progressing very slowly, as if with great effort. At the same time, sound comparable to a very large piece of steel being bent resonated through the crowd.
Then, an enormous tidal wave of something, warping the very reality, exploded around him and swept the whole crowd of demons away. That's all it did, it simply sent them away... down into the apocalyptic void beneath. Never to be seen again.
With a deep sigh, he inspected the area. There was one more demon left, groaning by a tall pillar, holding up his tower. He slowly approached the demon.
-"What say I. A survivor."
The demon scowled at him, and silently muttered:
-"This is a holy war... Down with Iban, son of Qor..."
He was taken aback, the first time in his life.
-"So this is what this is... this matter must surely be investigated..."
Without any further words, he turned to the tower and left the demon. The demon, however, didn't lie still for long: after a horrible expression of agony, the demon's hand slowly rose. It was shaking, as if the demon was struggling with some force over the control of the arm. The clawed limb turned towards the chest.
-"AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The demon's heart was clenched in the clawed hand, still beating and spurting the demon with blood. The demon's head dropped to the side.
Iban was now at the top of his tower, arriving as swiftly as he disappeared. This was a situation that had to be dealt with, especially on the wake of very important... events... coming up...
The foolish Nightshade. Felix was his primary target, up until the feeble structure of the cave collapsed on him. Iban was, of course, in no danger - the person that the Nightshade perceived as him was nothing but a mere projection. There was no way that, without a good host, Iban could ever truly escape Hell.
//I'm guessing since Haraldur only took one or two posts to organize his big hell revolution, I could end it in one or two posts as well. Especially since he isn't here.\\
Posted by: Burton_projects on Monday September 18th, 2006
Nick was near Asgaria. He checked his pocket for any loose coins. He contiued moving.
//i'll post more when i have time.\\
Posted by: Xorlak on Monday September 18th, 2006
(Heh...)
----
"Where have you been?"
Gazing upon the dark ground on one knee, Jayce spoke in his deep accent:
"Around."
"What did I tell you?" Retan slowly turned his dark throne. The lizard Prime Minister at his side backed away, not wanting to get caught in between.
"Forgive my boredom, father. But I was just scouting the continent ahead... It seems it is in much dissaray."
"Your boredom would be better quenched organizing the Vi'zar..."
The Vi'zar was the name the Dark Emperor gave to the hordes of artificially grown lizard warriors brought from the depths of Mizar. By now there were thousands amassed outside of North Point, the terrain seemingly killed by their very presence The sky crackled with dark lighting, and the sea sprayed green foam... It's color changed to a murky dull olive...
"Yes, of course..."
Jayce spread his arms and bowed, making his way to the door.
The lizard Gral waited a moment after he left.
"My lord, a question if I may. Why the alliance with the Kandarinians? They are human filth, like those that inhabit the rest of the world..."
He spat the word 'filth', his tongue slipping between his pointed teeth.
"There is a Lich on that island..."
Gral was taken aghast. "A lich?! The records state the nation is ruled by a necromancer... You don't mean--?"
"Yes."
"But there is a one in ten thousand chance of the ceremony--"
"The chances are improved if performed by one of great skill..." The Dark Emperor mused. "I would very much like to see what this... Kronos... can do..."
"But milord, he was a human... just like--"
"A Lich is far from human. And if he is a Lich, then his subjects will not be human for long..."
Retan turned, the chair rotating to the glowing orb in the center of the room.
"And I am down one High General..."
Retan's helmet turned towards the lizard, the crimson eyes piercing...
"Speaking of which... Draven has not reported, though my return should have been obvious. Send a dispatch to find him..."
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday September 19th, 2006
Duilin gathered up more energy. There was an orb of energy the size of a baseball in his hand. "Almost Xenai, just get ready for it." Duilin said.
----
The hyrdojumps then blasted off towards the northern shore of Terian.
Vandrin looked a little surprised with the sudden jump of them. But quickly relaxed as the boat sped quickly through the water.
----
Marshall helped Ein drink the water down. "Yeah, he looks pretty bad, he may not make it, but if we give him the proper help, I'm sure he'll be fine." He said as he looked at Ein. "Okay, Alex, do you think that there may be a near by town, maybe with an apothecary we can get to, or perhaps at least somebody who knows about poison?"
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday September 19th, 2006
Ein's sickly-red skin continued to deepen in colour. Very small, but visible openings began to pop up everywhere on his skin. Black oily liquid seeped through the holes. Perhaps this was not the intended effect of the poison, but perhaps the poison itself served as a catalyst to something in Ein's system.
The black oil poured down on the ground, melting all the life it touched.
--- --- ---
Steorra sighted Nick in the distance. What could he be doing here? She flew over to the speeding figure.
-"Hello, I believe I know you from somewhere... You're Nick, right? Why are you here?"
--- --- ---
"Reading "School of Destruction for Noobes" was definately a great pastime. The process of casting a fireball was particularly intriguing:
"1. Stretch hand in front of chest. Open palm."
Holding the book with one hand and stretching my other one directly in front of me, I complied.
"2. Concentrate arcane powers in palm. A tiny spark should appear."
I closed my eyes, and channeled my energy to my palm. A bloodied skull appeared on my hand, its brains seeping through the eye sockets, undoubtedly runing my great robes. Hilarious.
Carefully landing the book on the table, I threw the skull into the air and gave it a good kick. The skull was sent flying across the room, and right out the window. A nasty "crack" followed.
I tried again, this time instead of using my Necromancer powers, I attempted to imagine a comet burning in my hand. My hand turned red, but otherwise I did not have much success. Bah! To hell with this stupid fireball. Let's try something simplier.
I flipped back to the table of contents. Let's see...
"P. 2 - Don't read this
P. 4 - Simple things even a noobe should know
P. 6 - The four elements - Hotness, Wet stuff, Dirt, and 'that other one'
P. 12 - The REAL four elements - Fire, Water, Earth and Air
P. 20 - Casting that first lightning bolt
P. 53 - The NEXT LEVEL - Casting the Fireball"
Oh, grand. I missed more than 50 pages. Well, I suppose it's back to the lightning bolt for me...
I flipped to page 20. A strange illustration depicting a positively triangle-headed man being stuck by a lightning was the first thing that caught my attention. He had a rather surprised look on his face, and his hair seemed to stand up. I looked down to find the steps.
"1. Hold hand in front of self. Close palm."
I complied, feeling a bit dumb.
"2. Letting the power flow through your fingers, slowly open palm.
<img src='http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9057/stringgd8.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /> Remember! As outlined in "Things even a noobe should know", be very careful not to shake your hand too much. A beginner's power may be unstable, and could go off in the wrong direction!"
This time trying not to draw power from my Necromancer reserves, I thought of energy flowing freely through myself. I even felt that sort of sensation, as if I were a hose that water was pumped through.
Taking my sight off the book, I glanced at my palm. It was shaking. Very carefully, I opened it up a little...
There were small arcs of electricity zapping in between my fingers, as if a dome! I did it!
Someone knocked at the back door. Without looking behind me, I yelled out "come in!"
-"My Marshal... there is something you need to know..."
Recognizing one of my advisors' voices, I turned around and held up my accomplishment.
-"Am I great or am I great, Necirrejel?"
-"You are truly a blessing, my Lord... however... the Mervanians are acting up..."
The force of the latter statement felt like a punch in the face. Before I knew what I was doing, I exclaimed:
-"WHAT?!"
Drowned by choking surprise, completely forgot about the power accumulated in my hand. Without realizing it, my palm opened up completely. Necirrejel barely dodged the incoming lightning, which blew a respectable hole in the wall behind him.
-"It's a good thing that your wife keeps the Bintmeat in her highest shelf, Necirrejel, otherwise all that lard of yours would be just as roasted as the rest of you. Surely you wouldn't want to burden me with reviving another corpse? Besides, having a hole in the middle of yourself is totally out of fashion, even amongst my non-living citizens..."
Necirrejel blushed and said nothing.
-"Yes... anyways, back to that Mervanian situation we were talking about... What was so direly important as to disrupt me from my studies?"
-"I'm sorry, my Lord... but they say that if we do not provide them with sufficcent pigfish by Noyabr, they will leave..."
I took a deep sigh of relief.
-"Well, what's the problem, then? Assemble the fishermen, and get to it!"
-"My Lord... the fishermen are too starved to fish... I checked myself..."
-"Ah, is that the case, now. Well, tell them that if they don't catch enough pigfish, food will be the least of their worries. Meanwhile, subtly triple their pay."
-"Triple?... Yes, my Lord..."
-"Of course. In fact, Nova Sanctum is coming up, isn't it?"
-"Yes, my Lord... In four days..."
-"Oh my. Make that six times their pay. Increase everyone else's by three, for at least two months. Also, cancel all executions due this week."
-"You seem generous, my Lord... may I inquire why?..."
-"You may not. Now get lost, or the next bolt isn't going to miss."
-"Of course, my Lord..."
The chubby man hurried out of the room, while I picked up my book and continued reading."
--- --- ---
Horus finished attaching the cords to his new Conversion engine. He grumbled with satisfaction as he heard the initiating hum.
Just then, he noticed the blurry golden streak, heading right for Draven. Giving his maul a nice spin, he slammed it right on top of the mechanism, just before it reached the Emperor. Considering the weight of the maul and the speed of the moving eagle machine, this feat would never be even dreamt of by a normal human being.
Posted by: FightingFork on Tuesday September 19th, 2006
Othainan had finally found the correct island. After searching for what seemed like an eternity, he bumped into the island. Literally. Still in his eel/shark form, he flopped up onto land and quickly morphed into a fly. You can never tell what is watching.
Glad to be out of the water, Othainan began flying twords the city. Twords his vegence.
Posted by: Dr Eams on Wednesday September 20th, 2006
A while has passed since Soadakke woke up and found his boat safely on the
shore...He has been travlling through the continent since. As he walked, he came upon a village. "maybe there is someone who can help me at the inn", he thought.
Smiling to himself, Soadakke quickened his pace.
Posted by: Trent on Wednesday September 20th, 2006
He connected his wrists and pulled them back, focusing the energy across his palms and concentrating it even more. He was ready to go whenever he needed to, but some extra bang never hurt anyone.
--- --- ---
Tsu pointed to Zion, who then spoke. "You looked like you were distracted by something. Is something wrong?
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday September 20th, 2006
"Okay..." Duilin said slowly, the energy ball was about double the size it was before. Xenai and Duilin's blast might not even open the door, alone, yet together they should for sure blast that thing open. "...Ready...and...NOW!" He shouted. He then blasted the golden energy right at the aperture below him...
----
Marshall backed up. "Oh my god..." He gasped as the oil leaked from Ein. He nearly believed that Ein was dead. "W-What is that?" He asked sounding scared.
----
"I wonder how Xenai and Duilin are doing." Rink asked.
"Me too." Aegidius replied.
"So, Kerig. Do you really believe that you can make friends with a machine?" Rink inquired. "I mean, how do you know if it even has a soul? Like, it's a machine."
----
The hydrojumps arrive at the shoreline of the Dark Continent. The soldiers, servants and Vandrin exit the hydrojumps.
The group then goes on foot towards Vandrin's new land.
Posted by: Trent on Wednesday September 20th, 2006
"Haaaa!" He unleashed the energy wave upon the door, a simultaneous release with Duilin.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Wednesday September 20th, 2006
"Yes, Lord Kronos sent me....Im guessing your Steorra." Nick said as he was confronted by the woman. "So what is the status on the city?" Nick felt like more of a man now, Unlike his teenage self.
Posted by: Xorlak on Wednesday September 20th, 2006
Draven turned just in time to lose his balance as the golden bird slammed into the ground below the balcony, a heap of broken metal shards scattering about. He did not have time to thank the machine, for as he spun around to face it, the silver plated megalithic rhinoceros was in a full charge at the machine's left leg from behind. Draven leapt straight over Horus, the balcony he was upon crumbling from the force of the maul, and planted an airborne kick straight in the offending metallic creature's temple. Though the thing's armor was thick, the angle of the attack was unnatural enough to twist the automaton's neck sideways as it lost balance and toppled over, causing more tremors...
----
A black specter flew from the highest tower of North Point, circling the edifice once before shrieking to the south, over the hordes of Vi'zar assembled below...
This dark messenger, the wraith swooped through the skies at breakneck speed, smelling out it's target so that it may deliver its message and leave this cursed world of the sun.
Draven... Draven... must find Lord Draven...
Posted by: Zeros' on Wednesday September 20th, 2006
Zeros' blinked again and shook his head. Damn. He hated doing that. Oh well.
"It's just that kids aura, is all..." he said, pointing towards Kerig. "It looked.. strange. It was pure, but it had black shapes fluxuating in it, as well as tears... I have a look for yourself."
Posted by: Trent on Thursday September 21st, 2006
Zion looked over that-a-way, and focused. "...I see it, too..."
"Tsu, how do I-...?"
He looked to her. "Well, just look at him... And just focus on the energies around him. You can't see them, but they're there. Focus on them and they'll appear."
"Alright..." She looked to the boy, and did as her lover told. "...! I see it."
Posted by: Jenia on Thursday September 21st, 2006
Kerig looked around. Some people nearby were suddenly gone from his view, while others were noted as watching from a safe distance. Kerig did not care for it much, however, and returned to his rest.
---------------
Weloss was wondering in a strange place now...A place full with a perfect display of the soul system on it's edges.
His research was about to come to an end. The research he had to start over for over a hundred trillion times due to complete loss of all info was about to bear it's fruits at last...
Yet Weloss was not excited. He was silently watching what he suspected to be undead roaming all around him...
Yes. Some of them seemed to lack something. Something which shines both in borth and in death. Something which shone brightly somewhere in the distance above all those suspected as undead...
Yet, upon a closer inspection, all of them had that in small amounts...Amounts so thinly spread, it looked as if such a being could crumble with a single strike if a weak point is hit, even lightly. And some did indeed seem to crumble, but somehow...Somehow, they were put back together.
Weloss noticed thin lines stretching from the brighter one noted earlier whenever one crumbles. It was as if they depend on him...
It does seem to be the key. With that, they move. With that, they extend their power and themselvs...
And yet, Weloss did not know how to gain it or imbue it within himself. Any attempt to directly contact it were pointless - it did not react to Weloss.
Perhaps, he wondered, the brighter one may be of use, as he seems to imbue many others quite often...
But he only imbued his own shimmer and only very little. It could be very much pointless to try.
Weloss was now closer to the brighter one, and was examining it for any other special differences besides that bright shimmer...
He noted nothing special but a personal crimson aura, indicating that whoever that person may be, they are either cruel or currently angry at something.
Weloss continued to watch silently.
---------------
Afelan cought the girl in her room by suprise, but it was too late for her. The only reaction she was quick enough for was having her eyes widen.
"Too easy."
Taking out a strange, slimy green scroll, Afelan mutters a few words as the scroll is placed on the girls face.
The scroll suddenly begins to shine, and soon the girl's corpse, including the scroll and any bloody stains left on the bedroom rug, vanished, leaving nothing but a strange looking pile of tan-colored slimy gel pile.
Afelan picked up the gel and rubbed it on the white mask, which quickly fused with Afelan's face, making it seem like the dead girl's one.
"Even her own father will not see the difference..."
Afelan sat down on the (suprisingly) rather soft cloth covered hay bed, only now bothering to closely examine the room.
It was not too big. It had the door which Afelan came from facing a large closet, near which stood a long square table. All seemed to be made from redwood.
A window was facing the bed Afelan was sitting on, under which, on the floor, lied a pile of small sacks, each marked for different herbs in them. There seemed to be a wooden doll stuck under the closet, but Afelan paid it no mind.
Afelan wondered is there was anything missed, knowing that the target shall soon be here...
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday September 21st, 2006
The aperture was blown apart, as the two blasts smashed through and into the ground below. The pieces flew about, but away from our heroes of course.
As the smoke cleared, Duilin and Xenai could see the area below them, with a few pieces of the door on the ground.
"Well, I guess the only thing left to do is go in." Duilin stated. He hopped down through the opening and onto the floor below him. He crouched down as soon as he landed and slowly stood upright. He stretched and he examined the area it was quite interesting. There were strange yet nice looking symbols along the walls. He walked forward a bit examining the area around him further.
In the distance he could hear the sound of clanging metal. In the same direction he could sense the aura of Draven in battle. "Okay, Xenai. Looks good, lets get to Draven now." He then walked towards Draven's aura, was he fighting the machine they battled earlier, or something else?
----
The large group of Vandrin and his newly hired workers and warriors continued their way towards the Count's newly bought county...
Posted by: D. Ein on Thursday September 21st, 2006
Ein continued to lie motionlessly while the black acid scorched the area around him. Interestingly, though, the liquid did not seem to hurt him.
Soon enough, however, the strange fluid burnt the ground down enough so that Ein turned out to be in a sort of a pit. He completely submerged under the surface of the black oil. The surface itself hardened in literally moments, becoming virtually indestructible.
Posted by: Trent on Thursday September 21st, 2006
Xenai jumped in after him, landing expertisely and taking a look around. He could feel it too, Draven was pretty into it. He walked forward with Duilin toward the battle. "Wha' th' 'ell is this place?"
Posted by: Dr Eams on Friday September 22nd, 2006
A young man was standing next to the inn's enterance.
"Are you Soadakke?" He asked.
"How...how did you know?"
Soadakke was astonished, since nobody left his island before him.
"Have we met before?" Soadakke asked.
"No...someone is waiting for you. Follow me."
The man took Soadakke to a small house. An old lizardman was sitting inside, next to a wooden table.
"I found him. I'll be waiting outside", the young man said and went outside.
"I have a message for you, Soadakke", the old lizardman said.
"But...first tell me who you are and how you found me...it seems you already know who I am."
"I am Hoshekahol and as you can see, I'm a lizardman. Some of the lizardmen have telepathic abilities...Another lizardman wanted to tell you something and decided to do it through me. My memory is not good like it used to be, so I wrote the message." He handed Soadakke a small piece of paper. Soadakke read the message:
'Please come back, your highness. You will not get your land back without me, and I will not survive here without you...we should work together. There's a lot to do here, since you do not even have an army."
"If you can please tell that lizardman I'm not planning to come before I find people who can help me", Soadakke said.
"Rillem will help you find them."
"Rillem? The guy who took me to this place?"
"Yes. Be aware to the fact the people here have their own problems, and...good luck."
"Thanks, I'll remember that."
Soadakke went outside. "I'll help you find allies. Don't worry about finding me...I'm sure we'll meet somewhere. Bye", Rillem said.
"Bye." Soadakke replied.
Soadakke and Rillem then left the village, each took his own direction.
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday September 22nd, 2006
Marshall took a few steps backward. He picked up the wood pole he had before, he didn't know what to expect from this, and he felt a bit safer with it...
"Ei..Ein?" He stuttered, still a bit scared from all of this. "Answer me."
----
"I'm not sure." Duilin replied. "But clearly it's some sort of secret bunker." He continued walking down the hallways.
"These symbols look like the ones on the machine." Duilin said, as he walked close to wall. "This is a total shot in the dark here, but I'd say this would be where mister shiny guy came from."
He then walked a bit faster. "Come on, let's find Draven."
Posted by: Zeros' on Friday September 22nd, 2006
Zeros' nodded and observed Kerig once more.
"Yes... What can this mean? I've never seen anyone who's aura looked like this before, not even Draven... Retan's or the darkest of demons... It's pure, but dark at the same time, while also being torn in places..." he muttered to himself.
Posted by: Trent on Friday September 22nd, 2006
Xenai sped up as well. "As long as Mr. Shiny's with us, it's a-ok. If he's with Draven, and Draven's still with us, then Mr. Shiny's with us. Just like those tests you gotta do for the higher education." He smirked as he pretended that he knew something.
--- --- ---
"Heh..." Tsu smirked. "Is it really all that surprising? Take a look at mine..." One would see if they looked, a perfect mix of light and darkness. Zion and Aura did so. They were both somewhat astonished.
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday September 22nd, 2006
"Um...Kerig? Did you hear me?" Rink asked.
"Excuse me." Aegidius said to Kerig in a loud voice. "Is everything all right?"
----
"Well, the thing is Xenai." Duilin explained, as he continued walking. "I don't trust Draven. I'll admit I've had some trust for the guy during our alliances, sometimes. But what I'm worried about is that maybe he'll find that machine good enough to 'replace us' as allies."
"Like, that machine is obviously insanely powerful. It took all of us to put up a fight for it, and we still didn't even beat the thing. As scary as this sounds, but that thing is possibly more powerful then all of us combined.
“But I may not go as far to say that, since both Rink and Zeros' say that I have potential to perform more powerful techniques then I normally do." He turned his head and looked at Xenai and grinned. "I'm sure you, and others do too. Heheh."
He then looked back in front of him. "Another thing, about Draven using this machine against us, is because well, after we defeat Retan and Jayce, then what? Like, we just go back to fighting or maybe he's afraid he might start liking us afterwards. That may ruin his reputation, if he had friends. Like, a few days ago at the Crimson Palace, I think, I may have over heard Draven offering Zeros' the position of high general. He of cource turned that down."
"But he might want to have us stick around for awhile. But let's face the facts; even if Draven wants us to help him fight Retan and Jayce then after they are defeated he's going to use that machine on us. Either that, or he'll use it on us now. I don't think all of us would survive a fight against Draven AND that machine." He then walked a bit slower. "But then again, I could be wrong." 'I hope' "But that's why we're down here; to ask what he's up to." He then contined walking at his former, faster pace.
Posted by: Jenia on Saturday September 23rd, 2006
"Oh!"
Kerig was somewhat suprised when he heard Rink talking to him.
"No, sorry, I completly missed it..."
Kerig tilted his head to the left and scratches his right ear.
"I was just...Wondering about something."
Kerig stood up and looked at the horizon.
"I wonder if Weloss is done yet..."
"Yes, I am." A voice replied within his head.
Kerig's expression changed into his usual smile.
-"Welly! How was it?"
-"Not quite what I expected... But I think I found a way."
-"You did!? Really!?"
-"Quite. But first, your friends wanted to ask you..."
Kerig quickly turned to Rink, raising his pointer finger into the air.
"Right! Of course we can make friends with it! I mean, sure, it has no soul, but it was nice enough to give me a present!"
Kerig lowered his hand and put both his arms behind his back.
"Surely a being with the ability to be kind can be made friends with..."
Kerig turned to look at the sun above, sighed and then asked-
"By the way, do you guys know where can I find this Crow-Nose person?"
Posted by: Xorlak on Saturday September 23rd, 2006
The monotonous ticking of the mechanical clock on the wall was suddenly disturbed by rasping knocks on the chamber door. An amazingly useful device, this mechanical clock was. A simple concept, but intricately complex in design, its tiny gears propelled in continuous, consistent motion by the tiny crystal embedded within. It was the perfect balance of technology and magic, the enchanted stone empowering the inner workings of the device, simple natural physics taking care of the rest.
“Enter,” the figure at the desk located in the center of the room growled. His lamp was failing, the orange hue had dimmed down to the point where one could not read the characters upon the parchment merely a foot away without straining. But he stubbornly worked on, too enraptured in his work to take notice. A black, claw-like hand dipped the quill into the ink bottle and resumed the half written sentence.
The door creaked open. The stone hallway was well lit at least, revealing a silhouette that carefully stepped into the blackened room. The shadow’s pointy ears, almost like horns, contrasted against the lighted hallway.
“My lord, a messenger…”
“Send him away. I’m busy.” The seated figure did not look up from his work.
“It is a wraith…”
The quill snapped, splattering ink across the parchment. The seated figure leaned forward across the desk, so that his face may be illuminated by the dying flame. It was not a human face-- far from it. It resembled more of a fox. White fur covered his narrow muzzle, fading into a silvery grey around his eyes and head. His triangular ears were perked and pointed towards the guard.
“A… wraith…?”
The guard stepped forward into the light of the lamp, revealing himself to be of the same species. His eyes suggested him to be a bit younger. “Y-yes, my lord…”
The first figure fell back in his chair, the old wood creaking from his weight. Five years… it had been five years since they had last heard from the Dark Emperor… But it was unavoidable. Their dept to the Darkness must be repaid…
Before the two could reflect upon it more, all of the lights suddenly went out-- the lantern, the hallway torches-- everything, leaving the two fox-like creatures in total darkness. The startled guard took a step back, stumbling over something, and the sound of breaking glass could be heard.
The first remained at his desk, bringing his right hand before him and snapping his fingers. A flame! Quickly! A plume of fire lit the darkness above his hand for a fraction of a second, but instantly went out. He tried and failed twice more before resulting to a more powerful spell. He clenched his fist and opened it, conjuring a small fireball within. The light steadily heightened, until it was brighter than what the lantern had previously offered… The guard regained his composure as his master’s orange hue illuminated the room…
And there it was…
The wraith floated there eerily, silently on the opposite side of the desk. The guard standing next to it took another few steps back, tail between his legs, nearly knocking over another fine vase, but this one he caught as he tried to regain his composure. He would never get used to them…
The wraith thankfully did not have its hideous scythe… Of course, what it looked like it didn’t have did not matter in the least, for hiding the monstrous weapon for them was as simple as a thief hiding a tiny dagger beneath his cloak…
The apparition held out a skeletal hand, draped in tattered black cloth towards the seated fox. Its hollow, burning red eyes emotionless… Within the hand was a scroll, the seal of the Dark Empire encasing it…
The fireball in the fox’s hand rose higher and floated some three feet above the desk, illuminating the room even better. His right hand free, he took the scroll and broke the seal, gulping deeply. By the gods… what dark deeds must they carry out now? It wouldn’t matter, they would do it. They were of the darkness now… their debt to Retan, their savior, must be repaid… For without him, the Curse would have taken them all…
He unfurled the scroll and read:
HIGH GENERAL VIRMIR, OF THE SKY
Your presence is required on Gaian. You will report to the fortress of North Point. You will bring your ten finest warriors. You will be prepared for battle.
EMPEROR RETAN OF THE DARKNESS
----
Draven stopped to catch his breath, placing his hands on his thighs and stooping. This way of fighting, concentrating his crimson energy into his limbs and striking physical blows, was very taxing and unnatural… Is there no way around these magic absorbing runes?
The metal rhinoceros was trudging to its feet, shaking off the blow to its head, which now bore quite a dent. Regaining its balance on four limbs, it angrily opened its gaping mouth and roared at the much smaller man. Draven’s crimson aura was involuntarily bulling up, and the runes on the creature’s silvery exterior shell began to glow dimly.
Yes, of course.
Draven’s aura flared as he brought his energy back outside his body. He blasted forward, flying right up to the creature’s face and gaping jaw. He stuck his right arm with an outstretched palm right into the creature’s mouth, a bright red orb of flame appearing within… The creature started to bite down on his arm, but Draven stopped it with his left hand to the upper jaw, and his right foot to the lower. The crimson orb swelled in the creature’s maw, singeing the beginnings of its metallic throat…
“Good night.”
The creature suddenly exploded in a violent burst of flame, sending hundreds of thousands of tiny bits of shrapnel in all directions, peppering the walls as the bit of silver metal jammed into them… Draven was left holding the dismembered head, which his promptly discarded, tossing it to the side with a very audible *clang*.
The Crimson Emperor then proceeded to dust himself off.
----
Draven Draven must find Lord Draven…
The dark figure weaved in and out of the trees, heading in the vague general southerly direction of its target’s scent. Why was it masked so? Why was it so difficult to find? Oh, curse this world of the sun!
The trees became sparse, the beginnings of a desert… HSSSS!!!
Though the clouds were dark overhead, still the faint sunlight that crept through was uncomforting…
It continued on, flying at ground level. Though it moved quickly, its flight kicked up no sand…
----
The Dark Emperor leaned over the well of black water, studying the images that appeared within. The sulking Prime Minister of Mizar tiptoed closer, his claws scratching the ground with each step.
“My lord? May I gaze upon the well?”
“No.”
Grav shrinked back, blinking twice, before bowing and turning to leave.
“Grav, come.”
The robed lizard turned.
“Look into the well.”
“…? Uhm… yes my lord…”
The lizard hobbled over to the circular structure, climbing upon a stone step on the floor, for he was too short to look over the edge himself. The well of darkness was attuned to the Dark Continent, and could display images from anywhere on this land, so long as the dark clouds hovered above…
Retan pointed to the winged men standing around in the desert…
“These… I’ve found them… These are the ones that meddled in my affairs five years ago…”
Grav gazed into the rippling waters. The image was from too high up to make out any distinguishing facial features.
“Ooooo…”
Retan folded his arms under his cape, his crimson eyes burning under his helmet…
“They will be dealt with…”
Posted by: Burton_projects on Saturday September 23rd, 2006
Galack came out of the forest near a place called Asgaria. He saw two people talking one male, the other female. He scanned around the ruins. He quickly put a scroll on the ground. It pulled him in like quick sand. His kind moved quickly underground. His hands came the the earth grabbing Nick's leg and Steorra's ankle He started to pull them into there deaths.
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday September 23rd, 2006
"Crow-Nose?" Rink asked, making sure he heard correctly.
"Or do you mean Cronos?" Aegidius asked also.
"Well, Crow-Nose or No-Crose..erm...No...nose..." Rink stuttered. He then rapidly shook his head. "No idea who you're talking about."
"Cronos..." Aegidius repeated quietly, maybe he has something to do with why he was sent here...
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday September 23rd, 2006
//Kronos. >.<\\
Steorra yelped in surprise.
-"Ah! Let go of me, vile fiend!!"
Trying to pull her leg away from the hand but failing miserably, she stuck her staff into the ground like a lever, to prevent herself from being pulled down. She quickly casted the wing spell on her, and tried to rise up into the sky, undoubtedly pulling her attacker out of the ground...
--- --- ---
The cracked surface of the black oil began changing colours rapidly - first to red, then to black again, then to white, then to black...
THUMP. The surface almost jumped up a little from the jolt beneath. THUMP. Lots of cracks began popping up all over the surface. THUMP...
A small, man-sized black dragon soared from the pit, spreading the crusty shells everywhere around it. It made a large loop in the sky, and dove right at Marshall.
--- --- ---
The remaining mechanisms fled, seeing two of their kind fall. Horus looked around, checking for any more hostiles. There were none. Thus, he proceeded to the pile of the very dead-looking ones, in hope of salvaging a voice module. He did not have to look long - one of the machines had a voicebox intact. He carefully removed it, and placed it in his mouth, letting the repair systems inside him do the rest. Now all that was left was his Dark glass cannon.
--- --- ---
"After practicing the lightning bolt many times, I've grown accustomed to it. I could conjure up an energy orb without trying, just by thinking about it. The destruction power also grew, it seems - every time I tried it, I put a little more thought into it. Changing the way I accumulated power every time, I eventually got to the one that fit me best. By then, I could easily demolish a stone obleisk twice my size, with a single bolt.
Of course, I tried other spells in the book of destruction. The fireball seemed too... messy... while other elemental spells just took way too long to power up, and weren't worth it in the end. Water spells concentrated mostly on ice, and ice is cold, I don't like that. Earth spells were just too mundane. They gave me the opinion of the fool that would try breaking the stone with his bare hands, rather than using a tool to do it. In other words, they concentrated on blind strength, while I prefer the exact opposite - carefully planned attacks. In the end, the wise man wins against the brute.
Just then, I got an idea. This would do miracles for intimidation of large armies. Almost as if reading my thoughts, Necirrejel knocked again.
-"My lor..."
-"Come in, come in!"
-"Yes, my Lord... I wanted to tell you tha-..."
-"Necirrejel, hold that thought and go bring me a present from the slave barracks."
-"...entertainment, my Lord...? At this time?..."
-"In case you haven't learned yet, Necirrejel, in my land there's a clear connection between the rate of deaths and the people who ask questions. In other words, WILL YOU JUST DO AS I SAY?!"
-"Yes... of course, my Lord..."
He hurried out of the room. Meanwhile, I was practicing my lightning bolts by shooting them at birds outside my window. Sure enough, in a few minutes, he returned with two guards. The guards were dragging a slave dressed in rags. He should be lucky he's getting that much...
-"Thank you. Now, if you would let him in my room."
The guards threw him on the floor before me, face-first. I kneeled down towards him.
-"Slave, do you know who I am?"
I got no response. It is a sad day when one's own underlings do not recognize you. I clutched his neck, and rose him into the air.
-"In that case, you are about to."
I charged up a lightning bolt blast. The slave covered in fear, just before I let the blast free. The slave, however, did not even fall down. Instead, he stood up, and looked me right into the face.
-"You are Kronos, the Marshal of the Kandarinain Sovereignty. You are the absolute, while I am the inferior. You are the alpha and the omega."
I sneered. The trick was to stop the slave's heart, then before the soul left the body, to intercept it with my power. The result - it was as if the slave completely changed his personality after getting zapped by me. I can see so many uses for it now...
-"Anyways, what what was it that you had to report now?"
-"Lord, the plan worked... the fishermen, intimidated by your threat at first, now they are close to the point of creating statues in your name... Not all of them... but most... I must congradulate you, my Lord... it was a great deed..."
-"Thank you. Now we wait and see the effects on others who were touched by this change."
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday September 23rd, 2006
Vandrin and his men continue their venture towards the county, not to far they can see a few buildings and rubble in the distance, they shall arrive very soon...
----
"Ahhh!" Marshall screamed, he fell backwards as the dragon swooped at him. "Get it away!" He crab walked backwards swinging his stick to fend off the dragon, hoping it would warn it off, and not attack him. He stood up, and put his hand on his amulet; if it were to attack he would be ready...
Posted by: Trent on Sunday September 24th, 2006
"Ugh... So I guess we're hosed either way." He frowned and continued with him toward Draven.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Sunday September 24th, 2006
Galak let go of Steorra. The earth repaired as his hand retreating underneath. He was now more concerned to getting Nick underneath.
Nick stabbed his sword in the ground peircing Galak's shoulder.
Galak's right hand retreated underneath. A few moments passed and Galak came out of the ground. He morphed a peice of a rock into a sword like figure. "I am the lord!"
Posted by: D. Ein on Sunday September 24th, 2006
Steorra lowered down onto the ground.
-"An excuse, fiend, that's all I ask. Come on. Give me an excuse, and make my day, twerp..."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Sunday September 24th, 2006
Galak moved towards steorra in a quick motion. He put a scroll on the peice of rock and threw it towards her feet, It would hit the ground shooting shards towards here and enibitaly killing her. He then turned to Nick and grappled him so he couldn't move. Galak placed a scroll on Nick head. He let go of Nick's numb body.
Nick was unable to move or even blink.
Posted by: Dude Man on Sunday September 24th, 2006
"Well," Duilin said "I know it's a long shot, but it could turn out like this, either, by some extreme bizarre twist of fate Draven looses his empire, or changes his ways and well, becomes a worthy friend, but I'll seriously eat my own arm if that happens." Duilin laughed. "Or Draven and/or the machine will die when we fight Retan. And that seems much more likely then the earlier."
At the end of the hallway the two came up towards a huge door, it looked much stronger and bigger then that smaller one they blew open earlier.
"Damn, I think this might be our dead end." Duilin groaned.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Sunday September 24th, 2006
//Oh dear, I've missed so much. I'm sorry! School work is a pain in the ass.\\
Alex was horrified at the transformation that his friend Ein had undergone. What was once his friend was now trying to kill them both!
"Holy mother of God," exclaimed Alex was he rolled out of the way of a swoop attack that the newly-formed dragon had lunged into. "What the hell happened to him... what kind of toxin was that..."
Otis squealed as he skittered out of the way of another swoop. He clambered up Alex's back and clamped on, clearly terrified out of his little headcrab mind. Otis was shaking and squeaking and chirping with a disposition that wasn't too unlike Alex's. Alex reached for his rifle and leveled it, ready to attack. The Ein-dragon dove past Alex again and clawed the weapon from his hands, flinging it several feet away. The weapon sparked violently and stopped glowing. His energy rifle had been damaged! Kleiner had warned him of the delicacy of its systems...
Alex began backing away slowly, seeing no other alternative. "Well, Marshall? Any ideas?"
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday September 25th, 2006
"W-well. When I first met the guy, he transformed into a moth...maybe this is just something natural." Marshall said, still sounding a bit doubtful. "I'm starting to question whether this man is human or not. Maybe he's just scared?"
Posted by: D. Ein on Monday September 25th, 2006
The dragon set down on a nearby tree, and made a roar-hiss at Alex and Marshall. With a violent jerk, it launched itself from the tree with its hind legs, folding its wings in the process. It was basically like a giant arrow, aimed right at Alex.
--- --- ---
"Reports from Allocation Officers were pouring from all corners of Kandarin. The people were overjoyed by my sudden burst of kindness. In fact, this tactic was not mine. When I was but a mewling child, I have read a very interesting book. It was about a cruel but wise baron. I remembered him because of the symbol he had... It was a ram on a red background, I believe... but that does not matter. In any case, he had two nephews, one of whom would later take his throne. Interestingly, one nephew was a kind one, while the other was beyond tyrranical.
Later on, he felt that the reaper was awfully close to him, and thus, he had to choose who will inherit the title of Baron. Did he make up some wimpy test to see which one would be a better ruler? No, not at all. He sent the cruel one to watch over his lands. Eventually the nephew's notoriety overcame his own name - he was known as the Beast to the people. He executed men at his whim; he treated bugs better than his own people.
Some time passed. The Baron felt that the Beast has served his purpose, and sent an assassin to kill his own nephew. As I said, cruel but wise.
This way he had little choice but to give the throne over to his good relative. As strange as it may seem, the people not only had no problem with that - they welcomed him as their saviour from the Beast.
Thus, when the old Baron died, his people were nearly worshipping their new ruler. No matter what he did, it was never as bad as the horrors that the Beast inflicted upon his nation. This is kind of what I used myself. Without a doubt, the people saw me as a tyrant, the Beast, if you will. The last thing they expected was the sudden increase in pay.
-"My lord... One more thing that you may consider doing to further lift the peoples spirit... Perhaps there could be a public appearance of the Marshall before their people..."
-"Necirrejel, you know me too well to consider this." It just so happened that when my father was still in power, Necirrejel (then nothing but a cleaner) was one of my best friends. He was also the one who suggested tht my father was not doing the greatest job. "I DESPISE making any kind of interaction with a group of more than 20 people. I assume I will have to talk to them."
-"I will have the speech prepared, my Lord..."
--- --- ---
Steorra quickly dodged the spikes. However, one of them still managed to pierce her foot.
-"Ah! Damn you! Well, I'd say that that's more than an excuse... are you ready to die, you filthy demon?"
Her staff flared a light so bright that even through her hand covering her eyes, Steorra was almost blinded. It would most likely impair the vision of her opponent for at least 30 seconds. In that time, she limped behind Galak, and swiftly stole his bag of scrolls. //Without scrolls, he doesn't have any magic, right? That's what the signups said, anyway - it said he used "scroll magic", so i assume he needs scrolls to perform it.\\ She chucked the bag on a branch of a nearby tree.
-"Now, pig, I am willing to overlook my minor injury here, for it can be swiftly mended. What I really need to know is what the blazes © are you doing here? Why did you attack me? Answer, twerp, or your silence will be the longest one you will ever experience..."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Monday September 25th, 2006
"I am lord of the earth....Here to spread my word...to destroy enemies."
Nick started to shake the spell was wearing off. Intense pain over came him at the moment. "Arrgh!" he yelled.
Posted by: Xorlak on Monday September 25th, 2006
Draven fell to his knee as the remaining enemy automatons retreated, catching his breath. Really, he should stop these all day fighting binges...
Regaining his composure after a brief moment, he rose and turned to the machine, who was making quite a bit of noise rummaging through the debris of more broken toys... and picked up a chunk of metal and seemingly ate it...
"Pardon me for my pessimism," he mused as he walked towards the gargantuan metal warrior from behind, "but I didn't expect you to be so ill received..."
Really, what in blazes is going on anyway? Is he some kind of rebel they want to get rid of? Possibly from some other faction of machines?
Draven folded his arms, starting to become annoyed with the situation.
"Does this facility have some sort of leader these... war machines heed to? I would very much like to have a word with him..."
----
The silver furred fox raised his head after reading the short, curt message from the Dark Emeperor ordering him to Gaian, staring the wraith in it's burning eyes as it floated there.
"When does he expect us? Now?"
The wraith merely nodded. Its form becoming translucent. In a few seconds it was gone, leaving the two alone in the dark room, illuminated only by the small fireball overhead.
Virmir leaned back in the creaking chair, scratching the underside of his long chin with his black claw like hand. It was not the first time he was called in service for the Dark Emperor... The routine was becoming more familiar to him. Even through the past five years, he knew the time would come again eventually...
But it was worth it. Though now they must live as servants of darkness, they at least may still live...
Realizing the quite petrified guard was still there, ears hanging low, he waved him off. "Go. Tell Boren I will need five Battle Mages and five Blade Knights... immediately."
Posted by: Jenia on Tuesday September 26th, 2006
Kerig shook his head and sighed yet again.
"Nevermind..." he said "I have a general direction..."
He made a polite gesture to anyone he noticed was left nearby.
"I'm sorry, but I have to leave now..." He said, dissapointed that he missed yet another chance to make friends "Important matters require my attention..."
And with that, Kerig rose a little off the ground and started gliding in a different direction.
Posted by: Trent on Tuesday September 26th, 2006
That door didn't scare him. It was damn big and damn strong, yes... So he wanted to know if he could bring it down. Or at least put a considerably sized hole into it. Xenai brought his wrists near each other, not connecting them, but leaving a few inches between them, holding them vertically, out to the side. He was starting to gather dark energy. "Duilin, can you use light energy? If you can, gather as much as possible."
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday September 26th, 2006
Horus glanced at the Crimson Emperor as he spoke. The system had finished integrating the voice module... perhaps it is time to attempt to speak?
A hiss came at first, then taking shape, so to say, into words:
-"Khhhh... lheadher...? Those twoh skheletohns ohver thehre might help youh..."
The voice was very flat and monotone, and Horus seemed to have some trouble speaking.
-"I don't khnow where those othehr machinhes cahme frohm... Perhaps one who builht them is in charghe, but that depends on if you whant to spend more time in here, which I don't."
The speech seemed to be clearing up, but it was still somewhat more level than that of a human being. It was also really deep, with a hint of a hum in the background when Horus spoke.
-"The Dark glass?"
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday September 26th, 2006
Vandrin and his group arrived at the large settlement.
"Here it is, Count Vandrin." The servant said, as they walked through the area. "As you can see, there are still some people here. They may resist to the change in government, but I'm sure you'll have no problem enforcing it with the soldiers that you hired, our Marshall's warriors are the finest in Gaian."
"Good, very good." Vandrin replied, observing the area. It was pretty messy; people were trying to fix their houses and wells. Vandrin then noticed a flag. It was black and red.
"What is the meaning of this?" Vandrin asked demandingly, pointing at the flag. "I do not want flags like...THAT flying in MY county."
"Oh my, I was afraid of this." The servant said rubbing his forehead, and sighing. "Are you familular with the Aspyes?"
"Yes! I am, that's why I'm so enraged, to see this. I don't want those rebellious shroom popping scumbags in my county. How could you let those 'people' into my newly purchased county?"
"Listen, Lord Count, we had NO idea that the Aspyes would be coming here infac-"
Suddenly a loud bang was heard and blood shot from the servant's chest and onto Vandrin. The servant looked at the hole in his chest.
"Whoa..." The servant then fell to the ground, about five yards from him was a man in a black uniform, holding one of those Aspye bullet guns.
Vandrin narrowed his eyes and glared at the rebel, who glarred back.
Another bang was heard, quicker then the blink of an eye Vandrin had his katana in front of him and the bullet was slashed away by it.
With his other hand Vandrin tossed a green-yellow projectile at the rebel. The rebel was pushed back by the blast and dropped his weapon. Almost immediately after the man's skin began to swell, purple bubbled from his skin began growing over his body, his eye sockets bled as his eyeballs rolled back. His jaw fell open and white foam began pouring from his mouth, eyes and nose. The rebel fell to the ground in a bloody grotesque mess.
A few of the witnessing peasants and soldiers looked in horror.
"I am Count Vandrin!" He shouted. "I am your new ruler. You will follow my laws and obey my every command. All you refuse and wish to challenge...step forward..."
A cool breeze blew, in a small moment of silence; afterwards several foot steps could be heard. More rebels in back suits, armed with rapiers began stepping toward Vandrin. The count drew his second katana, and grinned...
----
Marshall jumped out of the way, dropping his stick. Seeing how the giant arrow would be pretty close to hitting him, he should probably get out of the way. He held the sapphire, flowing his magic through it. The sapphire then glowed.
----
"Oh I see what you're doing" Duilin said. "That old opposites attract trick...or detract trick. But sorry, Xenai. I've got demonic AKA black and I've got fire and wind." Duilin sighed. He then quickly remembered something. "Oh! Aegidius!"
'Hey pretty boy, get down here and get to us as fast as possible. We need your help with something.'
Aegidius received the message. "Rink, Duilin wants me to go down. Do you want to come" The angel asked the imp.
"Heh, sure I guess so. Not much to do now, since that kid is gone." Rink replied.
"He wants us to hurry, so I'm going to fly. I assume since I saw Duilin carrying you before that you can not fly very fast." Aegidius said.
"No, I can't. I'll just hitchhike with you." Rink replied, hopping onto Aegidius and grabbing his shoulder. "Let's go."
Aegidius then dashed into where he saw Xenai and Duilin go into. The angel fell through the broken aperture. He was able to hover over the ground right before he hit it. "Whoa, way to warn me about that." Aegidius grumbled.
He then saw Duilin and Aegidius at the end of this fairly long hallway. He flew through the hallway, flapping his wings and gaining some speed. He was flying much faster then Xenai and Duilin were walking so he arrived there much more quickly then it took the others.
"Okay, so what do you need?" Aegidius asked, as Rink hopped off.
"Gather your light energy and blast it at that door when Xenai says so." Duilin told.
Aegidius shrugged, That's what was so important? He then started gathering light energy in his hands.
Duilin and Rink backed up as Aegidius stepped closer and beside Xenai.
Posted by: Xorlak on Tuesday September 26th, 2006
Draven folded his arms, not expecting the machine to speak at first, but then nodded.
"Very well. I shall take you to your materials, as promised..."
He looked around a moment, the room being even more trashed than when they entered due to the battle. Regaining his bearing, he spied the hallway from which they first entered the room, and made his way towards it.
----
Yesss... at lassst...
The messenger wraith spun around the illusionary barrier masking the entrance to the underground facility, the ward appearing as a bright half dome to this ethereal being. It dove through it and down into the cave-like entrance, its target's scent becoming stronger as it floated into the depths.
Posted by: Zeros' on Wednesday September 27th, 2006
Zeros' craned his head backwards and scanned Zion's aura. He smiled at what he saw, but he didn't see anything overly awe inspiring. It would take more then a perfect balance of dark and light to awe him. Being alive for millions of years does that to you.
He stood up and rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck before stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"Well, shall we go see what the parties about?" he questioned, gesturing towards where everyone went with a jerk of his head. "Or shall we go off and find this... disturbing source of energy I've been feeling? It's definetly not natural... It feels more like a necromancer. I remember the same feeling during the Grey Empire's downfall, but to a lesser extent...
But, this time, it's much stronger... as if it's being used constantly," he said towards his three companions. "Have you three sensed anything in..." he took his right hand out of his trench coat and pointing in a rough direction of the Kronos' sovreignity. "...that direction?"
Sometimes, being connected to the planet under his feet had certain perks. Oh. He couldn't find anyone he wanted to... No, no, but he could sense strange going-on's. Plus, he had his senses extended as far as they could go... which is pretty damn far. (Also, you said that Kronos is constantly using his power to move his undead servants... soo... Plus, this will make it more interesting.)
//Oh. Draven, I'm not updating Allen becasue I'm waiting for you. Heh. And I couldn't remember the name of Kronos' sovreignity, so... And I'm sorry for no updates, but school and RL.\\
Posted by: Trent on Wednesday September 27th, 2006
"Awright, man... Now bring your wrists like... in with mine, so that our hands form a 4-sided hand thingie." He wasn't sure how to describe it. "Once you do that, our energy will start mixing. Light and dark don't particularly like each other, though, so we're gonna have to fire it at just the right time so that the mixture goes crazy right when it hits the door."
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday September 27th, 2006
"Okay, then." Aegidius replied. He put his together and next to Xenai's, continuing to gather his energy.
"I can tell just by looking at the door, that you'll need to put a lot into that." Duilin stated. "So take your time with this."
"I thought you were in a hurry?" Aegidius asked.
"Yeah, because I could see that we're going to have to wait, like twenty minutes just sitting here with our thumbs up our asses wile you guys gather your friggin' energy."
"Ah ya...I see."
----
The Kandrin soldiers drew their weapons and the rebels approached.
Vandrin lifted his hand. "No...let me deal with them..."
The soldiers looked at each other and then stepped backed.
The first rebel dashed towards Vandrin, stabbing forward his rapier, aiming for the count's heart.
Count Vandrin, then fiercely slashed his katana in his right hand at the rapier as it swooped towards him, bending the metal, causing it to snap at the end. He then swung the katana in his right hand across the rebel's stomach, effectively cutting it open, he kicked the dieing man away, as two more ran towards him.
Vandrin then jumped in the air, performing an elegant looking flip, and landed behind one of the rebels. Instantly after landing, he stabbed the rebel in the back, the blade driving right through the man. The second rebel aimed a thrust at Vandrin's neck, yet he was no match for Vandrin's quick reflexes as he sliced the rebels head off with his other katana. A third rebel was reading to attack when Vandrin's back was turned, yet the count was able to sense him coming towards him, and wile he was swinging his katana after the decapitation of the previous rebel, he continued his swing his weapon, cutting the rebel across the face. Vandrin then spun around and stabbed his opponent with his other katana, right through the chest, and kicked him off and onto the ground.
Four more rebels, seemed to be hesitative to attack the Count, and then backed away. Vandrin grinned evilly, and grinded his two katana together. He then tightened his grip, and began flowing his toxic magical energy into blades, causing them to glow a yellow green. He then swung his katana one after the other, two poisonous blades flew from the weapons and speeded towards the rebels. As soon as the projectiles collided with them, a green murky gas like explosion erupted from the impact. As the gas cleared up, there was but a large bloody heap of the dead poisonous instantly rotting rebels, you could barely tell were one corpse ended and where the other one started.
"Puts a whole new meaning to the term rebel scum." Vandrin laughed.
Suddenly from the other edge of the town, a large group of heavily armed rebels were charging towards Vandrin.
The count sheathed one of his katana, and with his empty hand, he lifted it up and pointed towards the advancing rebels.
The soldiers knew what to do. They all drew their weapons, and charged towards the rebels. Each warrior was able to lock weapons with another enemy, the numbers were nearly matched. You could barely tell what team had the greater numbers.
The rebels seemed to have a slight upper hand as the Kandrin warriors came towards them. The Aspye's bullet guns seemed to quite handy for far away targets, however as soon as the Kandrin soldiers got close, the riflemen were slaughtered. The melee rebels were mostly armed with spears and swords, not as broad as the Kandrin ones however. The battle seemed to be evenly matched for a little wile, but in the end the Kandrins were victorious.
Vandrin grinned. "Money well spent. Very well spent."
----
//Well Roland has been too quiet. I'm putting him into action now.\\
A legion of zombies were marching their way through an entirely levelled down village. Some of the fighters in his army were once loyal to their revolution, but now loyal to the undead army of the Kandarinian.
Roland was at the front of the army. He was riding on an undead dynox. The entire area was foggy with smoke and the steam and stench of death. Other then the sound of many foot steps, it was totally quiet...a bit too quiet.
Roland's army met very little opposition in this attack. The previous raids had a few rebels desperately fighting back, yet other then a few armed civilians there were no true enemies. Perhaps the Aspyes never made their message towards here, but he doubted it, the last village was less then twenty miles from the last place, they had to have something here...
The out of nowhere, a loud bang was heard, then another and another. Bullets were flying through the zombies, not killing them, but splattering blood around.
Several traps doors, from the ground, were flung open, as rebels fired their riffles at the zombies.
"Spread out!" Roland commanded. The zombie warriors then ran off in all direction, killing anything that moved.
Roland had summoned the dynox himself so he had total control over it, the brutish lizard galloped off, towards one of the rebels. He rapidly fired his riffle at the oncoming creature and it's rider. The pebbles did not even bother the dynox, and the only shown effect on Roland was the bullet tearing his all ready slighter tattered clothing.
He jumped off the dynox and then swung his sword down ward on his way down, splitting the rebel's skull open.
Two more rebels walked towards him firing their weapons. He barely even flinched as the tiny pricks dug into his skin.
He dashed towards the rebels swinging his sword at one rebel, cutting him across the belly and smacking another with his platinum staff. As the metal smacked the combatant, in the chest a satisfying cracking sound could be heard, due to mighty swing.
The zombie warriors began swarming the rebels like bees on honey, killing each and every one of them.
Roland watched as his legion slaughtered the Aspye rebels. "It seems as though these rebels have met their match...no...their makers."
Posted by: D. Ein on Wednesday September 27th, 2006
-"I'm not doing it."
-"But Lord..."
-"No."
-"The image you will..."
-"No."
-"Please, lord..."
-"No."
Necirrejel was difficult to shut up. However, that seemed to have done the trick. I threw a few more practice shots at the walls, which gave me an idea.
Leaving Necirrejel behind, I walked up on a spiral ladder, leading to the top of the tower. With a slight jolt of energy, I summoned up some bones here and there, a few skulls, a pelvis or two... Fun stuff.
By my command, one of the skulls rose into the air, then shot outwards, up into the air. I kept a keen eye on it, while charging up my next lightning blast. The skull was almost out of my sight when I let go of the sparkling orb, forming a bright arc between my hand and the skull in the air.
The lightning barely hit it, but I was successful anyways. Then again, that was mostly because I knew where the skull was at all times. If you're a Necromancer, you just know.
I decided for a bit of a challenge. Spotting a loose Theta hawk in the sky, I spawned another budding lightning in my hand. The hawk seemed to notice me, and, with a piercing screech, dove right towards me. Alas, the lightning was not charged yet. I hastily phased out of reality, as the Theta's metallic claws barely missed me. It made a sharp turn behind me, coming upwards for another run.
I phased back, and whipped around, ready to blast my lightning. The large bird was clearly in my mind's eye, and so was its approximate position. I scanned the sky, looking for him. There he is...
I drew my hand back in preparation for the launch. For more comfort, I put my right foot forward... which was a big mistake.
Some baffoon left a crowbar lying there, which I failed to notice earlier. As I brought my foot to its position, I tripped on the big metal rod, painfully introducing my face to the roof. Since my concentration was broken, I let go of the lightning.
What happened next was completely beyond me. At first, the lightning went forward, the same way my hand was pointing when I cast it. However, it only travelled so far before arching back to the Theta's silvery talons, electrocuting the bird. It fell lifelessly onto the ground.
A very interesting development... So, lightnings are attracted to metal, are they? How very, very intriguing..."
--- --- ---
-"I need the materials right away. Without the Dark glass cannon, I am useless. This maul is big, but its power doesn't even begin to compare with a properly-tuned black lightning weapon. Without it, I will not have much use."
Horus proceeded to the gargantuan doors blocking the entrance to the hallway. There was some sort of a disturbance behind it... A strange buildup of energy...
...and something else.
A continuous, loud whine almost overloaded his detection array. For some reason, the Kao inside began to react violently, bubbling suspiciously. Normally the liquid is honey-viscous, but now it seemed more fluid than alcohol. Something was definately there.
He had to shut down that particular sensor, for the whine was making it difficult to concentrate on other senses. Immediately afterwards, he heard more noises - a kind of a skittering, somewhere above the doors. For reasons beyond him, he was overcome by a massive surge of fear, for the first time he could remember. The glowing purple pipes stopped eminating their soft light, and the room was plunged into total darkness.
This strange sensation of fear was greatly dulling Horus' senses. He could barely feel some sort of wetness beneath his feet... The entire floor was covered with viscous lukewarm liquid of some sort, seeping through the cracks between the brick plates on the floor.
Horus seemed to be losing it. All of his senses turned a bit fuzzy, blurry... A sound barely reached his ears, a sound like air hissing... Somewhere in the distance... or was it? Perhaps it was just next to him.
Suddenly, the fear was gone, replaced with extreme tiredness. His hands weighed six times as more, his knees were urging to the ground. Somebody's messing with his machinery, has to be... just then, as if in reply, the repair devices started running around in his body. They should be still... Why...
Suddenly, an idea flashed before Horus. His night vision! He completely forgot about it. The devices warmed up, modifying the lens of his eyes to recieve the dimmest light, coming from his own glowing glyphs. In a blurr, he saw a medium-sized creature on four spider-like legs and a human torso approach him... He was too tired to think... All he needed was something cold... Why cold...?
Another idea sped through Horus' mind. For some unknown reason, he was overheating! The repair mechanisms were jamming the Kao tubes on the other side of his armour, basically cutting off his circulation. In this case, the circulation was used for heat dispersal. The spider-thing in front of him reached up to his head, and wrapped its clawed hand around it. Horus found that if he were to move a muscle, he would completely overheat. Not good.
--- --- ---
//Remember, DM, most Kandarinian soldiers are armed with spearguns. Although a melee division was also possible, in which case they are using long, thin wristblades.\\
The soldiers that were struck down were groaning in ... annoyance?
The bullets that reached them were stuck in the hard Kandarinian armour, covering most of their body. Some of the heavier projectiles knocked the warriors down, not doing much damage beyond that. A scratch here and there, nothing to be really concerned about.
As the "wounded" ones were busy pulling the pebbles out of their cuirasses, a few other rebels here and there popped out.
-"Die, occupant scum! We belong to no one!"
Their first mistake, of course, was letting the enemy know they were there. A silent click of the trigger, the whooshing noise of the miniature spear flying through the air, and the rebels fell to the ground, one after another. The particularly persistent ones ran up point blank to the Kandarin soldiers, drawing their rapiers. They didn't seem to recognize the maroon bird symbol on the warriors' chests.
-"Tell your king that your kind isn't welcome in these lands!"
That last comment really set off the bomb. The Kandarinians stopped doing whatever it was they were doing at the moment, exposed their wristblades, and began shredding the opposition to bits. It did not matter that they didn't know that Kronos wasn't a king. The fact was that they said it.
--- --- ---
The groaning zombies were biting chunks of their victims off, as Roland scanned the battlefield with a concerned look.
-"Hmm... these were some clever traps... There may be more of those, perhaps I could note them on the map as potential looting points... and why am I talking to myself?"
A zombie right next to Roland made a particularly nasty crack as it ripped open the ribcage of one of the corpses. To Roland's mild surprise, the corpse suddenly got up and smacked the zombie in the head. Looks like Kronos was quick to pick up on things...
The legion of the undeads suddenly got heftier by a good 120 troops, as the dead woke back to life. The only downside was the continuous squishy, churning sound the zombies made when they moved. Groaning was also a mild annoyance, but it was easily rid of by cutting the heads off the noticibly louder groaners. The others didn't seem to be looking forward to the experience, and walked in (relative) silence.
Just as Roland brought up Kronos' name in his head, the aforementioned's voice boomed through Roland's thoughts.
-"Roland, get your legion and begin a secondary run on Ugran. I'm getting a couple of live armies there as well, but you should be able to deal considerable damage with the horde you have already. Remember, this is Aspye-brainwashed Ugran we're talking about here. Make as much mess as your dead heart desires, just don't ruin any buildings. I seem to have struck a good deal with that count that came by earlier... Perhaps it will be wise to consider selling real estate for some pocket change."
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday September 28th, 2006
//Oh sorry, Ein. I must have forgotten that.\\
Vandrin was very impressed with the combat skill of these warriors.
He walked through the area as rebels were being slaughtered around him. This was good, it would show the villagers, hiding in their houses, who is boss.
A rebel ran at him, swinging his sword. Vandrin blocked it with his katana and kicked him away. The rebel fell to the ground; Vandrin jumped right above him and stabbed his katana right through the chest.
Posted by: Xorlak on Thursday September 28th, 2006
“And that you shall have… well, what’s the holdup?”
Draven turned around, as the machine was lagging farther and farther behind. What in blazes…?
“Hey! You hear me?”
No response. It was just standing there in the shadows. Too dark… Draven clenched his right fist and opened it, a bright red orb of flame appearing within, illuminating the black hallway. He didn’t notice it at first, but then it moved, and Draven’s eyes drew to the thing on top of the machine’s head, bathed in the warm glow of his flame. It looked like some sort of lower class demon… a human-esque upper half connect to a lower body of four insectiod legs… Draven raised one eyebrow and scowled. Not wasting a second, he leapt straight at it, crossing the fifteen foot gap in a single bound, leaving the burning fireball illuminating the hallway behind. Bringing his right hand over his left shoulder in mid air and straightening the fingers, he delivered a horizontal chop to the creature’s midsection, swatting it off of Horus’ jackal-like head and sending it flying into the wall.
----
A gust of cold wind blew from the open tunnel behind Xenai and Aegidius as they prepared their attack. A dark creature howled down the passageway, flying in great haste. Paying the adventurers no mind, the wraith flew right over the crackling energy they were gathering and disappeared into the solid doors, becoming translucent as it passed through…
----
A similar chill spread about the walls of Jovil, within the Kandarin islands. Another black figure became visible floating in the mists… This wraith traveled much more slowly, stopping to do what appeared to be a respectful bow before two Kandarinian guards positioned outside the city’s gates. It held out a skeletal hand, draped in torn black cloth, showing the edge of a rolled scroll to the guards.
It whispered in a raspy inhuman voice, its eyes burning red…
“Messssage… for Kronosss…”
Posted by: D. Ein on Thursday September 28th, 2006
The guards barely nodded, returning the gesture. Although they were quite shaken from the overall unsettling appearance of the wraith, they tried to keep their cool as much as possible.
-"S-State your business with the Marshal." //the wraith is an NPC, right? I'm not going to bother with a request-reply post, that will only slow down the action.\\
-"Dark Emperor Retan hasss ...bussssiness... with Kronoss.."
-"Retan?" The guard nervously turned to his companion. "Isn't that the guy the Lord made alliance with?"
The other guard quietly nodded. The first one relaxed a little.
-"Ah, alright... he should be inside the palace, in the throne chamber..."
They stepped aside, making way for the wraith. After it passed through, they closed the gate again.
-"Man... the Marshal does not pay us enough for this kind of thing."
-"Tell me about it... Accepting nightmare-inducing guests of his was not in the job description..."
--- --- ---
"I kicked the crowbar down the trapdoor in agony. Stupid thing! If it wasn't for my cloak, I would've been bleeding to death by now! Blah.
-"Ow..."
Necirrejel showed up, rubbing his head.
-"So, my Lord... how did it go...?"
-"Could be better. But that doesn't matter. Was that the sound of the gate opening and closing? I don't remember any other people willing to see me... come to think of it, I did feel something strange a minute ago, and I can still slightly feel it... Like a chill... Well, it's off to the throne room with me."
I left the tower, and descended into the throne room. The grim brick walls were dimly lit by wavering torchlight. I could see cracks on the pillars running from the enterance to the throne, set around a slightly torn red rug. The bone-trimmed throne, however, was as glorious as always.
I sat down in the comfortable cotton-clad seat. Suddenly, a barely-noticible whoosh along with a spine-chilling cold swept through the room. The torches gave a final waver and blew out.
With an exhillarating [sp] sigh, I snapped my fingers. The six skulls, mounted in each of the pillars, began seeping deep red light out of their empty eye sockets. These cheap parlour tricks had no effect on me.
The blood-red light broke the darkness, revealing a horrible creature, holding something in its hand.
-"Speak."
--- --- ---
The dragon hissed as it missed, and was about to go in for a second run, as a very unusual event happened.
-"Hssssssssssssssssssssss....garrgggghhhhhhhhhaaaaaaAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
The dragon's shape became blurry for a second, revealing the good old normal Ein...falling down from a rather long distance.
-"AAAAAAHHHH!!!!!"
--- --- ---
-"The Lord of earth? In that case, I'm a six-headed fire dragon."
Steorra limped over to Galak, and... swung a slap at him.
-"What are you going to do without your fancy scrolls now, tough guy? Should've stayed a few more years in whatever demented school you went to and learned actual magic..."
She turned around to Nick.
-"Hey, you alright?"
Posted by: Zeros' on Friday September 29th, 2006
//Now if only Trent would post... Heh.\\
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday September 29th, 2006
"What the shit was that!?" Rink exclaimed as the mysterious figure just whooshed past them.
Duilin shrugged. "Beats me."
----
"Ein!" Marshall yelled, seeing his friend falling down to the ground. He dashed quickly to where Ein was falling so he could catch him...
----
Vandrin stood in the bloody field of rebels. The battle was over and the rebels had been crushed.
His servants were dragging the bodies into large piles, mainly just to clean the way up for construction.
The servant who was first shot then stood up, dusted himself off and looked at Vandrin.
"Doing good count." He said. "Our Marshal made a wise choice with you." He then walked off and joined the others.
Vandrin nodded and then turned his head to observe other things, he then stopped turning and took another look at the servant, he stared for a second but then shook his head and looked back the other way, only to quickly look back at the servant who he was sure was dead.
"Odd..."
----
"Yes, lord Kronos." Roland replied to Kronos' breifing.
He then climbed up on a pile of rubble consisting of bricks and wood, an undead arm was sticking out from under the rubble; it seemed to be moving trying to get unstuck.
Roland stood at the top of pile. "Soilders. We are to go back to Ugran. We shall destroy all living things that stand there. No buildings shall be destroyed, for Ugran shall be sold." He called to his warriors.
"What about the sstatuee?" An undead warrior asked, with his scratchy voice.
"The statue eh?" Roland thought. He never saw the statue of Ugran himself, yet he heard of it being constructed after the battle. Perhaps it should be destroyed, it's an Aspye landmark. I'm sure lord Kronos would not approve of such things in his land, nor would this new count. Plus, they could use the scraps to build other buildings. "Very well, but remember, leave all other buildings standing!"
Posted by: Trent on Friday September 29th, 2006
//Sorry, guys.
"Don't worry. This won't take as long as you think. The reaction is more crazy than you know." And the light and dark had already started to swirl together. "Ah, here we go... I'll tell you when. When I say Now, you shoot it with me."
--- --- ---
"I say we go and join the party," said Zion. "Xenai wouldn't be very happy if we went off somewhere without him." He tried to feel something, anything, in the direction that Zeros' had indicated. He couldn't feel anything right now. "No, I can't sense anything. You two?" The couple shook their heads at him. "Alright, then. Let's go." Zion headed off towards where Xenai and Duilin went. Tsu and Aura followed.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Friday September 29th, 2006
"I go to no school lke you young lady and im not incabalbe of killing you without those scrolls." He revealed a small scroll from his pocket opening it, showing it to Steorra. "Now you see?" He started to morph into the great beast.
Nick laid there helpless and in agony.
Posted by: Xorlak on Friday September 29th, 2006
The wraith did not speak, but merely floated there before holding out the scroll to the Marshal Lich, the rolled parchment loosely pinched between its skeletal fingers.
The seal upon the ring seal was that of a four winged dragon against a sword, etched in red upon a black onyx surface. The parchment read:
MARSHAL KRONOS OF THE KANDARINIAN SOVEREIGNTY
It is with my dearest sincerity that I wish you the most bountiful use of your newly acquired lands of Terian. Our nations, though close neighbors, have nary known each other through the entirety of our reigns-- a fact which our newly founded alliance will surely reconcile. As a first step in kinship, I would like to invite you and as many guests as you wish to a banquet held in honor of this alliance. This event shall be held in my citadel at North Point. I would also like to use this opportunity to discuss with you personally some minor but irksome obstacles that will require removal in the mutual interests of our nations.
THE DARK EMPEROR RETAN
Posted by: D. Ein on Friday September 29th, 2006
"I took the parchment from the skeletal-looking hand, and read over it. A most interesting invitation... As mysterious as this Retan was, he certainly had a sense of class. This sort of event is highly formal, and formality is one trait that today's monarchs seem to lack.
Speaking my answer to the wraith and having it relay the message to the Emperor hardly seemed to be an approperiate thing to do. Unfortunately I was not in my study, so no paper seemed to be present. Well, I'll have to improvise, then...
I quickly summoned up a nicely dried-out skull, and created a very small lightning arc on the tip of my finger. The arc connected to the skull, and began burning in it the following message:
To DARK EMPEROR RETAN OF THE DARK EMPIRE
I have recieved your invitation, and I am pleased to say that I will be able to attend. Alas, this skull offers little space to write upon, but I am sure we will be able to discuss more at your residence. I will arrive anon.
Kronos, the Marshal of Kandarinian Sovereignty
Finishing the message, I burnt the Kandarinian symbol into the bone under the paragraph. I read it over, satisfied with the contents. This will likely prove to be a most fruitsome audience.
I handed the skull to the wraith.
-"My deepest apologies for the lack of a proper parchment. I hope this will be enough."
The wraith nodded, and disappeared through the doorway. In slight annoyance, I blasted the remains of the lightning arc at the torches, lighting them back up. The red light dimmed, then vanished.
I put my hand on an M-Grid orb, conveniently placed in the armrest of the throne."
--- --- ---
-"I'll show you...!"
Steorra just swung her staff at the still-transforming beast, as Kronos' voice rang through her mind.
-"Steorra, do you know where the North Point fortress is?"
She tensed her memory.
-"Yes... back when Vincent was making plans... He had a map... yes, I know where it is..."
-"Good. I want you there. Nick should be in your area as well, but we need someone to take care of Asgarnia. I'm counting on you."
-"Of course, my Lord. It will be done."
Kronos' prescence vanished from her mind. She turned around to Nick.
-"Hey, kid -- I need to go. Can you take that thing yourself?"
She looked back at the beast, and quickly realized the answer.
-"Alright, I'll give you some supplies."
Steorra closed her eyes and lightly tapped Nick on the shoulder. In that tap, her staff transmitted a powerful healing spell, as well as a hefty boost to his weapon. She noticibly flinched, most likely from the power drain. She, however, wasn't done.
-"One last thing... here..."
Her signature spell, the shining wings, were now visible on Nick's back. A large pair of greatly spanning eagle wings flexed, illuminating the area around him. They were under his complete control.
-"Good luck."
She quickly repeated the wing procedure on herself, took off, and flew off into the distance.
--- --- ---
Arlin, now back from his crusade, was briefing the Adepts in Undecimus on his newly developed tactics of scorpion encampment.
-"...and then, you will need to encorporate all your powers into one, to create a giant shield over the retreating army. Any questions?"
Several hands shot up into the air, but Arlin stopped them with a sign of his hand. Someone was trying to reach him through the M-Grid.
-"Arlin, are you back in Kandarin yet?"
-"Yes, my Lord. The division under my command was highly successful. We should implement the like tactic for all our divisions across Terian. I am briefing the Adepts now."
-"Very good. You have done famously, Arlin. However, there is a more urgent matter. Our new allies, the Dark Empire, are requesting a council. I deemed you and Steorra most approperiate to accompany me, you because you are the senior military advisor, and Steorra because... well, you know."
On the outside, Arlin grinned.
-"Of course. I understand, my Lord. It is an honour. Where is this council taking place?"
-"At the North Point fortress. You will find a transport in Qim fully equipped to take you across the ocean. I trust you will be able to travel on your own from thereon. An informant in the transport will provide you with a map. You are to regroup with Steorra and wait for me. Remember, though - " Kronos' mental voice took a harsher tone. " - I see everything."
Arlin was fighting back violent urges of laughter.
-"Yes, of course, my Lord. You can count on me."
-"Good. By the way, you are hiding the fact that you're amused quite poorly."
Before Arlin could make an excuse, Kronos was gone.
-"Jeez... Well, anyways, I suppose this concludes that. Tomorrow, I expect to see you all in here again. There will be new equipment handed out, as well as complimentary Bintmeat."
Arlin left the pedestal he was speaking on, accompanied by deafeningly loud screams of joy from the Adepts. He made his way from Undecimus to Qim, which was a very short walking distance, and boarded the hydrojump transport. The hydrojump kicked off into the sea, soon disappearing in the mist.
--- --- ---
The spider demon was knocked down, and hissed violently at Draven. In the orange glow of the fireball, one could now make out some rather interesting details. At least half of the demon's body was made of crudely scavenged parts from the dysfunctioning machines. Its head and arms, as well as legs, seemed to be made completely out of Dark glass.
So that's where the Dark glass went. Damn. Such good material wasted on such pitiful creature.
The malfunctions in Horus' body stopped. The demon jumped up onto the ceiling, and disappeared in a hole that Horus could've sworn was not there before. A moment later he knew why - it quickly covered itself with a sand-coloured aperture. As if answering the aperture, all the other doors in the installation opened. The tubes lit up again, but this time not with a purple colour, but with blue.
Blue? Why blue?
...
...
...
OH DAMN.
Horus grabbed Draven in his massive hand, and ran to the nearest exit, where the door just finished opening. He saw a number of people behind it, preparing various attacks. With a single hand swipe, he caught Xenai and Aegidius in his other palm. He yelled to the rest, as emotion-fully as he could:
-"RUN!!!"
--- --- ---
Ein fell down on Marshall, softening his fall, but making the both of them tumble on the ground anyway. He rolled off Marshall, and groaned.
-"What the hell was that...?"
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday September 30th, 2006
"You're asking me?" Marshall asked, as he picked himself up. "You started leaking some black liquid and then turned into some dragon, and nearly crushed us." He explained sounding kind of stressed. "But are you okay now? I mean, you really scared us there."
----
Aegidius nodded to Xenai "Okay, just say when you're re--" Suddenly the door swung open and he was grabbed by the giant machine.
Duilin turned his head and looked at the machine carry off Aegidius and Xenai. "It…talks?"
"Hey! Where the shit are you taking them!" Rink exclaimed.
"Rink, you know, the word 'shit' isn't really used like that. It's more of a noun." Duilin explained.
"Shut the shit up, and chase that shitting tin man before it gets the shit away with them!" Rink snapped.
Duilin grabbed Rink and then dashed after the machine...
Posted by: Zeros' on Saturday September 30th, 2006
Zeros' blinks and shrugs, but nods, getting up and brushing off his pants, walking in the direction the other three had gone.
He had followed them, until he heard a loud voice scream out, "RUN!". He blinks and stops, waiting near the enterance to where all his friends and allies had disappeared.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Saturday September 30th, 2006
Nick was now able to get up.
"Thanks."
He said as he took his fine blades out.
"Now for you!"
He looked at the giant were-bear thing. The palms bigger that a trees trunk. Claws as long as a birds beak. The creature moved towards him whacking his palm towards Nick. It made cotact with his face making him spin into the air and fall to the ground. The beast gave out a chuckle like growl. Nick got up and turned around seeing the beast right infront of him. Galak lifted Nick by his neck chocking him.
"Ghhacck" Nick tried to breathe.
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday September 30th, 2006
Roland and his legion rally up into formation and begin to march their way towards Ugran. Roland was quite confident. He knew that the last battle was quite harsh, yet he has also heard a rumour that their great Haraldur had fallen in battle against a powerful demon.
He wasn't totally sure this was true, since other rumours stated that he was a god, or at least immortal, but it would explain the reason that this Haraldur has not been active. During the time he was alive, people from all over Terian could see the effects of his spells, and feel his presence, but now it was absent.
----
The workers and peasants have been cleaning up the place. A few workers have even started constructing buildings for the troops. It would probably take quite a wile for this place to look ideal. Yet with today's advancements in magic, buildings can be built much faster. Perhaps he could hire some construction mages.
Several tents have already been set up. Workers and soldiers were resting at them. Earlier Vandrin requested a meeting at the main tent. All the captains and head workers were to meet there. As he walked in to the main tent he examined the area. The tent had three large tables, and a stand with a podium. A captain was standing at the podium with one of the head workers next to him. They were talking. The captain then noticed Vandrin walk in and then the rest of the workers and fighters turned their heads and looked at him.
"Greetings Count Vandrin." One of the captains said, nodding at him.
Vandrin nodded back, and then walked towards the podium, the two then stepped away and sat at a bench set up near by.
"Congratulations on cleaning out those rebels from my county. I have made a wise choice in hiring you from your sovereign." Vandrin said to the audience. "Now that we have removed the rebel scum, we can proceed with our main task. I wish to have a wall built all around the settlements we have purchased. We'll of course have our basic guard shifts. But nobody comes in or leaves my county without permission, or proper authorization. I also wish to have a keep built. This is where the higher authorities, respected guests and I will stay. Now... any questions?"
Posted by: Xorlak on Saturday September 30th, 2006
“What the--?!”
Draven pounded his fists against the huge metallic hand.
“Blast it! What in blazes do you think you’re doing?!?!”
The machine’s steps were huge and fast, the jarring of the clanking footfalls serving to fuel the plainly irritated fire mage’s temper.
The wraith continued down the hallway a few hundred feet before realizing that it just passed Draven up. Turning and blinking its red eyes confusedly, it sped off back towards the outside, chasing after the escaping group.
----
Virmir turned his attention to the rack of ornate swords hanging on his wall. The silver coated fox had quite a collection. Twelve blades in all, half of them enchanted in some way, all of them ancient, and each tied to the history of Welkin. He reached out to touch the decorative hilts one by one, his other claw stroking the thin fur under his chin. His white tipped tail escaped from under his black robe as he leaned forward, hooking upward and swaying back and forth while he made his decision. He idly wished the Dark Emperor would have given him some details of his mission, so that he would be able to make a more informed choice.
His black claw rested on the tip of the hilt of one of the middle blades. Grabbing the handle, he removed the weapon, the blade humming a high pitched whine as it slit the air. It was the Wind Serpent, his favorite. A long, thin blade, barely three quarters of an inch wide, yet just over five feet in length from end to end with a slight curve. It was longer than he was tall. He brought the blade before him, rotating the razor sharp edge upward as it continued to hum, careful not to dislodge anything from the nearby shelves. As its name implied, it was a wind elemental sword-- the strongest in his collection, with a further enchantment to reduce its handling weight to nearly nil.
Satisfied, he replaced the weapon in its sheath and held the weapon in his left hand, letting the tip touch the floor. Once again he began his perusement, taking a bit longer this time as he studied the remaining swords. Finally, he removed a longsword from the rack-- the Flamberge. This one was wider and more medievalish in design, but less than three feet in blade length, making it less cumbersome. It was much heavier though, which the fox did not like, but its wide spreading fire magic came in handy, even though it wasn’t the strongest.
The silver fox replaced the Flamberge in its sheath, then strapped the weapon to his back so that it was almost horizontal to the floor, the hilt to his left side and within easy reach of his right hand. He did the same with the Wind Serpent, positioning it just above the fire blade. The wind blade was so long that he would have to be careful not to knock things over in passing while indoors, a lesson he learned the hard way when he was younger.
The look of uncertainty in his vulpine visage was gone. It was all business from here on out. With a wave of his claw the oil lamp flickered out, leaving his office in darkness. He turned sideways as he exited to the hallway so that his sword would not catch, before locking the door and striding down the torchlight corridor at a quick pace, his tail swaying behind him.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Sunday October 1st, 2006
//I hate school, I hate school, I HATE SCHOOL! Sincerely sorry for the delay, Ein and DM, school's a jerk. Now...\\
Alex picked himself up off the ground and gathered up Otis on his shoulder, and knelt down next to Ein.
"Well, whatever happened, you seem fine now... It must have been that strange poison. Thank God you're all right. You nearly dusted us." Alex said. He looked up at the sky, the sun was lazily drifting down towards the western horizon, scattering a vermillion light on the landscape. "We had better bunk down for the night...I guess we'll get a move on tomorrow."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Sunday October 1st, 2006
A black shadow covered Nick. Within a few moments it burst making Galak let go of Nick and fall to the ground. Nick pointed his sword at the beasts neck. The beast swiped the sword away. Nicks hand glowed red and he blasted the beast... "Gaawack...." The beast exclaimed as he turned back to normal.
Posted by: Trent on Sunday October 1st, 2006
Swipez0red. "Oh, hell..." Xenai pulled his energy back before the reaction could finish. "Hey, what's going on? Where ya takin' us?" He asked to Horus. He figured that he had good intentions, what with how he yelled "Run!" and then grabbed them. He saw and heard Draven in the other hand. "Hey there, Draven! How ya doin'?"
From the surface, Zion heard the unfamilliar voice. "What was that? Crap... Let's go!" The three went in and then jumped on down the aperture.
Posted by: D. Ein on Sunday October 1st, 2006
It wasn't long until Horus saw the light, the light on the way out. He hastily made it to the opening in the ceiling, as the ground started to rumble. Concentrating all his forces, he jumped upwards, through the opening, and landed safely on the ground.
Suddenly, the hole in the ground where the aperture used to be turned to a blue hell. A HUGE, 50-long blue flame erupted from the opening, rising chunks of debris from below. The complex began bending down, and falling to the ground, the effects clearly visible on the surrounding desert...
Horus put the people down onto the ground. Did the others make it out OK?
--- --- ---
"Time waits for no man, they say, and I assume Retan was the same. I phased through the walls of my palace, and to my own little backyard. In there, I quickly built myself an undead wyvern transport, mounted it, and set off for the North Point stronghold."
--- --- ---
//Let's have this chapter go on a bit longer, a bit into the night. Xorlak, this would prove very effective for the little feast Kronos was invited to.\\
Steorra was shreading through the clouds, the wings barely visible through the mist. From the ground, it looked like a firefly was crossing the fogs. Moisture made the wings seem blurred, and Steorra was barely visible at all. The sun was setting in the distance, its fleeting light barely illuminating the ground.
--- --- ---
Arlin got off his transport safely. From here on, he had to walk. Or did he?
Without thinking too much, he rose into the air VIP-style. There didn't seem to be any mountains in front of him... Yes, he would probably be capable of doing this...
A series of rings appeared around his body, all the while Arlin was moving into a more horizontal heading. As he reached the final position, the four rings flared brighty, propelling him forward at breakneck speeds.
--- --- ---
Ein got up, and dusted himself off.
-"Yes, I think I'm quite alright. But if you are to look at the sky, you will find that it's almost night-time, and we accomplished NOTHING in the while! Let's keep at it."
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday October 2nd, 2006
"Maybe we should go to Ugran." Marshall suggested. "We know where this dangerous Sovereignty’s location is now. If we can organize a big enough group maybe we can go and take it by force."
----
Aegidius walked towards the aperture (I assume the invisible barrier is gone). "Rink!?" Aegidius called in concern. "Rink! Duilin!"
"Hey pretty boy. Relax we're just fine." Duilins voice said.
Aegidius turned around, and saw Duilin and Rink next to him. "Bah! How...how did you make it out so quickly?" Aegidius asked in confusion.
"Well, let me explain..." Rink said.
--Around 30-60 seconds ago--
"What the hell is that thing doing!?" Duilin asked sounding annoyed.
Rink was clinging onto Duilin's arm. He then sensed something; the entire place was to explode. Although Rink was not strong in combat magic, his 'senses' were much more attuned then most others.
It didn't look like they were going to make it out. Suddenly Duilin heard a loud rumbling sound, he turned around seeing a large blast of blue flame flying towards them. Rink then rapidly focused his energy; suddenly him and Duilin disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Within seconds they appeared outside the underground bunker, on the surface of the desert.
----
"Yeah, I had no idea that Rink could actually use short ranged teleportation on other people." Duilin said.
"Neither did I really." Rink laughed. "Even at my age I guess I'm still learning my powers" Rink then lowered his eyes, and looked off. "...or...remembering them I guess." He mumbled.
"Well...that machine. Well it saved us." Aegidius said. He then looked at the towering machine, that before attempted to destroy them, but had just saved their lives.
"Now...wait a second." Duilin said sternly. He walked towards the machine. "Why the hell would it save us, if before it randomly attacked us. We don't even know what this thing is."
He looked at Draven. "Well, maybe some of us have more of a clue. Tell us great lord Draven, what was it that you two were doing?"
Posted by: Xorlak on Monday October 2nd, 2006
(No problem. We'll go into the night and next day if need be.)
Having been dropped into the sand, Draven stood up, flashing a quick scowl at Duilin as he dusted himself off, brushing the sides of his clothes and cape rigorously to rid himself of the offending grit.
"Tch. None of your business. And what, pray tell, were you doing following me?"
Some sand had found its way into his long black hair, which was not a good situation. His gloves moved to his head in quick strokes.
Before he could say more, the wraith suddenly appeared before him, emerging out of the dunes as a translucent specter. It slowly circled Draven once as he eyed it, before bowing lowly and offering the sealed scroll.
"Well, now, what do we have here."
Draven took the scroll and noted the seal of the Dark Empire. Breaking it, he unfurled the parchment and read:
HIGH GENERAL DRAVEN, OF THE EAST
You will report to the fortress of North Point immediately.
EMPEROR RETAN OF THE DARKNESS
He edged his mouth in a half smirk, then crumpled the paper in his right palm. The wraith waited, floating there eerily. He nodded to it, and it nodded back before fading away. He seemed to stop and think for a second, running his left pointer finger under his chin before turning to the machine.
"Come, machine. I've still to give you what I've promised."
With that a pale red aura appeared around the man, and he shot off to the north, flying much faster than before, obviously assuming the repaired machine was now capable of keeping up.
(Let's not have the banquet guests arrive before this weekend, as I'm sure I probably won't be able to do the required story as well during the week.)
Posted by: Burton_projects on Monday October 2nd, 2006
Galak started to scurry away. He jumped up reaching for his bag ripping the strap. The ground opened up as Galak came down. He retreated into the earth.
"Damn!" Nick said as Galak ran away. Sir Kronos where shall I go know? Nick put his weapons away. Steorra that mole-thing left what shall i do know?
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday October 3rd, 2006
"Clinging onto the wyvern's exposed bones, I recieved the message from Nick.
-"You are to guard Asgarnia. It is truly a precious gem, and guarding it may be quite hard. I am counting on you; do not betray my trust. Good luck."
--- --- ---
Horus looked up at Draven, speeding away through the air. A black pentagram appeared around the mechanism...
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Tuesday October 3rd, 2006
The orange light was all but gone, to be replaced by a dotted array of gleaming stars and a ghostly-white lunar disc. The air was still, and hung with ambient humidity. The forest floor was definitely the coolest place to be, as most of the ambient heat was absorbed by trees and rivers. Otis was again asleep on Alex's back, occassionally chirping while he slumbered.
Alex was tinkering with his rifle, trying to repair the damage to it. Kleiner had warned Alex of the delicate systems in the rifle. If they are just slightly misaligned, the entire weapon is rendered useless. However, the damage here was more serious. The compression coil was cracked, the scope was unfocused, and the energy transfer matrix was burnt. Alex didn't know what any of that meant, but he knew he had to fix it... Alex decided to stow the scarred weapon for now.
"Come on, guys. We need to get going."
Posted by: Zeros' on Wednesday October 4th, 2006
Zeros' blinked.
He blinked again.
"Well, that was eventful," he said lightly, refering to the giant flame that had suddenly spewed out of the ground. He seemed unfazed. As if anything could phase him at this day and age.
Pfft.
"Anyways..." he turned to Duilin and Rink. "So, did you two find out anything?" he asked.
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday October 4th, 2006
"Well actually..." Duilin said, but then sighed. "No."
"Well, other then finding out that the machine likely won't be attacking us anymore." Rink added.
"Well, that’s a plus." Aegidius commented.
"Well, yeah. But really, we have accomplished nothing. We've been wasting our time." Duilin groaned. "There was no point is following Draven."
"Well, wait a second." Rink said. "He's going north, because of a note handed to him by a ghost. Frankly, I think something is going on up there."
"You think?" Duilin asked.
"Obviously. I say Retan and Jayce have something to do with it."
"So, should we go north?" Duilin asked.
----
"Yeah, sure Alex." Marshall agreed. "Come on Ein..."
He then walked along with Alex, looking at the sky.
Posted by: Xorlak on Wednesday October 4th, 2006
The desert gave way to forests, and then rugged mountains. Draven noted the sky darkening more and more as he flew northward. Though he was less familiar with the northern reaches of the Dark Continent, the ominous clouds were all too familiar to him.
He glanced back, noting the machine was able to keep a good pace. Excellent…
Wyvern riders began to appear and swoop around, keeping their distance. Although they were quite far, there seemed to be something different about the riders… new armor perhaps? It wasn’t worth a second thought, as the towers of North Point would soon be visible in the haze.
This should be interesting… Draven cringed at the though of having to report to the Dark Emperor once again, especially after five years of running an Empire of his own, however there was a certain simplicity to being a High General that he missed… And if he played his cards right…
Posted by: Burton_projects on Wednesday October 4th, 2006
Nick moved towards Asgaria. "What help would be needed here?" he asked himself.
Posted by: Trent on Thursday October 5th, 2006
"ABORT!!!" The sound of Tsu's voice led the three out of the aperture, and out of harm's way. The three plopped onto the ground and then slowly got to their feet. //I'm a little confused about that part, so I'll leave this part at that.
"Teleportation, huh? Well, thanks dude." Xenai looked around, then seeing Tsu and Aura, just now noticing that they'd returned. "Hey, they're back, and--!" Xenai giggled at the sight of Aura's outfit. He pointed down at her feet and created a fierce upward gust. He was immediately dismayed. "What? NOOOO!" Aura cackled, and then walked over to Xenai, kicking him in the assets. "If I weren't wearing pants under here, I'd have kicked you harder. But I knew you'd try something like that."
"Xenai, cool your hormones for a moment. Should we follow Draven to wherever he's going?"
"I dunno... Duilin, what are you guys gonna do?"
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday October 5th, 2006
"As much as I'd hate to continue following him. I'm really interesting in what's up at North Point." Duilin replied.
"Well, I'm game." Rink said.
"I also." Aegidius added. "How about you?" He asked Zeros'.
Posted by: D. Ein on Friday October 6th, 2006
Steorra and Arlin arrived near North Point at almost the same time.
-"Well, hello, Steorra. I don't believe we've met - I'm Arlin."
-"Eh... OK... Did Kronos tell you to go here as well?
-"Yep. I guess now we wait."
Posted by: Zeros' on Saturday October 7th, 2006
Zeros' glances at his companions and then over his shoulder, turning and starting off into the distance, towards North Point.
"North, hmm? North Point is once where the Dark Empire resided, I believe... back when there was a Dark Empire... but, I believe... They're reforming, if Jayce's return and Retan's aural signature return are any indication," he said to his companions.
"Right now, I'd say our best bet would be to go to the North and actually see if the two are actualy reforming their empire... If they are..." he turns and looks at his companions. "We need to prepare for war... once again."
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday October 7th, 2006
Duilin looked north, as Draven disappeared in the distance. The machine however was still visible, due to its monstrous size. He had a huge gut feeling that Retan already had a horde of well trained soldiers. If the Grey Empire was able to form so quickly under the rule of Melkoth and Abodahon, and Haraldur and Tesla were able to start the Aspyes so rapidly, then who knows what Retan could do.
"Well..I'm ready for another war." Duilin supposed.
Aegidius could sense something more. Probably Zeros' could to. There were a lot of disturbed and tortured spirits of the dead in this world. It felt like the very fires of hell were burning in the north.
"Let's go." The angel said neutrally. He then flapped his wings and took off.
Duilin, grabbed Rink, and the imp grabbed onto Duilin's shoulder. The half demon flapped his wings and flew along with Aegidius.
----
Marshall continued walking through the woods, listening to the chirping of crickets and the occasional firefly lighting up. It looked like a nice night, but it felt terribly wrong.
He could see some light in the distance; he could make out a town beyond the forest. "Come on guys. We aren't far now."
Posted by: Xorlak on Saturday October 7th, 2006
(The Dark Empire held the entire Dark Continent, including what the heroes are standing on now.)
Draven glided down, setting his feet to rest at the mouth of the narrow jagged peninsula upon which the fortress of North Point stood at the end. The whole edifice, walls and towers and all, seem somehow twisted and darker than the last time he had visited, not to mention the swirling clouds and the green turning sea far below…
But those were but a minor point. His true attention was on the strange armored figures lining up before the southern and only gate. They were everywhere… these… lizard men? Draven had seen a few, yes, but never an entire army. The din was deafening as they scattered about, preparing for war. Weapons were being forged right outside the gates in huge furnaces of open flame, and the creatures darted in and out of the black fortress, chaotically yet methodically at the same time. The Dark Emperor clearly had taken over his business in this fortress right here and now. Where were Draven’s men, anyway?
He strode towards the gates, flipping his cape, the machine’s metal footsteps shaking the ground behind him. There were a good few thousand lizard men in his way, and they slowly began to part as he started into the rocky peninsula.
They whispered among themselves in raspy voices:
“THAT’s the High General of the East?”
“I hear he’s just a human…”
“How could HE be a High General?”
He progress was unimpeded for the most part, until some halfway through a much larger lizard stood in his path. The scaly ruffian was over seven feet tall, hunched over. His armor was light, in black spikes about his shoulders and chest, though it seemed only ornamental as his dark green scales seemed armor enough on its own. Two horns jutted out of the sides of this one’s head, a feature most of the other lizards did not have. He smiled a reptilian grin, showing a massive mouth of jagged teeth.
“Who are you, little man?”
Draven folded his arms as his cape swayed in the breeze, looking unamused.
“I see you wear the insignia of the Dark Empire. That tone is unfit for a High General. Eastern Division, thank you. Though I’ve officiated as Emperor in the Dark Emperor’s absence.”
The lizard waved his massive tale back and forth like a raptor.
“Hmmmphph, I care not who you claim you are, little human. I am Brigadier General Mirkath, under the command of the High General of the Subterrain. If the High General of the East is as petty as yourself, then I will not allow him or his feeble troops to water down our reserves…”
Draven raised an eyebrow. Subterrain? The legions of the Dark Empire are, or were, divided into divisions of the North, South, East, and West. But Subterrain? Draven had even never heard of that…
That was of lesser concern, because the reptile just spoke his doom… Draven’s eyes narrowed.
“Oh? Really now, an officer such as yourself, insignificant as though you may be, surely knows the consequences of crossing a High General…”
The lizard let out a sound that could have been taken for a chuckle, removing a long jagged sword from a holster on his back.
“Hyeh… We’ll just have to see what rank you really are then…”
At that moment, a very violent burst of flame erupted from Draven, causing his cape to flutter wildly, though he did not move a muscle. He burned like a torch, the crimson aura breaking apart the rocky ground beneath him. Several onlooker lizards took a few steps back.
He unfolded his arms, revealing a brightly glowing right hand, plainly visible against the already bright flare of the flames. It was over in a second. The lizard’s eyes bulged as his sword clanged upon the ground, his mouth gaping open and blood spurting out over Draven’s head, just missing him. Draven was standing but a few inches from the lizard, his right arm punctured all the way through the reptile’s chest, the tips of his gloved fingers breaking through to the opposite side.
Draven removed his arm with a snap, and the lizard fell over, quite dead.
The rest of the walk to the fortress was uneventful.
Posted by: lady mistery on Saturday October 7th, 2006
Tadewi lied on the ground, having a sound sleep. The earth where she lied was covered with plants and bushes which made it soft and comfortable. A tiny squirrel was sitting nearby staring at her when she suddenaly woke up. Trying to repudiate from her weird terrifying dream she just had, she bent herself into a sitting pose and looked around. She got absolutely terrified - Her dream became truth!
She stood up as fast as she woke up. She was in an unfamiliar strange dark place. She was standing in the middle of the clearing in the forest, and she couldn't remember what happened and how she even got there. She could clearly see the bright moon, which was the only source of light around. She kept looking around as if she is going to find the answers somewhere between the trees but no avail.
She slowly sat down, trying to calm herself down and think logically. She saw near where she sleeped her bow and her arrows. There was her bag with a few inunctions in it, poisonous darts and it's small tube too.
'How bizarre, all of my things are here! Could it be an other test of my ancestors?? But....no. It can't be........Could it?' she didn't know what else to think.
She then noticed the tiny squirrel which still stared at her. It wasn't a usual squirrel. She could sense it. She dispatched her hand towards the squirrel and he didn't got scared at all. He moved closer to her and let her caress him.
After a few moments of thinking she decided to go and look if there was anybody around who can help her out and maybe...tell her where she is.
She stood up again, took all of her things and started walking carefuly with the same tiny weired squirrel - on her tracks.
Posted by: Trent on Saturday October 7th, 2006
//"Quite dead." I like that.
"Well, I think we know what to do then," said Tsu. "Shall we, Zion?"
"Yes, let's go." Zion, Tsu, and Aura took off. Xenai, however, wasn't so fast. He was rolling around on the ground, clenching his groin. He slowly got to his feet and took off, hands remaining in position. Damn, that wouldn't have been worth it at all.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Saturday October 7th, 2006
Nick Waited in front of Asgaria. Havoc was upon the city. Kronos' soldiers burning homes and killing people.
"I wonder who that weird thing was?" Nick pondered
He restlessly paced around the entrance of Asgaria.
---
Galak moved deeper and deeper undergound. He reached a large cavern. He now stood up. He took a scroll embeled with the word lock. Placing it on the ground he qucikly moved a few feet away. A blue colored sphere encased him. He went down deeper into a city. Galaks City, he was home at last. "Gei my city."
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday October 7th, 2006
"I flew through the skies on the wyvern, which was almost falling apart. Finally, I noticed Arlin and Steorra in the distance, conversing between each other. I landed the wyvern near their position, and let it fall apart.
Slowly gliding in my phase-shift condition, I noticed a huge amount of auras a fair distance from me. Whatever could that be....?
I appeared by the bushes behind my two convoys. They noticed me, and bowed.
-"I trust your trip was uneventful. Now, shall we go?"
The mages silently nodded.
-"Good."
We left the area, and advanced towards the fortress. Just as it came into view, my heart took a dive.
The lizards were everywhere, everywhere. It looked like a giant mass wobbling around the grim fortress. The noise was rather loud, too. So, Retan actually had some military muscle, it seems... Although it was less than perfectly organized. Some lizards were running around in the crowd, stirring up some commotion, something about some High General... I couldn't quite make it out.
-"Steorra, could you run a little check for me?"
-"Of course, my Lord. What do you need?"
-"I want you to prospect the force lines around this fortress."
-"Of course."
She took off the curious glowing gem in her staff, and looked through it, as if a prism. She squinted her eyes, looking up and down at the fortress, then back and forth.
-"Well... there don't seem to be any particularly strong lines... there are just individual points... but I may be mistaken. All those lines extending from you are kind of swamping the view, I can barely see anything through them... Yes, I definately see several very strong points..."
-"Good, that will do. Thank you."
So they didn't have any other active Necromancers in there. That's a relief. Blah, should've made a bit of an amendment to the treaty, denying the practice of Necromancy... oh well. It's not like there are any other practicioners as powerful as myself.
Just to prove my point to myself, I resurrected some bug I just squashed, and blasted a lightning bolt at a nearby tree, setting it ablaze. The troops in front noticed me, and made a general clamor. I advanced towards them.
-"This is Kronos, Marshal of the Kandarinian Sovereignty! I am here by invitation!"
The lizards shuffled aside, letting me through. Well, at least they were disciplined. Me and my convoy crossed the path from the mainland to the actual fortress. The gigantic black gates were closed. Now just to get their attention...
-"Arlin... Is it true that you've had experience in summoning?"
-"Well, yes, my Lord... but all I can summon is a small black drake... and I can only do that once per day, it takes too much energy for me."
-"Why don't you go ahead and summon it?"
-"Of course, my lord."
Arlin turned around, looking towards the sky. He set his hands apart, and his body oddly bent backwards. His eyes were closed, and he was shaking violently. Soon, some static sparks were jumping in between him and the ground, rising him a little bit into the air. Damn, he sure does make one heck of a show for just summoning a drake. I mean, it's a drake! Not even a full dragon!
The skies were even more turbulent than before. A small opening through the black shroud covering the fortress appeared, revealing the white clouds over it. The one particular cloud extended through the hole, slowly taking the shape of a dragon. The newly-formed drake flew circles around the fortress. Arlin slowly lowered himself back down onto the ground.
-"Good job, Arlin."
I waited for the drake to fly around the fortress another circle, all the while charging up a big, powerful lightning blast. Just as the critter was finishing its second revolution about the fortress, just when it was next to a large window, I let go of the lightning, aiming it right at the drake.
The result was truly spectacular. A deafeningly loud thunder rolled down onto the ground towards the forest in the distance. A lot of the lizard men stumbled, nearly falling down. For about ten seconds, a blue shining image of the Kandarinian symbol illuminated the ground beneath, sparking with lightnings. It was nearly a quarter of the fortresses size. If this little doorbell didn't get their attention, I have no idea what will."
--- --- ---
Horus followed Draven, somewhat amazed at the behaviour of the general with his opponent. It was a bit reckless of him, he thought. A finer job done would require complete stealth, at least for that sort of operation. Horus, however, was lacking in the stealth department. All he knew was brute force.
Then again, there was the now-defunct Dark glass cannon. Thinking back to before he was in this cold shell, Horus remembered the hours that he and his team spent on creating the perfect conductive material. They tried all sorts of metals, which, as one would guess, would happen to be the most conductive. However, none of them were nearly as conductive as the goal required. Months were spent trying to synthesize the correct compound in alchemical vats, but all attempts failed.
But eventually, as in many cases, the light came. The team found an entire new compound, which was as mysterious as the quest for the perfect conductor. It was collected painstakingly from rare crystals in the high alps, in such small amounts that it was near impossible to get a usable bunch. They appeared to be in bent formations, as if forming a gigantic circle... it was like whatever was the source of these crystals went out with a big, big bang...
After many more hours of studying the strange material, the team was able to synthesize it in mass amounts. The results were beyond anything thought achievable - the arcane energies flew through the material better than through air. Here, one would ask the obvious question: Why?
The fun thing about that kind of problem is that when you have a good conductor, you can direct arcane at whatever you want. The result was a cannon with sniper accuracy, its power even greater than conventional cannons. Using powerful energy storing crystals, the team was able to assemble a new prototype of weapon, one that required no ammunition.
That is when the raiders struck. After this, Horus' memory was but a blurr of chaotic images, sounds, and feelings. He could make nothing of it, and it did not matter now. The scientific purpose was lost. Now Dark glass was nothing but a means of destruction.
A means of war.
--- --- ---
Ein rubbed his head, and looked at Marshall.
-"Sure, let's go. I do think there is a village nearby, we could go there."
He walked through the dark looming trees, his path illuminated by nothing other than moonlight. In hopes of forgetting, he forcedly thought of Amaya. His heart sank, but he manned through it. Be a man, Ein. You pulled through worse things before. Wait, no, you didn't. But still. Be a man. Just forget about it.
Relieved, Ein saw the lights of the village up ahead. He hurried towards it, finally hoping to see some friendly faces again. In this haze, he tripped on a root and nearly fell down, but that did not stop him. He ran and ran and ran, towards the nearest house, and banged on the door. A tall, sturdy man opened.
-"Hello... you're a new face. Can I help you?"
Tears of relief were running down Ein's cheeks, smudging the dirt that stuck there during the course of the day.
-"Could me and two other folks here spend the night in your house?"
-"Why, of course! My door is always opened to travellers!"
-"Thank you so much, kind sir!"
Ein hurried inside the house. He slightly glanced at a girl sitting nearby, who was eyeing him suspiciously. Probably the guy's daughter... //that means your char, Jenia\\
--- --- ---
Roland's division was on its way of destruction, advancing towards Ugran, bringing doom to the Aspye doorstep. However, a small clamor passed through the zombies - there was a settlement ahead. Hell, if Kronos was taking over Gaian, why not kill two birds with one stone?
He commanded his beast the other way, towards the settlement. The zombies blindly followed. There was a scout tower a small distance before the village, which would undoubtedly rise alarm if Roland's army was noticed. Perhaps they should take down that outpost first...
There were still a few scorpion machines at his disposal, although not too many. While all the other divisions had 200, he barely had 10. On the other hand, while all the other divisions had soldiers who had to deal with morale and health, Roland's army mostly consisted of unfeeling zombies, the supply of which was being constantly replenished.
The lead scorpion set its tail-mounted cannon at the base of the tower and fired, basically ripping the whole thing down. The canopy at the top tumbled to the ground, killing the sentry inside it. His lifeless corpse fell down on the ground, Roland could sense his death. However, he was moving... and Kronos' force lines were nowhere near his location...
Roland hopped off the back of the beast, and approached the corpse. Its hands were shaking, and something was moving inside him. The commander kneeled down before the dead person, taking a closer look. The movement inside of the lifeless shell stopped.
Suddenly, the body jerked upwards, almost to a sitting position, then fell back down.
Again.
And again.
Something was trying to get out of the body!
Just as the thought crossed Roland's mind, the corpse's chest exploded, blinding Roland with blood. He stumbled backwards, cursing and rubbing his eyes. He opened them to find a blurry, but nevertheless very disturbing image.
Before him was standing the dead man's ribcage, on two legs. The... creature? also had two long tails, composed of unused bones. It, making a churning sound, wobbled towards Roland.
Realizing what this may be, Roland quickly glanced at where the body used to be.
If Roland was still alive and still had a stomach, he would throw up. The body was still there, or at least the skin. It still looked like a person, but only a very deflated one. There was a large cut at the place where the creature burst out.
The commander quickly rolled over, dodging the attack from the creature, and yelled out the total assault command. Obviously, the creature had no chance of surviving a speeding cannonball, virtually disappearing in a black blur.
The rest of the army rushed onto the village, tearing down the defences and the defenders. Roland hopped back onto his carrier animal, and began making way towards the village. All around, he still saw these unsettling events - as the villagers fell down, their body began trembling, and soon thereafter a creature burst out of them. Some were the same strange creatures that attacked Roland - the bipedal ribcages with two tails. Others looked like a complete nightmare - a chunk of human-shaped flesh, with no face on its head. Only a mouth. The bony spikes everywhere didn't look too inspiring, either. Oddly enough, his own falled soldiers turned into these fiends as well - exact same procedure, exat same result. These phenomena were creating a big problem for Roland's army. Little groups of these creatures united, and swarmed lone soldiers, ripping them to shreds, only to give birth to more abominations.
Of course, nothing could stop the might of 6,000 Kandarinian warriors. They gunned down the creatures with their spearguns, pinning them to the ground. Strangely enough, once the abomination was shot with a projectile that would kill a normal human, it rapidly whithered away in greenish ashes. On the turn side, one of those things could take as much as 30 normal zombies.
Finally, the army completely brought the settlement to its knees. Roland was personally slitting the throats of the more resistant villagers, while the rest of the soldiers pillaged the houses, scavenging for supplies.
Once finished his grim job, Roland looked around him at the hard 10 minutes' job. Buildings everywhere were splattered with blood, but there were absolutely no corpses. Whatever caused these strange events, they were methodically thorough. They affected every single corpse in and around the village.
-"Hey, Roland! We found this covering in one of the basements!"
Roland turned around. There were two guards dragging a curiously-dressed person, who was violently resisting his captors. The things he wore - most closely described as light armour - was made of thick, black leather. His left hand was wrapped in black leather belts with silver-shining buckles, sporting a tightly fitting glove on the end, while on his right hand resided a bleached white dragon skull, quite small for its species - about the size of an ordinary bucket. The man, who had pale skin and blueish-purple hair, was using the skull to bash his assailants.
-"Wouldn't tell us his name... some weirdo, he is. Had these creepy symbols in his basement, skulls 'n' stuff."
-"Let GO of me, you stupid morons!!!"
In a particularly violent fit, the captive managed to whack the dragon skull at one of the guards' face, while throwing the other one down with his free hand. The guards instantly sprung to their feet, aiming the spearguns at the man's head. Roland stopped them with a movement of his hand.
-"Tell me, do you know what happened to the villagers and my soldiers?"
-"Other than severe cases of mental retardation for both of them, no. What do you mean by that question, anyway?"
-"Well... would you know anything about certain things conveniently bursting out of people's chests and the like?"
The captive's face cleared, as if he finally understood what Roland was talking about.
-"Yeah, I know. What's it to you?"
-"Well, right now, as you can see, you are somewhat at a weakness before me... Perhaps we will spare your life in exchange for this... information..."
The stranger thought for a moment, then looked back at Roland.
-"Okay then. I made them."
In a moment of silence, Roland thought that his eyes were going to fall out of amazement.
-"You mean, it wasn't an object causing all this nonsense?"
-"Nope. I'm a Necromancer, moron. How else do you think I did that?"
Roland stumbled and nearly fell. His head felt uncomfortably light. Another Necromancer? Kronos would probably need to deal with this himself...
-"Tell you what, kid. I'll get you a convoy and a transport to our headquarters, and in exchange, you comply and don't fight back. Is that fine with you?"
-"Heh, the warden is asking favours from the prisoner. Who is your leader, anyway?"
-"Well, let's just say that you and him have a lot in common..."
-"Is he a Necromancer?"
-"Yes."
-"Why couldn't you just say so, idiot?"
Roland growled. Through his gritted teeth, he spat:
-"Just... get... on... the... wyvern..."
-"Fine then. I hope I won't be seeing any of you retards any more. Bai."
He hopped onto the wyvern. The wyvern's "driver" steered it towards the Kandarinian mainland.
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday October 7th, 2006
//Now time for me to make a long ass post!\\
"Hey Ein!" Marshall called running forward. "Wait up."
He then arrived at the house.
"Come on in. Your friend said that you needed a place to stay." The man said.
"Thank you very much." Marshall said.
"Oh no, it's nothing. People get lost in that forest all the time. They need a place to stay after an adventure that long."
"Hah, you've got no idea friend." Marshall replied.
"Okay, well take a seat." The man said.
"Alright." Marshall sat down on a wooden rocking chair, and looked at the man.
"So, what might your names be?" He asked.
"Oh, well I'm Marshall, Marshall Royle. That there is Ein, and my other friend who is doddling along is Alex."
"So, how long have you been traveling?" He asked.
"Oh, too long!" Marshall laughed.
"Mind telling me a bit of what you've done?"
"Well, let's see, first I was fighting a horde of zombies in my old temple that I lived in, then I flew on some machine towards Ugran, but then I got kidnapped by a giant zombie gorilla, and then got locked up in some hell hole of a prison, then I escaped and then had to fight another horde of zombies, jumped out a window falling several hundred feet and onto some pentagram and then broke into somebody’s house, Ein picked up some chick, created a teleportation portal, and we ended up in some alternate dimension, that's where we met Alex. We then saved the world by breaking some crystals that were jamming something, or some other. After that Ein made another portal and then we ended up in some necromancers room, he killed the chick Ein was with, then the necromancer booted us off here, and then we went through the forest, got mugged by some creep wearing a blindfold, then Ein turned into a dragon and then back into a human. Then we walked for a bit longer and then ended up here." Marshall grinned.
The man, narrowed his eyes. "I've heard over one hundred stories from travellers that came in by and by, but not one of those has been as crazy as what you've just told me."
"Well, I've been in over one hundred people's houses who let travellers in, and they have all said that was the craziest story they have heard. I think they're all lying, I'm sure crazier things have happened."
"I think you're lying." The man said sternly.
"I might be, then again maybe I'm just creating a distraction so my friend can rob you." Marshall laughed.
The man looked angrily and then turned and looked at Ein, but then saw that he wasn't doing anything.
"I'm only joking!" Marshall laughed.
The man, glared at Marshall again, and then shook his head and then walked into another room. "Craziest damn one, yet. Craziest damn one..."
----
Roland sighed in annoyance as the stranger gave his good bye.
"I have a feeling I'm going to be annoyed by him again sometime." Roland mumbled. He then looked at the surrounding soldiers. "See if you can find anymore interesting characters around here."
"Sure thing, Roland, sir." One solider replied, and then the zombie warriors went off in search of more people, in the rubble.
Roland walked back to his Dinox, he hopped onto its back, and then rode off at a steady pace. Something was odd about this area; he was interested to see if anything else as interesting was here.
"Hey Roland! We found something, come down here!" Said a solider, whose head was sticking out of some cobble stone staircase leading to the underground.
Roland hopped off the Dinox, and then walked towards the staircase and stepped down. At the bottom, it leads to an oddly clean little area. The floors, roof and walls were all stone, and had several torches lighting the area. The stone was very well polished, totally white. There was a stone altar at the end of the room.
"I thought you might be interested. At the alter it looks like it has some picture of a Blue Minotaur and some other shit." A solider said.
"Blue Minotaur?" Roland asked. Where did he hear of that? Wait, that's right. It was hazy...but...before he died...
He was part of the Blue Minotaur...a peacekeeping summoning group. He remembered most of it now. It was mostly like an adult remembering what stupid things he did as a child and getting embarrassed over it, to him however. The longer he has served as an undead warrior the more and more he forgot about his living life.
Roland walked towards the altar, and looked at it. There was a stone tablet; in the middle there was a picture of an uncoloured chimera, and around him, were six other creatures, in various colours. One was a blue minotaur, another a red cyclops and a few others, following a rather rainbowish colour scheme. What was this? It seemed familiar, but something was telling him that the elder knows more about this. Maybe if he remembers more about the Blue Minotaur he may be able to find more about this.
But he had a feeling that there was something else out there, and it could be a danger to the Kandarinian Sovereignty, if they didn't do something about it quickly.
He picked up the stone tablet, and turned around. He held it with one hand and pointed to one of the warriors. "You..." he stepped towards the warrior and handed him the tablet. "You've done enough. Take this tablet back to Kandarin, and give this to the elder. Make sure he gets it, or I'll request Kronos to put you into eternal torture, got it."
"Um...uh yeah. I mean, yessir." The solider said, sounding a bit confused, surprised and scared all at the same time. He then walked up the stairs.
"Okay...let's get out of here." Roland then walked up the staircase, followed by the other warriors. He hopped back onto his dinox, and then began to ride off.
A few soldiers marched along beside Roland.
"Something was strange about that place." He said to the soldiers. "I know, that it has something to do with the past of the Blue Minotaur. I think there may be more of them or something. The minotaurs were only a small piece, perhaps."
"What makes you so sure, Roland?"
"Nothing does. It's just a feeling. But unlike the rest of you walking flesh bags, I actually have more of a consciousness then the others. I'm not sure if Kronos wanted me too, or if I'm just...gifted. But anyways, my memory of my living past is still draining quickly, and I don't think there is anything I can do about it. Perhaps Kronos could release me, back into my full life so I could remember more about this, and find out what is going on with those summoners, but I'm afraid I'll loose my loyalty to Kronos if that happens. And frankly, I like the way I am. I have less to worry about, eating and drinking and going to the bathroom can get really annoying sometimes you know."
----
Vandrin's workers have made quite some progress, the basic structure of most of the walls were well underway. A few buildings are almost totally near completion.
He had one watchtower already complete, so he could over see his workers.
"Count Vandrin." A voice said from behind him. It was one of the captains.
"Yes?" He replied, without turning around.
"We got you your files, from your old ship at the coast." He said, stepping next to Vandrin and handing him a bag full of various scrolls."
"Excellent." Vandrin said as he took the bag. He then reached in his pocket and took out a small pouch, and handed it to the captain. "You can distribute that with your group, as you see fit. You may leave now."
"Thank you, Count Vandrin." The captain nodded and then exited.
He opened the bag of scrolls. "I can't believe I actually forgot these. This is all part of my plan."
He looked at one, it was a formula (not a math formula, one for a chemical). "Ah yes. With my new funds, and now that I have enough hired workers, this should actually be possible to pull off." He said to himself. He looked at a few of the ingredients listed down. "Ah yes, some of this I could make with magic. Heheh. Magic these days..."
He turned around and began pacing about. Back when he was a student in Tjed, he studied a bit of chemistry. His teacher, wasn't nearly as strict as his father, but was still quite a heavy load on his shoulders. "Now. With this, I may even have the Marshal himself amazed. Perhaps, I could sell some of this to him."
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Saturday October 7th, 2006
Alex was relieved that this kind man would allow he and his friends to stay the night at his home.
"Thank you kindly, sir. You are truly one of good heart," Alex commented as he walked in. The man noticed the peculiar creature on Alex's shoulder.
"Pray tell, lad, what is that critter on your shoulder?" said the man.
"Oh, him? That's just Otis, my pet headcrab. He's generally good about anything that can't harm him. I would still be careful though, he delivers a powerful toxin if he manages to bite you," Alex replied.
"Oh my," said the man. "How have you been able to tame such a creature?"
"Well," Alex went on, "I didn't exactly tame him. Would you believe me if I told you he followed me from another dimension?"
"I've heard stranger things," replied the man. "You're sure he won't bite?"
"Positive," said Alex. "In fact, he's asleep now, and it's difficult to wake him up."
"Very well then," said the man. "My God, you look worse for wear, young man. What is it that you do for a living?"
"To be honest, I used to be a mercenary," Alex noted. "I don't do much of that anymore. I guess you could call me the adventuring type."
"Heh, I get a lot of those folks," the man replied back. "This road is a more commonly travelled route in these parts. Where are you and your friends headed?"
"You would have to talk to Ein about that," replied Alex, pointing over to the shady man sitting down for a rest. "I personally have no idea where he plans on dragging us next. Anywhere's better than Glacia."
"Glacia?" The man cocked an eyebrow.
"A mountainous region to the far northwest of here," Alex said. "It's still a developing region compared to the rest of the world. Glacia City, the capital, is at the top of one of the higher mesas in the region. I don't think there's ever been a day in the past fifty years where it didn't snow. It's always cold up there and always dry. Now that I look back on it I wonder why I ever decided to live there."
"At least it's not as bad as Asgarnia. I've heard it recently came under enemy control," replied the man seriously.
"What?!" exclaimed Alex. "That's impossible...we closed the portals...unless a malefactor of some sort decided to attack the city while it was down... That's terrible! I just came from Asgarnia. Luckily, a friend of mine managed to make it out alive. Though I don't know where he is now, I'm sure he's safe."
The man remained wide-eyed. "Portals?"
"Asgarnians utilize some kind of magic or dimensional energy to power the city, and apparently the overuse of this energy caused seams to open up to another world. Unimaginable amounts of energy were poured onto the city...I'm surprised there's still a city left to conquer. It's my fault. I was too late..."
"Hey, hey. Don't beat yourself up about it," the man reassured Alex. "You did what you could and that's all that matters."
"I guess so. I just wish I could have done more. And now I'm all wound up in this mess. Who the hell is this guy Kronos that Ein keeps mentioning, and how do I have a place in all of this? It's so confusing."
"I'm sure all will be revealed in due time," replied the man.
"I suppose." Alex yawned. He hadn't gotten any good sleep in a few days.
"Well then, you look exhausted," said the man. "Make yourself at home, the fireplace is over there, and the bedrooms are upstairs. The kitchen is down the hall and to the left if you're hungry."
"Thanks again sir," said Alex cooly as he sat down with Ein and Marshall to discuss where the three intended to go next.
Posted by: Jenia on Sunday October 8th, 2006
After a long while of gliding and many changes of scenery, Weloss has finally declared that it was the place.
"The source...Seems to be missing, however." he stated.
Kerig was too preoccupied with staring at the necromancer's tall fortress to be bothered with such things. He let out a long "Whoa" and started slowly gliding towards the fortress without taking his eyes of it.
Upon reaching the gates, he was stopped by two guards.
"State your buisness!" they said, appearing to be expecting for something strange to suddenly pop out of Kerig. He smiled at them.
"Oh, us? We just came because my little friend here wants to chat with the person in charge around..."
Kerig had a quick look at the fortress itself, and turned back to the guards.
"You know, the Crow-Nose person. He can't chat without me though, so I came too!"
The guards looked at each other, and then back at Kerig.
"The master is not here! Be off!"
Kerig continued to smile.
"Oh, no matter, we'll just wait here until he's back!."
With that, Kerig sat down near the left gate guard and returned to his traditional staring into the sky.
--------------------
"About time. Took them long enough to show up. But why...is he moving...?"
Afelan knew that something was wrong with the target, but for now it was best not to arise any suspicion...
Afelan's thought's were interrupted by the voice of the innkeeper.
"Elly, could you make some of your herbal tea for our guests?"
'Elly' turned towards the innkeeper, her face brimming with a loyal, daughterly smile.
"Certainly, father."
"Haha, yes, certainly indeed."
The innkeeper turned back to his guests.
"Oh, right, we didn't introduce ourselves. My name is Phapas, and this is my daughter, Elara."
'Elly' then interrupted him by whispering to his ear.
"Father, when will you tell them they have to pay?"
"Shh, Elly! I'll tell them in the morning."
'Elly' sighed, and before going into the kitched, she stopped in front one of the guests and just stared into his face. After a few moments, she spoke.
"Are you okay, sir? You look pale..."
//Obviously this means Ein\\
Posted by: Xorlak on Sunday October 8th, 2006
“He’s trying to impress you, my lord…”
Grav smiled a toothy grin as he regarded the Kandarinian insignia emblazoned in the sky, reflected in the waters of the well, of course.
Retan folded his arms under his cape.
“Amusing. Direct his entourage to the dining room and entertain him while the… other guests arrive.”
----
There was some bit of commotion outside, but Draven ignored it as he made his way into the fortress, the guards having let him in as some robed fellow was flinging lighting about. He and the machine did not make their way too far down the dark corridor before they were approached by a group of five of the scaly green lizard men with black armor. The one in front was of higher class, like the one Draven just dispatched, though without the horns.
“Lord Draven, the Dark Emperor expects you.”
“Yes, but first, where are my men?” Draven found it odd that there was no trace of the Crimson soldiers that had occupied North Point before Retan had arrived. Human soldiers.
The lizard milled around.
“They are… occupied…”
Draven folded his arms.
“Very well.” He turned, pointing to the gargantuan machine behind him. “The machine is with me. He is to be treated with the utmost respect as one of my personal bodyguards. Take him to the second basement, the alchemist facilities; the hallways should be big enough for him to fit through. There, give him as much Black Crystal as he desires.”
“Uhh… Black Crystal?”
“Yes, my alchemists developed it. Also known as Dark Glass.” He waved his hand in frustration. “Just take him down there and inform my alchemists of what he requires!” His tone took on a more agitated ring.
“Hmmm, well…”
Draven raised a brow, more of concern this time.
“My alchemists are still here, are they not?” Human alchemists.
The giant lizard began to wring his claws.
“Your alchemists are occupied as well, my lord…”
Draven clenched his fists.
“Blast it! Just take him down there and let him do whatever he wants!”
The lizard nodded, then nodded to the smaller warrior lizards behind him. Two of them broke off from the group, motioning for the hulking machine to follow as they strode down a perpendicular hallway. Draven and the three remaining lizard men continued down the main corridor.
The larger lizard fell in stride with Draven, who was now leading the group, his cape flowing behind has he walked at a quickened pace.
“My lord, the Dark Emperor cannot meet with you at this time because he is hosting a banquet that is about to begin. However, he has said that you should attend if you arrive before it is over.”
“Very well. I take it my personal reserve of fine capes are still here?”
----
The dark gates opened wide before the three Kandarinians. Emerging from the blackness were two tall lizard men, a third shorter one pushing through from behind and emerging in front, covered by a black cloak and leaning on a staff.
“Welcome, welcome! Brethren of the Kandarinain Sovereignty! The Dark Emperor is expecting you. If you would follow me…”
Grav bowed lowly, moving his staff in his right hand before him and outstretching his left claw skyward, his scaly tail shifting back and forth behind him. He turned, leading the entourage down into the dark passageways of the fortress, the crimson glow of touches igniting and illuminating a path before them. In but a while they were before two massive golden doors, which opened to reveal a spectacular dining room. Unlike the rest of the fortress, this room was emblazoned with gold inlayed everywhere-- the walls, table, chairs. The ceiling was a massive arch, with three chandeliers hanging over the long table. There was no one seated yet, but servants-- smaller more tan-ish lizards, darted around, setting up plates and dinnerware.
“Please, be seated.”
----
Virmir and his entourage of ten warriors walked down the narrow bridge connecting the two floating islands, offering a brief glance at the gray abyss on either side.
Welkin was a world of nothing but sky, containing a cluster of floating island-like rocks similar to the border worlds, but with proper physics. Many were connected by simple stone bridges, as the distance between the islands never varied. Virmir remembered when he used to play on this very bridge as a young kit. Back then the sky and abyss were blue, and the Pull nonexistent. Of course, it was still dangerous, as no one ever knew what happened to one who fell into the abyss, but a minimal threat, as even young Velkens were proficient in the art of levitation and could fly quite well.
But that of course all changed with The Curse. Gone were the cerulean skies of Welkin, replaced on all sides by deep grey and black clouds, above and below. Lighting was very common, dancing about in the distance. Thankfully it rarely drew too close. The worst by far, though was the Pull. Even the most experienced masters of self levitation were unable to fly the short distances from island to island as they had done all their lives, and disappeared into the blackness.
There was a female fox waiting on the other side of the bridge, clad in a white dress that accented her form, and stood as a stark contrast to Virmir’s dark robes. Virmir, turned his head slightly, avoiding her gaze. As with all the Velkens, her fur was a silvery color, though they all seemed a bluish tint in the unnatural light from the dark clouds.
“Ken?”
Virmir tried to walk past her, but she approached him, grabbing him by the shoulders. She was perhaps an inch or two taller.
“Ken, where are you going? They wouldn’t say…”
Virmir still wouldn’t look at her, afraid his battle ready gaze would melt away, instead keeping his eyes fixed at the door to the portal building ahead.
“Gaian. The Dark Emperor summons...”
With that, he pushed her gently aside and continued on, his tail swishing side to side as he walked away. The ten fox warriors passed her next, paying her no mind. She clasped her hands over her heart and whispered helplessly,
“Be careful…”
Posted by: D. Ein on Monday October 9th, 2006
"I sat down at the glittering table, waiting for the food. Steorra and Arlin took seats on either side of me.
-"So... where is Emperor Retan himself?"
Posted by: Xorlak on Monday October 9th, 2006
Looking rather serpentine, The lizard Grav rubbed his left claw over his right, which was resting upon his staff.
"The Dark Emperor will be here shortly. We are waiting on a number of other guests, which are unfortunately less punctual than you. Fear not, for we will not wait too long..."
Standing next to Kronos' chair, he turned and pointed his staff at the far end of the chamber.
"In the meantime, I've arranged entertainment. Enjoy the melodically charming music of my homeland!"
Three tan lizards entered, these ones looking feminine, carrying long flute like instruments. They began to blow over the slits at the ends of the metal pipes, creating a god awful squealing sound that reverbed throughout the dining room. Grav closed his eyes and smiled his huge reptilian grin, obviously enjoying the racket.
Just then the door at the far end of the chamber burst open and a disgruntled looking Jayce stormed into the room, still wearing his full black body armor with the sinisterly huge scimitar strapped to his back. One of the flute playing lizards nearly backed into him, and he shoved her aside with his massive hand, knocking her over. As she fell, the flute made a distressed sound that actually sounded better than what she was originally playing.
"Blast it! Where's the food?!" Jayce growled, noting the emptiness of the table.
Grav quickly fell out of his trance, and began running down the length of the table.
"My prince! All of the guests haven't arrived yet!"
Jayce took his seat to the right of the black throne at the far end of the table, removing the sword at his back and placing it on the floor beside him in the process.
"Get me something to eat or I shall consume the flesh of your servants."
He began to drum his fingers on the table impatiently.
"Y-yes, my lord!"
Posted by: D. Ein on Monday October 9th, 2006
-"Urg. I'm fine.", said Ein, and collapsed on the floor, positively asleep.
--- --- ---
"My ears were still ringing after the "performance", when I heard an M-grid call from Roland. He was telling me about some sort of captive... I couldn't quite make out his words, there was some sort of interferance. I decided not to dwell on it, though, and concentrated on the current events. Forcing a smile at the performers, I turned around to the black-armoured man, throwing him a cool glance.
-"Nice sword. And who would you be?"
I looked over at my accomplices. Steorra was staring blankly into the gem from her staff, which she removed earlier. It seemed to be reacting with the golden glow of the room, strange mists swirling in the gem's depths. I bet if I let her sit there long enough, she'd have lines of spittle running down her mouth. That's how immobile she looked.
Arlin, on the other hand, was carefully inspecting the gilded chamber. The gold seemed to be of high quality, although personally I did not enjoy the blinding shine from the walls. Gold's just not my colour..."
--- --- ---
The Necromancer was delivered to the main tower of Sizri, built on the side of the Enigma complex, which was humming mysteriously. The wyvern rider escorted the captive inside the tower, where the Chief Overseer of Arcane Practices was waiting.
-"Well, who do we have here. If it isn't the necrophiliac that the entire nation already knows about."
-"It's NecroMANCER, moron, and I don't think that your leader will be happy when he knows how you call the little hobby of his."
The COAP visibly blushed.
-"Ahem. Anyways, as I was saying. Welcome to the Kandarinian Sovereignty. What is your name?"
The warlock thought for a moment.
-"I prefer to be called the Supreme Lord Of All Zombies From Hell And Beyond. Mmm, yeah. Sounds nice."
-"Err..."
-"Just kidding. Can't you take a joke, dimwit? Name's Jacob."
At that point, Soghol angrily burst in, followed by Hasterb.
-"GAWD! So now, after being TOLD off by that JERK Vorren, I gotta BABYSIT this KID?!"
Hasterb looked like he was about to say something, but changed his mind at the last moment. Instead, Jacob spoke.
-"GAWD, can't you see I'm trying to have a conversation here, MORON?!"
Soghol snarled, and reached for his sword. Jacob took a defensive stance, but Hasterb quickly interfered.
-"Whoa, whoa. Calm down, kiddies. This isn't the time or the place to be gnawing at each other's necks. That's what the practice room is for."
Insulted, Soghol spat a "GAWD!" to the side, and sat down at a nearby bench, looking gruffily at Jacob. He rested his unsheathed sword on his laps.
Then a voice came from across the room.
-"A Necromancer, eh... I see..."
Vorren slowly glided from the shadowed corner where he was lurking, his black cloak dragging on the ground. His rough features conveniently complimented the bleak room, making him look more menacing than ever.
-"How can you see that I'm a Necromancer, fool? That's not quite--"
-"The dragon skull in your hand as well as the human one on your shoulder are a bit of a giveaway, at that."
With a grim smirk, Vorren approached Jacob. Before the latter could react, Vorren's hand pinned Jacob by the neck to the wall with frightening speed.
-"Listen, small stuff. I don't care if you're a Necromancer. I could give less bintmeat if you have 60 tonnes of gold in your basement. However..."
The grip tightened.
-"...if you go mouthing off around me or Arlin or even Hasterb, there won't be a second chance..."
Struggling to breathe, Jacob managed:
-"A... second... chance... of what... idiot?"
With the last word, the dragon skull came crushing down on Vorren's head, knocking him backwards. Jacob landed back down on the floor, massaging his neck.
-"Looks like someone's gotta work on their threats, and it sure isn't me... More like the moron standing in front of me holding his poor little forehead. I'm surpirsed you do that, considering the thickness of your skull and all."
Sensing defeat, Vorren awarded Jacob with a piercing look.
-"This isn't over..."
Slamming the door with a satisfyingly loud BANG, the senior commander stormed off. Jacob noticed that Soghol was looking at him with a lot more respect than before.
-"As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted... shall we continue?"
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday October 10th, 2006
Only a few moments after Jayce entered the room, the sound of metal boots, stepping on wood could be heard.
Several lizard men turned their heads to the doorway.
A large reptilian stepped into the room; his deep green eyes scanned the room. He saw Jayce acting like his usual rude self, and Grav being his usual cowardly self in Jayce's presence.
The lizard man was wearing a black leather vest, grey pants, dusty brown knee pads and dark green wrist bands, steel toed spiked boots and a pickaxe was strapped to his back. He had a large snout and two sets of three small horns above each large eye lid he had a green skin, it looked as if he had spent most time either indoors or underground. He had the Dark Empire symbol tattooed on his right arm. By the way he stood and looked around, it seemed like he was on whom was of some importance. Typical, for a High General.
Two other lizard men were with him. One was a seven-foot burly brown skinned lizard, wearing a suit of armour that was able to fit him. It seemed highly unnecessary for a lizard that size to wear armour, yet nobody ever gave it much mind. The other was about the same size as the general; he had a slightly dark bluish hue to his skin. He wore metal shoulder and kneepads, over his simple black clothing.
"Ahem" The blue skined lizard, coughed. "High General Gorus Van'deln of the Subterrain." He announced.
"Thank you, Xarn." Gorus said, in his deep voice. Xarn, and the big one, named Thogus, had been solders in Van'deln's division since his father was the High General. They were a couple years older then Gorus, yet they gave him great respect, as he was an even greater warrior then his father was.
Gorus stepped deeper into the room, while Xarn and Thogus took their seats at the table.
He looked at the other visitors. He noticed a rather interestingly dressed human like being, a female human looking into some crystal, and another human who seemed to be inspecting the area.
"Greetings, Prince Jayce." He said to the young prince. He then looked to Grav. "Ah, Prime Minsiter Grav. It has been awhile."
Although he had actually seen Grav much earlier then Jayce, Gorus preferred the company of Grav a bit more. Not because Grav was a more respectful person, but merely because Grav was another lizard man. Gorus had spent most of his life underground, and with other lizard men; he was rather uncomfortable around other races. One could say he was a racist. Yet most wouldn't go that far.
"So, where are the others?"
Posted by: Xorlak on Tuesday October 10th, 2006
Jayce turned to Kronos down the table, skowling a bit.
"Who am I? Who are YOU?"
"My lord!" Grav almost covered his face.
"These are our guests from the Kanarinian Sovereignty, the robed one Marshal Kronos himself!"
Jayce's expression lightened a bit.
"Oh, the undead guys. New allies, huh? Good choice, good choice... Prince Jayce, of the Dark Empire. I look forward to... working with you in the future..."
He was quickly distracted from the Kandarinians as Gorus took his seat across from him and down the table a bit.
"Gorus! It's about time you showed up. I was afraid I would have to command the Vi'zar all by myself. Too many troops means the commander doesn't get to do the fun stuff himself, if you know what I mean..."
He smirked at the lizard High General as Grav made his way back around the table.
"Glad to have you here in Gaian, Lord Gorus." The much shorter lizard wringed his claws. "We are expecting several more officers, I'm sure they'll be here shortly. The Dark Emperor wishes to discuss some issues that must be dealt with."
During this time, the servants were lining the tables with appetizer trays. Small things like bite sized rolled meats and cheeses and the like. A few more lizard men made their way in, the table now about halfway full.
Jayce picked up one of the entrees.
"What is this crap!? Get me some real food! God blast it! And bring some MEAD!"
----
A bright blue flash emanated through the open archway and quickly darkened. Eleven figures emerged from the shadows, walking slowly but confidently. An armored lizard man approached the silver furred fox at the front of the procession, who was also the shortest in the group.
"Welcome to Gaian, Lord Virmir."
The Velken nodded, flicking his tail. The lizard continued, falling in step with the entourage.
"There has been a change of plans. The Dark Emperor wishes for you to attend a banquet before receiving your mission."
Virmir's left ear swiveled a bit, turning towards the lizard, but the rest of his attention remained on the dark hallway before him.
"Oh?"
"Think of it as a gift and example of His Darkness' generosity. Did you bring your crown? There will be foreign diplomats in attendance, and the Dark Emperor wishes for you to look your best."
"I'm afraid I did not as I've not much use for it anymore, especially for a trip I thought would be spent in battle."
"You will be provided a replica then. You may take two of your warriors as guests. Allow me to take your weapons..."
The lizard extended his claw.
The fox stopped, his tail hooking downward as he held his hand to his side and shook his head. The lizard took a step back as Virmir unbuckled and removed first the longsword Flameberge from his back, then the cumbersomely long and thin Wind Serpent, instead handing them to the lightly armored fox to his right with a nod. The taller silver fox accepted the weapons with a short bow. Virmir then turned completely.
"Relos, Helex, come with me. The rest of you wait in your rooms."
Relos and Helex, the first one of the five lightly armored knights, the other one of the five robed mages, smiled at the High General and stepped forward. Virmir smiled back at the obviously excited warriors, though the other eight seemed a bit disappointed. The three foxes then turned and followed the lizard, the rest of them heading in a different direction.
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday October 10th, 2006
//Xorlak, you're like the fourth person I know that knows what mead is\\
"My forced smile was getting harder to keep.
-"Yes... the undead guys..."
Twiddling the roll of meat in my hand, I was struggling to not attempt a resurrection spell at it. Without thinking too much, I threw it down my throat. Mmm, chewy.
-"So, Prince Jayce, was it... Why is it that you use those as manpower?" I casually shook my head at the larger lizard, apparently named Gorus, on the other side of the table. "I mean, come... all it takes is but a large enough flesh wound, and they will be incapacitated, at the very least."
I reached for another appetizer, a small red fruit wrapped in a green leaf. It reminded me of my favourite Kandarinian berries for some reason.
-"But of course, to each their own. Myself, I prefer to use ... more disposable forces, if you understand. Heavier jobs occasionally require artillery, but that's just details."
Once again, I distracted myself from the small talk to check on my cojourners. Arlin somehow produced a book out of his coat, and was busy reading it; Steorra was still focused on that toy of hers. I shook her a bit - she was still dazingly glaring at the crystal. Annoyed, I snitched the crystal from her hands.
-"Wha... huh? Oh... You can look in it, if you want..."
Her face was going visibly red. I looked into the crystal.
[there were some ink marks on the page at the point, as if the person holding the quill was unsure whether to write something or not.]
I do not believe that the images I saw were worth placing into this log. I handed the gem back to its owner. All I can say is that my own face would've gone red, too, except the pale skin kind of denied that. With an embarassed look, Steorra put the gem away, and concentrated on her food."
//I think this is the longest single page in DAL so far, containing two of the top ten posts! Not counting the BIG page, of course.\\
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday October 11th, 2006
//I agree Ein.\\
"I wouldn't miss something like this." Gorus replied to Jayce. He then rubbed his lower jaw as Grav spoke to him. "Yes, I made it here as quickly as possible. I'm sorry I'm not as well dressed, I spend all my time in the subterrian so I don't have a lot of proper clothing."
As Kronos made his comment, Gorus glared at the Marshal. He had a good mind to go storm towards him, and bite his head off, but he'd rather not make a huge scene at such a time, especially to a new ally.
As the entrees came he was rather disappointed with the size. He picked up a cheese slice, and looked at it. He knew that it was cheese, yet he never had cheese before. He tossed it into his large mouth and chewed it a bit. The taste was quite odd to him, he wasn't too sure about it; it was to soft for his sharp teeth anyways. He then picked up a handful few meat rolls, tossed them in his mouth and chewed on them for a little wile before swallowing them, with a bored expression on his face. He had a large appetite, so eating a lot before the real food gets here would not be a problem at all.
----
Marshall shrugged as Ein so quickly fell asleep. "It's been a long day for us." Marshall said to the man. Marshall's stomach then growled. "Yeah, I haven't had a lot to eat today. You got any food? Maybe some bread and butter with some chicken?"
Posted by: Zeros' on Thursday October 12th, 2006
Zeros' had followed them all from behind, but, he seemed rather distracted, as if focusing on something only he could see, only idly following his companions towards their destination.
Another visit to Retan... How amusing this shall be...
//So, so sorry... RL being crap. \\
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday October 12th, 2006
Duilin and Aegidius kept focused on their destination, flying in front of the group.
Duilin was actually quite surprised that he was ahead of everyone usually it was Zeros'. He noticed that Zeros' has been rather quiet lately, as if he was distracted with something. He's acted like this before when danger was near, but never for this long.
Whatever it was, Duilin would protect his friends at all costs. He nearly turned on them before, and he needed to prove that he was loyal. Maybe his friends still trusted him, but he didn't exactly trust himself...
Posted by: Burton_projects on Thursday October 12th, 2006
Galak entered his place. Troops where lined up and ready to go. Each one with special Cytanic-steel armor. So strong no sword can break through it, made in the fires of the earths core.
"Men I need you Gei needs you. Thhe surface people are strong. We will relcaim what was once ours."
The men started banging there spears and pikes. The crowds outside the palace started banging on things. A gaint drill made of the same armor was shipped towrds them in a large crane.
Posted by: Xorlak on Thursday October 12th, 2006
"Ah, but that's what you would think." Jayce angled his head down the table, a bit more interested now that the conversation had turned to matters of war. "Have you seen the Lizard Men's scales? Tough as nails. Inflicting a flesh wound on them is no easy task. And then there's their claws. Really, I must show you the Vi'zar in battle... It is quite a delicious sight... They are far superior to the mere human fodder we used before, several times over in every way..."
His grin crept upon his face manically.
More guests stepped into the hall, these three shorter than most. Virmir scanned the table for important figures as he lead his mini entourage towards a few open seats. He now wore a thin crown on his head, supported between his two triangular ears. It was a very simple design, a straight half circle with the only embellishment being a single ruby encrested in the center.
Spotting Jayce, who he recognized as the Prince and heir to the Dark Empire, he offered a polite half bow to the menacingly dark figure. Jayce ignored him completely, being engaged in conversation and not paying attention.
Continuing on, the three silver foxes took their places opposite from the Kandarinians, Virmir offering Kronos a quick nod as he sat. The place was crawling with lizards, smiling their toothy grins and begining to make a ruckus as more and more began their independent conversations. Being Velkins, the three had rather excellent senses of smell, and to them these lizards simply reeked. Virmir shot the knight and mage to his left and right a cold stare as the two began to grimace at the odor, at which they immediately stopped. There was something else in the air, though, something which made even Virmir a little uneasy. The stench of death hung close. Virmir's eyes darted back and forth until he realized he was sitting across from a group of undead...
More servants appeared, offering mead, wine, or whatever their preferred beverage was to the guests.
Suddenly, a set of side doors to the dining room opened rather forcefully, as if to attract as much attention as possible. A black caped man entered the room, the crimson lining of his armor almost glowing with the torches lining the dining hall. Another one Virmir didn't recognize. At least he's not a lizard...
Jayce froze, turning his head towards the man and delivering the must disgusted of scowls imaginable. Draven returned the frown, glaring back at the Draken, but his mouth slowly gave way to a devilish smirk. As slowly as possible, he strode towards one of the few remaining open seats, wearing his mocking smirk as deliberately as possible. Jayce looked about ready to jump over the table and attack the human. Draven took his seat, on the same side as the Kandarinians just a few chairs down, as one of the serpentine servants made her way towards him.
"Wine, please. Red."
Posted by: D. Ein on Friday October 13th, 2006
"I looked over at the newcomers. First serpents, then some hippo, then foxes, and now humans? is this a banquet or a zoo? Deciding not to ask who the other people are, I focused at the discussion with Jayce.
-"Hmm, it would be an interesting sight to watch, at least the way you portray it. However..." I leaned a bit closer to Jayce. "Tell me... can these lizards assemble gargantuan beasts, which could easily smash through the toughest of the walls? Do they have weaponry that could send a cascade of sharp projectiles at an enemy army, potentially taking out hundreds at a time?"
I took a short break between the talking to help myself to an elegant glass of wine. The hunger was kind of getting to me, and the main course still hasn't arrived. I wanted to urge a servant for it, but changed my mind.
-"Not to mention all sorts of items that are craftable from disposable flesh... Armour, weapons, jewelry. All sorts of things."
I stopped again to throw a dark look at Gorus. This filty scum should not be allowed to live...
-"In any case, I suppose each side has its own pluses and minuses. The Undeads, for example, are rather easy to take down, but are repaired with equal ease. They are soldiers who do not feel pain, do not feel hunger, do not feel cold... There is, however, a large disadvantage to undeads. You see, all one has to do is destroy the person controlling them, and incidentally, that happens to be me..."
I looked away, studying the new arrival, a person outfitted in red armour. Something looked painfully familiar about him..."
Posted by: Dude Man on Friday October 13th, 2006
Gorus glared back at Kronos. 'Who does he think he is? I honestly should just swallow that skinny little brat whole.' he thought, as the necromancer had the nerve to even look at him.
He looked at the two newcomers; he slightly recognized one of them to be Virmir, of the Sky Division, he has heard of him, but never met him in person and knew he was one of those fancy Velkens. He did not recognize the human however. He assumed it must be that Eastern Division High General, who started his own. The only overworlder High General he met was Jayce, the other ones he never gave too much mind.
Gorus continued chewing the meat rolls, looking rather bored of waiting. He eyed the necromancer a few times, attempting to catch the guy looking at him again.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Friday October 13th, 2006
Galak and his army entered the drill. There where smaller drills that held the reinforcements. They set course for the uperworld. The drills had to make the earth vibrate enough that anyone could fell it. It got through a 10 meters every few seconds. They would arrive were Galak retreated. Taking over the uper world would not be easy. Galak knew this, but was determind to complete this task.
---
Nick felt a small vibration that kind of felt good. As it became stronger and more unpleasent Nick got up and started moving further away. He ended up backing into Asgaria's wall.
Posted by: Xorlak on Saturday October 14th, 2006
Before Draven arrived, Jayce replied to Kronos,
"Well, of course the lizards can't do that. They're just infantry. We've other methods for smashing walls and mowing peons..."
The Draken flashed a grin and a wink, tightening his right black metal gauntlet.
"I will give you that I am curious to see what some undead can do, though. Perhaps we can trade a platoon or two some time, all in good fun. It seems quite an improvement over worthless living humans, at least."
The last guests to arrive were some demons, decked out in their crazy armor and long horns and such.
Then the golden brightness of the room dimmed, as if repulsed by the black figure entering through the main set of doors...
Grav stood, shouting loudly and holding up his staff.
"The Emperor arrives!"
Every member of the Dark Empire suddenly stood up at once, making a fist with their right hand/claw and slapping it to just under their left shoulder, elbow held out so their arm was horizontal. At the same time they all shouted,
"Hail Dark Emperor Retan !!"
which was quite dramatic given the number of different species in attendance.
Two wraiths eerily floated behind the Dark Emperor as he strode to his throne at the head of the table, taking their positions on either side of the door. Gav hastily stood by the left of the throne, claws resting on the top of his staff and head held high, trying to look as important as possible.
Retan spoke as he approached the table, long dark cape flowing and eyes as burning embers beneath the blackness of the helmet.
"Welcome, allies of the Dark Empire... and welcome to our newest allies from the Kandarinian Sovereignty... Do sit and enjoy the meal..."
He took his place at the head of the long narrow table, Jayce already seated in the first position to his right, Grav taking the seat to his left.
The servants were out in full force now, filling the table with all sorts of exotic meats.
Retan leaned to his right side slightly. His voice was booming, though he didn't speak loudly.
"As you all know, Gaian is the largest world known to us. Yet it is filled with the frailest of sentient creatures, with the oddest of wills. We have tried to tame these humans, yet they scoff at my generous gifts and rebel. I wish to know the opinions of my Generals on humans, and Kronos' as well, if he would be so kind..."
Jayce bit clean through a chicken leg, snapping the bone in half and consuming the whole bite in a few chews.
"Humans are inferior creatures that don't deserve to live, even as slaves. They should be purged from Gaian to make room for superior races."
He glinted at Draven, snapping another chunk off of the meat.
Draven folded his arms, looking disgruntled. He really was the only human here, and was beginning to feel most unwelcome...
"All races have their gems and dirt. I've worked with my own kind all my life. I'm sure the Dark Emperor will remember our success in taking over the eastern regions. They merely need guidence, and their will removed..."
Jayce snorted.
"If you pit two armies of retarded children against each other, one side will still win."
Draven bit his tounge, anger building too quickly to think of a snide comeback.
Virmir looked up and realized the crimson eyes of the Dark Emperor were looking upon him. His heart raced and his voice faltered a bit, as he never did like speaking in front of crowds.
"I've little experiance with humans, my lord, so I will trust those with more expertise."
Retan nodded, then turned his head towards Gorus and Kronos.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Saturday October 14th, 2006
The earth rumbled, walls and such crumbled all around Gaian. Asgaria had to be almost completely destroied. The wall started to fall upon Nick. He started to run away from the site.
Sir Kronos theres something coming, something big. He kept stumbling as he ran.
A platoon of five large drills and 10 smaller drill carried a total 15,000 men through the earth.
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday October 14th, 2006
//100,000? Organized that quickly!?\\
"Humans are...well." Gorus began, he picked up an entire ham, and took a bite out of it.
A few people sitting next him looked rather disappointed as the large lizard snatched the ham, as if it were a leg of chicken. But said nothing about it.
Gorus swallowed and then spoke. "Humans are weak. Most have little to no magic abilities. However, my father told me, that humans that are enhanced or mixed with another breed are actually quite powerful. Which really only proves that humans are really just unfinished organisms, and I think it is us who should complete them."
Posted by: D. Ein on Saturday October 14th, 2006
//@Nick: Yeah... it took you like 5 posts to organize an army of 100,000, while it took me around 7 to organize 20,000
@Dm: What is Gorus saying? Is he saying that he likes humans? It sounds like he's saying that "humans are well". Maybe you meant something like "Humans are... well."?\\
"I was about to open my mouth to reply, as I recieved the message from Nick.
-"Alright... careful now, I'm about to do a little something..."
Imagining the map of Gaian in my head, I concentrated on the spot where Asgarnia was. I sent a huge jolt of Necrotic energy at it, almost halving my current power reserves. I have never had the need to use that much yet. Having done that, though, I returned back to reality.
-"Humans? The only value I see in those vermin is as a good source of corpses. On the other hand, certain humans can be trained to perform tasks that undeads would normally have trouble performing. You know, perhaps firing an accurately-shooting weapon that weak zombie bones would have trouble operating. Or casting magic. Living flesh is a much better arcane conductor than a corpse."
I threw another quick glance at Gorus.
-"Then again, other races can be taught these things as well. However, the question beckons: is it really humans we should be going after right now? They are all but a threat, and I think we ought to concentrate our attention on certain other entities... Such as the ones that I can sense coming to this fortress."
Long ago have I noticed a strange interruption of my bond with the dead in the areas that they have been passing. This can only mean that these individuals are more powerful than normal humans. Interesting..."
--- --- ---
Even before the soldiers poured out of the drills, all sorts of strange events began to take place in Asgarnia. Birds that were in the air fell down to the ground dead, then fell apart into pieces. All people excluding Kandarinian soldiers began to feel sick, fainting soon thereafter, then dying. The clouds began moving at a highly accelerated rate, turning grey, then black, as they raced across the sky. For some odd reason, shadows now fell towards the sun, not the other way around. People who were in a washroom at the moment would notice that the water suddenly started flowing the opposite to how it was flowing a second ago. Strange growths began appearing on metallic objects, growths resembling sponge. Soon, the only life in the area was in a large house that the Kandarinian warriors occupied.
Of course, what is Necromancy without zombies? and with a power surge this large, Necromancy soared to new extents. EVERYTHING which was once dead returned to life once more. The recently deceased people rose again; their clothes had a life of their own, for they were made of lifeless plants; lifeless, that is, until Kronos intervened. Furniture seemed to be groaning more than usual. Things were falling from place, because they tried to move. No matter who the attackers were, Asgarnia was not a sight for the weak. Even the most stout of Kandarinian soldiers were close to fainting at this horrific sight.
Posted by: Xorlak on Sunday October 15th, 2006
The Dark Emperor chuckled a bit.
"Yes, that would be the other reason I've called this little assembly..."
Translucent images appeared over the dining table, under the magnificent chandeliers, they formed into spectres of Zeros', Duilin, and the others flying northward and were about 1/4th actual size.
"These are the ingrates partially responsible for some... inconveniences... I've experienced some five years ago. It is clear that they will be punished..."
He stood up, his deep voice becoming even more powerful.
"These meddling insects are blind to my acts of generosity. It is a rare occasion that I must lay down my authority, but tonight it shall be done. Those who do not submit are not fit to walk the soils of Gaian. It is convenient that they have all come together. Tonight at midnight, when the spirits of the wayward are at their strongest, I shall cast them down into Oblivion, forever banishing them from this realm..."
The dining guests became quite excited at this, many of them standing and clapping. Soon a chant broke out:
"Hail Dark Emperor Retan! Hail Dark Emperor Retan!"
Draven slipped out of his chair and made his way out a side door, unseen in the ruckus. He quickly stepped down a narrow set of stairs and through a dark hallway, heading in the direction of the alchemy labs, where he had Horus lead to.
Must get to them first...
(I would imagine Horus got his dark glass set up by now.)
Posted by: Zeros' on Sunday October 15th, 2006
Zeros' continued flying, though, flying almost half of his normal speed, but still keeping up with his group.
Unknown to his companions, his connection with the planet allowed him to sense all the strange happenings. I knew the Necrotic magic happenings in Asgarnia... he knew of the huge numbe of people gathering in front of their location. Althought, he knew his companions could also feel them, if they opened their senses. The north reaked of several different types of magic.
"Be prepared when we arrive... I have a feeling..." he said, pausing, then continuing. "... that we won't be 'welcome' there, especially after what happened to Retan five years ago..."
Posted by: Dude Man on Sunday October 15th, 2006
"I wouldn't expect to have a warm welcome from Retan anyway." Duilin replied to Zeros', as he continued flying forward.
The palace at North Point came into view.
"We are almost there." Aegidius said to the others.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Sunday October 15th, 2006
The drills escaped the earths shell. The amount of pressure between the drill and the ground make Asgaria's walls fall inward crushing homes and other structures. Steam came out as large door like panels opened. The men leaped from the machines. Galak Stood before them.
"Men this world is ours!!" Galak felt a large presence in the northern direction. Must be the more powerful of the aboveworld scum, Galak thought. "This way men!"
Thunderous sounds of marching began as the men started northward.
Nick who was behind a rock watched the large army as they departed.
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday October 16th, 2006
Marshall seemed to hear something coming from not to far away. "Can you hear that?" He asked. //I'm assuming the inn they are in, is not too far away from Asgarnia.\\
"Hear what?" The innkeeper asked.
"I dunno, sounds like some rumbling coming from not too far away." Marshall replied, sounding a bit worried. "Hey, Alex, you feel like checking it out?"
----
Meanwile in one of the fortresses of Kandarin, the elder was sitting in his chambers, staring at the wall.
There was a knocking on the door.
"Who is that knocking at my chamber door?" The elder asked.
"Nevermore."
"What?" The elder asked, sounding confused. //Cookie to the person who got that.\\
"I said, can I come in, Roland wanted me to bring you some big flat rock." Said the person behind the door.
"Come in."
The zombie warrior came in and dropped the tablet on his desk.
"Why?" The elder asked.
"I dunno. I'm only a mindless zombie. You and Roland are supposed to be the smart ones."
The elder looked at the tablet. "Aha!" He shouted. "I remember. The spirit! White Chimera!"
"What?" The zombie asked. "What the hell, are you talkin' about?"
"I..." The elder made an odd looking face. "Go away. I need to think.."
Posted by: D. Ein on Monday October 16th, 2006
//Yep, his gun is all repaired. Have Draven come pick him up, though, he won't go off alone.\\
-"Interesting proposition. How will you go about doing that, though? I imagine that such a spell would take quite a bit out of you."
I stopped to think. There's absolutely nothing I knew of this Retan character. Maybe he could generate something like that in as little as a snap of his fingers. On the other hand, I don't imagine he'd know much about myself... I also took note of my recharging power, which was almost complete now.
-"If it so happens that you might require help, I may see what I can do."
//DM, I don't think it's an inn, just a regular house. Also, the quote you used has something to do with a certain type of bird, no?\\
Posted by: Coriko on Monday October 16th, 2006
Swoosh; Coriko let the arrow fly knowing it would not miss his target. He heard the distant thud of the arrow lodging itself into the wooden target he had set up. As he walked slowly towards the target he looked around. The air was crisp and warm. The summer breeze was cool against his face. The day was perfect… or so he thought. He finally got to the target and pulled out his arrows. He was stuffing them in to his sheath when something back near the town of Asgarnia sounded odd, which made him drop his bow. It was a deep rumbling that shook him to his very soul.
Then a loudly groaning zombie came at him with full force. Coriko wasn’t sure if he was imagining it or not, but it looked almost as if the corpse was glowing with power... It was coming up fast. Thinking quickly, he scanned the area around him for any trees or bushes to hide behind. However, he noticed the zombie’s large axe, and its strange tendency to follow Coriko... It was swinging its axe around broadly so he couldn’t dive out of its path. He knew what he had to do.
Closing his eyes and slowly breathing in and out he relaxed. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. He had to relax to control his powers. His hair suddenly burst into a bright red flame, and so did his hands. He ran his hand through his hair. He always enjoyed doing that when he was using his powers. He needed to act quickly so he made a small ball of fire and threw it at the zombie to see if he could stop it in any way. It made a miniature hole in the zombie, who, however, seemed unscathed.
“Hmmm, well that didn’t work. Let’s try this.”
The zombie was getting dangerously close. He knew he had no more time and so with all his strength he summoned fire to shoot out of the ground to act as a wall. The heavy axe hit the wall with full force and at first it held, but soon it started to crack.
“Just… a little… longer.”
He struggled to hold it together. He knew the wall was about to break so he mustered up all his remaining strength and summoned a fireball and threw it forward just as the wall broke. The fireball hit the zombie force that it blew him backwards several feet, but he was ok. He lay there the world spinning. And just as Coriko was on the verge of passing out he smiled and knew, he has survived, for the zombie was lying dead, in pieces.
Posted by: Xorlak on Monday October 16th, 2006
Jayce stood up and held a clenched fist skyward, chiming in immediately after Kronos.
"Yes, if we all strike now, we will obliterate them like so many paper dolls."
Grav looked confused.
"Wait, like, NOW?"
Retan folded his arms, his black cloak flowing around him.
"I only require them to be distracted while I prepare the spell. That and they must remain in a predefined circle through most of the preparation, though the area of effect is quite wide. The danger to yourselves is minimal, as long as you follow my directions..."
Jayce finished off his mead, then crushed the copper goblet in his palm, the shards falling to the table in pieces.
"Let's DO IT!"
Virmir nodded to the Velkins at his left and right. It seemed like massive overkill, sending all of the High Generals of the Dark Empire into battle at once, and against such a small group too... Still, it seemed the reason he was called was about to take place.
The doors on the opposite end of the room opened wide, and the Dark Emperor strode around the table, cape flowing widely, towards the exit. One by one the banquet guests followed, chanting loudly their emperor’s praise.
----
The huge doors flung open loudly to the lower alchemists' labs, where Draven found the hulking Horus surrounded by fragments of a huge shattered slab of Black Crystal. He was likely recovering the shards from the broken stone used during the failed demon summoning.
"Machine! Come quickly. And prepare for battle..."
Without another word, he turned and was out the way he came.
Shortly, he was out the front gates of North Point, a crimson aura wrapping around his body. He took off southward like a blazing comet, contrasted against the blackness of the night sky, his blaze contested only by the sharp bolts of lighting that constantly darted about the blackness... Many of the Vi'zar waiting outside looked up and watched has he bolted skyward. But it wasn't the signal they had been instructed to wait for, so thus continued their preparations...
Posted by: Burton_projects on Monday October 16th, 2006
Nick peaked out from behind the rock watching the army get into a weird formation. A small drill in the front. Three rows of spearmen held there weapons foward and held sheilds to there sides. Swordmen and spearmen in the middle protecting the interior with large sheilds. Nick caught a glimpse of Galak marching infront of them.
Posted by: Zeros' on Tuesday October 17th, 2006
//The quote is from 'The Raven' by Edgar Allen Poe. It's a famous line that the raven says, "Nevermore".\\
Zeros' nodded his head. He didn't think anyone expected a warm welcome from the leader of the Dark Empire, especially after they had foiled his plans so long ago.
Zeros' frowned. He had suddenly felt a large, fiery gathering of power in the area they were heading too... And, he noted, he could also see it. He knew that aura anywhere.
It was Draven.
And he was heading straight for them.
Posted by: lady mistery on Tuesday October 17th, 2006
Tadewi walked in the forest holding a squirrel. She walked for a few hours and still got nowhere.
It was dark and she could berly see anything. Something about this place just wasn't right. Evil was in the air. There was abnormal silence in that forest, no rustling, Tadewi was absolutely terrified! she held her squirrel close, the only freind she had, and kept walking.
As time passed by the night became darker and spookier. Tadewi even got more afraid. She stopped, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
'I'm not afraid!' she tried to convince herself, and then started walking again. Faster and more sure of herself.
After a few more hours of walking the trees started to be more distanced.
'it must be the end of the forest...'
then the forest finely ended! She examinated her surroundings very carfuly. She was in an empty field of - 'corn?! someone must live here!'
A wide smile of relief spread upon her face. maybe now she'll finely know where is she....
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday October 17th, 2006
//Correct *gives Zeros' a cookie.*\\
"Well, well, well." Duilin said, grinning. "Look who it is."
The group could see Draven's crimson aura coming from the fortress and heading towards them.
Duilin sped up a few feet ahead of the group, Rink kept a tight grip on Duilin.
"Hey, Draven!" He called over, still giving his sarcastic grin. "How's it been?"
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday October 17th, 2006
"I looked at the Emperor, then at the hovering figures gliding over the table.
-"Very well... they will not get past me. Where are the simpletons?"
--- --- ---
Horus grumbled something incomprehensible, and followed after Draven. The cannon was now comfortably drawing power from the arcane capacitors, while he was passively charging it. It felt good to finally be complete again.
--- --- ---
A Kandarinian soldier pointed at the troops exiting the drills.
-"Heh. Looks like someone's wanting to steal our little gem here. Troops, to the windows! Arm your spearguns! Adepts, be so kind and conjure a nice shield around the building, will you?"
The warriros rushed to the windows of the large buildings, some hastily reloading their spearguns. Others adjusted a small scope to their guns, a recent invention from Sizri. Apparently, an alchemist was trying to create a thicker blend of glass to withstand fire, and he noticed that he saw better through the new glass. Manufacturers in Qim got word of that, and now almost all rifles were complete with a small scope to take down distant enemies.
Soon thereafter, a blue shimmering shield appeared around the building. That was the adepts' work, who could conjure a weak shield... Weak, that is, if there's only one adept supporting the shield. With about ten adepts, the shield integrity multiplied thousandfold. This particular division had over a hundred.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Tuesday October 17th, 2006
Alex was in his room tinkering with his rifle when Marshall's hollering to him derailed his concentration. He dropped one of the pieces on the floor. Alarmed that it might be broken, Alex picked it up and inspected it thoroughly. To his relief, the part had not been damaged. Alex hollered back to Marshall,
"Damn it, Marshall! I'm a little busy right now. Trying to repair my rifle, and it takes utter concentration. Check it yourself."
No reply.
Now irritated, Alex put down his tools and stepped out into the crystalline moonlight. The tremors came again, but this time, stronger. Off in the distance, Alex laid his eyes on the large tower powering the shield defending Asgarnia. The tremors came again, this time so powerful they nearly knocked Alex off of his feet. Grabbing a wooden beam supporting the veranda, he witnessed in horror as the shield spire collapsed to the ground, almost in slow motion. All that was left was a large cloud of debris rising high into the air, illuminated by the moonlight. Alex felt his blood drain from his face.
"Oh, God no....Asgarnia has fallen."
Asgarnia may have fallen, but Kleiner managed to get out safely. All that remained now was to make contact with him. With a heavy heart, Alex returned to the cabin, regretting to be the bearer of bad news.
"Guys, I've got some terrible news," Alex started, clearly sounding upset. "Asgarnia...has fallen."
Posted by: Burton_projects on Tuesday October 17th, 2006
//Ein the army isn't attacking your troops there going to attack northpoint....\\
The men kept moving in a steady formation, looking like a large metal half-sphere. The large towering sheild must just be a one time thing there to heavy for combat Nick thought as he silently followed within shadows.
Posted by: Xorlak on Tuesday October 17th, 2006
"Spare me the glib pleasantries."
Draven's aura cut out in a flash, and he free fell some twenty feet, deftly landing upon the ridge of one of the many jagged foothills that jutted up around the southern rim of the peninsula which contained the fortress of North Point. On a clear day, the many Vi'zar surrounding the southern gates would look like ants from this vantage point, but they were quite invisible in the darkness of this night, numerous points of torchlight peppering the grounds below instead.
"I've come to offer you a proposition, one that may very well save your pathetic lives..."
He folded his arms as his cape blew. The wind was beginning to pick up, the bright flashes of lighting that tore through the clouds more frequent.
"You've managed to piss Retan off. Congrats."
He said that with a slight smirk. But that faded as he became dead serious.
"There is no force on this planet that can hope to compete with the Dark Emperor's strength. Not even that idiot son of his. Not me. Not all of you together. He wants you erased, and you just walked into his trap."
A flash of lightning illuminated the darkened half of his face.
"This isn't some half baked revolutionary who's choking on his own magic, or some glorified magician who's invented a religion based upon himself. This is the real deal. A Draken who has reached full maturity. A dragon of the highest class..."
He extended his right hand, curling the gloved fingers almost like a claw.
"Join me. It is the only way. If you become my servants I will vouch for you, let it be known how you aided me against Ragnar these past years. He might listen. I may be able to save some of you... If you refuse, then our alliance must end here and forever..."
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday October 17th, 2006
//Ah. Well, you mentioned Asgarnia, didn't you? And there was absolutely nothing in any of your posts about North Point, so I got confused. BTW: oh noes! a comment-only post!\\
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday October 18th, 2006
Duilin completely lowered his expression; it was a combination of disgust, surprise and confusion. Join Draven?
Yeah, sure he's been a great help, and with Retan here, he'd be very useful, but no. This alliance was getting too far ever since the Grey Empire got into the picture.
Then again, what if it is true. Maybe joining Draven would be the only chance of survival. Yet, would death be better then serving evil?
He was thinking for too long, time to answer.
Rink was looking at Duilin, he hopped of and stood on the ground and looked up at Duilin. He wasn't sure if he'd give the right answer, considering how close he came to evil earlier. But whatever choice Duilin made, Rink would follow him, and watch out for his friend.
"No." Duilin said, giving a stern look. "I'll never join you!"
Aegidius took a few steps back, he felt too out of place, he barely knew any of them, but the answer was clearly also no for him, he looked at Draven and shook his head, and remained silent.
Duilin stepped towards Draven. "I'm not going to speak for my friends. Nor will I let them speak for me. But my answer is no, Draven." His fingers twitched a bit, a small spark of black lightning quickly appeared and disappeared in his hands. "I can deal with Retan, without you! I'd rather die fighting then give up like some coward."
Rink took a deep breath and looked at Zeros', wile Duilin glared at Draven.
Posted by: Zeros' on Wednesday October 18th, 2006
Zeros' grinned a bit and shook his head.
"Thank you for your... kind offer, but you already know my anwser to my offer, as I'm sure you knew that we'd all say no, am I correct?" he said, amused.
"And, even if he does want to get rid of us, you should know me better then that, at least. It'll take more then one Draken to stop me from protecting this planet," he said. "Oh and thanks for telling us we pissed him off. I've always wanted to hear that, but... I could guess we had already pissed him off, considering he was banished from the planet for... five years?"
He shook his head.
"The anwser is no, Draven. And that's final."
Posted by: Coriko on Wednesday October 18th, 2006
Awoken by a tremor in a cold sweat, Coriko jumped to his feet, forgetting he was just in a massive fight a few hours prior. As soon as he had planted his feet he collapsed onto his knees. He tried to suppress a groan but it still escaped his mouth. Fighting the urge to lie down in the grass and sleep it off he knew what he had to do. He started to walk, Asgarnia his destination.
Posted by: Xorlak on Wednesday October 18th, 2006
Draven shook his head slowly.
"Of course..."
Bringing both arms to his sides, his aura suddenly erupted in a crimson fury, his hair and cape waving, the bright red cutting through the surrounding darkness like a knife.
"Then I shall at least grant you an honorable death..."
The ground began to tremble... The lizards were coming... thousands of them... Not from the north, as those were still at the fortress' base, but from all sides... Boulders dislodged as they emerged from cavernous cracks, the mindless Vi'zar tromping through the darkness, slithering through the rocky terrain with their teeth barred...
And the lightning flashed all around...
The black gates of North Point below burst open, The Dark Emperor Retan emerging, leading the entourage of evil.
"They would be arriving right over that ridge by now, my friend," he mused to Kronos, "do your worst..."
Jayce ran out in front of the dark group, glaring at the bright plume of flame burning atop the hill.
"What?! How did he get there before us?!"
With a giant leap, the younger Draken was airborne, blazing towards the ridge at an inhuman speed, his right gauntlet clutching the hilt of the massive scimitar at his back.
Retan too began to float eerily, and most of the rest of the group followed suit... Two of the demons took off after Jayce, eager to help their lord.
The Velkins, now numbering the full 11 as the others had rejoined and provided their High General with his weapons, stayed close to the Dark Emperor. It seemed it was going to be a melee, and Virmir had no intentions to get involved until ordered.
Posted by: Coriko on Wednesday October 18th, 2006
Atop a building Coriko stood still surveying the scene before him. What lay in front of him hardened him forever. The destruction and horror that happened here was almost unbearable. He saw something move around the corner of a building a few metres from him. He drew his bow and arrow and had it ready to fire in an instance. He held the arrow beside his ear, breathing heavily, and waiting for anything to show him the slightest sign as to where his target was.
There! He let the arrow fly. He heard a groan and a thud as the body hit the ground. He saw that the arrow was sticking out of the creature’s forehead. He was sure that was the same sort of thing that attacked him in the field. He stood up to his full height. No sooner had he done this then a massive tremor hit and the building he was on crumbled. He knew he was falling yet he couldn’t do anything. He braced himself for the fall.
“This ain’t gonna pretty.”
He landed with a hard thud and rolled to absorb the landing. *Schwing* A massive axe landed where he was just a second ago. He jumped to his feet. He saw a giant zombie standing with his hands on the axes handle; he had an arrow sticking out of his forehead.
“Have we met?”
The zombie swung the axe at him again. Two more zombies came up behind the first. One had an axe and the other a sword, Coriko saw this.
“You brought friends, how sweet. Well go on introduce me,”
The axe once again swung for his head.
“Now that’s not nice! You almost hit me.”
Now the other two were joining in swinging their massive weapons at him. He kept rolling or jumping out of the way. He knew he couldn’t keep this up, he had to make a break for his bow. He flipped backwards and rolling down the other side of the ruined building. He was almost at his bow. He slid down the hill of rubble; the zombies were making their way over the pile towards him. He was crushed when he got to his destination to see his bow with a huge crack in it. He heard the rush of air as the axe was coming to wards him. Instinctively he held up the bow for protection, the axe broke right through it sending Coriko toppling backwards. Lying in front of him was his father’s now broken bow, now he was mad. He stood up to his full height. His hands ignited in flames. The zombie in front stopped hesitantly for a moment, but decided to press on. The zombie wound up to make the kill shot and that was when Coriko let him have it, a massive fire blast right in the chest. Blowing a whole right through it and the other two, collapsing into a pile on the ground. Unlike the first time Coriko was not sent backwards and instead stood there staring down at his broken bow, hands still on fire.
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday October 18th, 2006
Marshall sighed. "Well, there has to be some survivors. I'm going out there." Marshall said, bravely. He walked past Alex and out the door, and looked at crumbled city in the distance. It was quite a frightening sight. Marshall took a deep breath and held out his amulet and from it blasted a blue spectre that quickly formed into a wyvern.
He looked at the others inside, as he hopped onto the creature's back. "If I'm not back in thirty minutes...just wait longer." He smiled, to add some releif, but shrugged as he assumed it was a failed attempt at a gloomy moment like this.
The wyvern flew close to the ground, only flying a few meters off the ground, as he carried Marshall to Asgarnia...
----
Duilin stepped backwards, as did Aegidius and Rink. Aegidius took out his golden rod and stood in a fighting stance.
Rink grabbed onto Duilin's leg, Duilin looked at the imp, and shook him off. 'Not now. Just get somewhere safe.' He messaged him.
Duilin then looked at Draven, he eyed Jayce and the two demons as they were flying towards him. 'Zeros', you take Jayce. I wanna go for Draven.'
"Alright come on Draven." Duilin said, storming towards him, as he was engulfed in a golden aura. "Honour me then!"
He dashed towards him, and swung his fist at the Crimson Emporer's head, making a yellow streak in the air as he swung his fist...
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Wednesday October 18th, 2006
Now angered at the fall of such a wonderous city, Alex got his things together to head for Asgarnia as well. The rummaging sound got the cabin owner's attention.
"Oy! Where ya goin', lad?"
"Out," Alex said. "I'm heading to Asgarnia."
"Lad, are you daft?! You'll be overrun in a second!"
"I don't care. I still want to see if there's anything there worth saving. Innocent people. They didn't deserve this. Maybe I can save them."
"If you want to go riskin' yer life, I guess that's yer business," the man mused. "At least be safe."
"Don't worry about me," Alex replied. "I'll be fine. If Ein asks where we went, tell him."
"Not a problem, lad. Go on. People need ya."
"Thanks again for your hospitality," Alex called as he stepped out of the door. "I'm hoping I'll be back."
"Best of luck to ya!" hollered the man, waving.
Alex started down the path to Asgarnia, only a few miles away. A huge, coal-black pillar of smoke rose up from where the shield spire once stood. A beautiful contryside and utopian society had been replaced with a sickening vista of crystallized ground and flora from the released energy of the shield spire's explosion. If anyone at all survived the blast, it was a miracle. As Alex walked, the crystalline ground cracked under his feet, leaving a trail of broken footprints. As he walked, he put the finishing touches on repairing his rifle. To his relief, the final part locked firmly into place. He was combat-ready once again.
The walls of the city had been completely decimated, the magical mortar and laser batteries now smoldering piles of metal and crystal. Though it was clearly nighttime, the released energy from the blast hung in the air, illuminating the sky in a neon-blue/green color. It was almost a disturbing beauty.
"My God," Alex said quietly. "The city's been almost completely leveled."
Indeed it was. The portal to the Borderworld was either destroyed or disabled from lack of interdimensional energy. The air was silent. No wind. No flowing rivers or teeming wildlife. Only the crunching glass under Alex's feet, and the occasional rustle of his gear. Alex couldn't help but walk slowly through the ruined lands. The earth and plants had been crystallized. The wildlife had probably been completely wiped out. The flowing rivers were now still pools of stagnant, toxic soup contaminated by extreme amounts of energetic release. The view was almost post-apocalyptic. How such a pristine landscape could be transformed into a tainted wasteland in the course of a few moments was unimaginable.
Finally, Alex recognized familiar territory. He was approaching the outskirts of the city. There was no telling how harmful the radiation from the explosion could be, but Alex didn't care. He just wanted to help people.
As Alex entered the city, he was oblivious to the malefactors occupying the city that would soon deter him...
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday October 19th, 2006
Marshall spotted Alex, heading towards the outskirts of the city. "Yeah, it looks pretty bad." Marshall said glumly. He looked back into the city. He noticed a strange flash of light, as if a fireball had been tossed. "Arg. Looks like there is a fire mage in there, it could be a survivor, but perhaps it's somebody ridding the place of them."
His wyvern then flapped its wings faster and it flew towards the location of the fire mage, through the rubble he could get an image of a very oddly dressed character, with fire around his hands and hair. "You there!" He shouted.
Posted by: Coriko on Thursday October 19th, 2006
Coriko stood in his own world, lost in thought. However he was brought back to reality by the sound of someone talking behind him. Not wanting to take a chance he dropped down and rolled into a fighting stance, now facing the man who was talking, if in fact it was a man. Coriko had his hands out still in flamed ready for a fight. After what he had just been thought he didn’t want to risk anything.
“Who are you. Are you the one who destroyed Asgarnia?”
Posted by: D. Ein on Thursday October 19th, 2006
"With a dark smirk, I glided out towards the savages, but didn't quite all the way next to them. I lowered myself on the ground, sat down, and closed my eyes. I swiftly went into phase shift, and began meditating. I am a true arcane conductor... nothing matters now... just... concentration..."
Posted by: Xorlak on Thursday October 19th, 2006
"Tch! Out of the way, you miserable insect. Flyboy is mine."
Draven began a dash, but immediately had to duck under the forceful swing of the impending fist. The was no getting around the also winged half demon.
Anticipating a second swing, he did a full flip in the air as he shot backwards some ten feet. Twin orbs of flame glowed in his palms as he landed.
"Very well, if this is what you truely desire."
His voice reverbed, a partial effect of the barren rocky cliffs. Thrusting both palms together directly in front of him, the two spheres of fire merged and launched forward with the force of a cannon, waving the flame around the burning man wildly as the superheated projectile tore through the air, raging towards Duilin...
----
The Dark Emperor landed upon a cliff some distance away.
"No one draws near."
Virmir nodded in understanding. In but a split second, the ten fox like warriors disappeared as blurs, reforming in a wide circle around Retan, though some twenty feet in the air. They were so fast... Virmir himself remained at the Dark Emperor's side, folding his arms, his cloak and tail swaying in the fiercely blowing winds.
Grav had been left behind, but was now furiously clamoring up the steep cliffs, his claws dislodging large sections of gravel with each swipe.
"My lord!"
"SILENCE!"
Grav fell backwards at Retan's retort, rolling some fifteen feet down the hill. Though he tried to do so as quitely as possible.
Retan lifted both hands skyward, his cape blowing, his crimson eyes burning... The black clouds began to part, slowly reshaping and circling above...
"The end is nigh..."
----
Retan's Cataclysmic Spell of Eternally Vengeful Banishment!! (CSEVB): 20%
(Chapter 10 ends upon its completion!)
Posted by: Dude Man on Thursday October 19th, 2006
//Duilin's actually not using his mace right now Xor guy, he just swung a punch.\\
Duilin lifted his left hand infront of himself as the flame cannon blasted towards him, he created a sheild combining fire and lightning, and energy barrier was destroyed as the blast of flame hit it, yet Duilin remained standing, only slightly harmed from the blast.
"Come on Draven, don't upset me." Duilin taunted. He then swung forward his left hand and shot forth a lightning bolt at Draven.
---
Rink stepped back to a safer distance. He watched Duilin, fight. He was acting a bit like his old self, over eager to fight a certain person. Draven was likely too strong for Duilin to fight himself, Zeros' would likely be a safer match for him, yet Duilin was very determined.
---
Aegidius noticed something, out of the horde of foes dashing towards him. He could sense the over flowing power of several people, Retan's stood out, very well, yet there was another. A lich, a complete abombination to the universe.
"That's it." Aegidius said, comming to a conlution. "It wasn't the machine I was sent here for, it was to get rid of THAT." He said to himself as he searched for the necromancer.
He flapped his wings and the flew from the group, and up high into the air. "There's the lich, this is going to take a lot, but if I can just get rid of it, then I would have served my purpose."
He puts his rod back on his back, and materializes his crystal bow, he aims it at the lich and begins to focus his light energy to an arrow...
-----
"No." Marshall said, his got of his wyvern and walked towards the stranger. "I don't know who did this is...but I do have a few ideas. Who are you anyways?" He asked.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Friday October 20th, 2006
Galaks men came up upon Retan and 'Friends'.
"Attack!" Galak said. The men started to attack everyone around them.
"War what a great thing." Galak said but was unheard over the screaming of his men. He wrote something down on a scroll and as soon as he did he became something new. Earth covered him and hardened, forming a rock like armor. A slab covered his mouth making a face mask. The earth formed to his body.
Posted by: Coriko on Friday October 20th, 2006
Corkio stood up. His hands lowered, flames extinguished. He thought if this man wanted to kill him, he would have.
“My name is Coriko. I was practising my archery just east of town in a giant field when a creature attacked me. I retraced its steps back here, to Asgarnia. I saw the city was in ruins and started scouting for survivors, but then I was attacked. Now I’m here talking to you. Ok that is my story, what’s yours?”
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday October 21st, 2006
"My name's Marshall Royle. I was just resting at some house not too far away out of town when I heard some rumbling coming from here, we saw that the town has been destroyed so we came here to also look for survivors." Marshall explained. "Have you found any?" He asked.
Posted by: Xorlak on Saturday October 21st, 2006
(Oops... fixed!)
"I intend to do more than upset you..."
Blast it. He had no desire to waste energy on him... The lightning discharge came qucikly, and Draven shot straight up in the air, though he was surprised by it when, at the last moment, it arched upward a bit, the ethereal amber tendrils stinging his right boot, his crimson aura flaring brightly as the two energies combated...
With a growl, Draven brought his right hand to his left shoulder as it glowed intensely. Still flying upwards from the jump, he chopped the air, sending a visible sphere of a shockwave surging outwards from his body, producing an intense wave of crimson flame which blasted downwards towards the half demon. He immediately drove his still glowing arm back in the opposite motion, producing a second crescent shaped wave in its wake.
The first hit as a vermillion-white flash not seven feet in front of Duilin, nearly splitting the entire rocky hill clean in half with a huge tremor, leaving a gaping crack in its wake as the sky rained rocks. The second was more adequately aimed, impending towards Duilin's head...
----
A division of Vi'zar clamoring up the foothills turned as they spotted an army trying to flank them. Thier commander, an A-Class lizard man clad in black armor, grinned in delight.
"Food!"
The mindless solders that made up the B-Class lizards abandoned their previous target and began to run down the mountain, baring fangs, claws, and swords alike. They met the human force full throttle, tearing their fangs and claws into the pink supple flesh of the humans and gorging themselves. The ground was painted crimson.
The lizards were much larger and than the humans, not to mention the built in weaponry and defenses. It took four or five men to simply bring one down. On the other hand, the lizards were outnumbered, so it seemed a more even match...
----
Retan kept his arms skyward, himself now seeming to exude a black aura of evil... The swirling clouds above seemed to part, revealing an even greater blackness beyond...
CSEVB: 40%!
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday October 21st, 2006
Duilin crated another energy shield to block the first strike, yet it faded away after, he swiftly leaned backwards and to the side (not quite the matrix dodge) barely avoiding the second strike. He lost balance and fell to the ground.
He was surprised with himself, at how long he's been lasting in a fight against Draven, earlier he would have been blown away by him. He hopes to himself that he can keep this up, as his foe isn't showing much fatigue yet.
Duilin quickly got back on to his feet, before Draven could get past him. He took out his mace, he hadn't really used this to much yet, except on that machine, it was a pretty good magic conductor, he wanted to see how well it could do with hitting things, at it was a group of blades, rather then a ball with spikes. Draven was pretty quick however, but it was worth a try.
He dashed towards Draven, he then flapped his wings as he jumped up, in the air, several meters, and he then dove down into the ground swinging his mace down at Draven.
Posted by: Coriko on Saturday October 21st, 2006
"I didn't get the chance. I look around for a bit but every time I turned a corner there where these damn creatures. I finally gave up and headed for the roofs to take some of them out. Well as soon as i got up there the building collapsed. What are these creatures anyways?"
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday October 21st, 2006
//Well, not much time left, so I'm going to update Roland.\\
Roland's forces arrived at Ugran, and were closing in to the capital of Gief. Roland had his sword still sheathed yet he held his platinum staff in his left hand. He rode his Dinox at a steady pace, as he led the army of undead warriors.
From where they were Roland could see the towering statue that was built. It was quite a symbolic and meaningful statue; if Roland's sense of remorse hadn't been damaged he'd almost feel sorry to knock it down.
The rebels were already getting ready; they had a horde of solders ready to battle, armed with machine guns.
The walls surrounding the city had large gun towers, with magic powered cannons. This made a bit of an issue, if Roland ordered the gun towers to be destroyed, then that may be going against Kronos' orders, and plus the Marshal may want to have this technology. Then again if he didn't then they could easily damage his force, unless he could find a way to take out the people manning them.
Roland also noticed the city was protected by a magic barrier. These Aspyes seemed to always seem to be at least three steps ahead of them, seeing as they had tons of mages generating the shield.
Roland heard stories that most attacks forces on the Aspye's mother base had nearly there entire force taken out my catastrophic magic, caused by Haraldur. Roland was starting to prey about those rumours about Haraldur being dead were true.
Roland could do this however, he had an idea. He held out his staff and pointed it forward, and blasted four blue spectres. The spectres formed shape into blue skinned wyverns. The wyverns flew in the air and started circling around the walls of Geif.
One got quickly gunned down by the magic canons. Yet the one that gunned it down was shot by a large freeze blast from the wyvern, and the cannon of the tower was frozen soild, the three remaining wyverns began the keep the cannons well occupied, as Roland’s forces charged towards Geif, as Roland stopped and lifted up his staff giving out a warlike call.
The first few lines of warriors quickly drew their shields as the riflemen on the walls, fired down upon them, most of the bullets were bouncing of the shields.
Protected by the shields a few brutish front line warriors ran towards the wall, holding war hammers in their other hand, they began smashing at the wall, making large holes in it.
Roland, summoned another four ice wyverns, who continued to occupy most of the magic turrets, however a few were able to shoot down at the warriors below, taking a handful of zombies...
-----
"Hmm, I hope there are some survivors." Marshall said. "My friend Alex, is also looking for people." He said. "These creatures are zombies. I'm certain they were summoned by, Kronos, Marshal of the Kandarin." He explained, he said 'Kronos' in disgust. "Anyhow, do you want to join me in searching the area?"
Posted by: Coriko on Saturday October 21st, 2006
Coriko decide whether or not this was a wise decision. Well the man hadn't made an attempt on his life so far.
"Alright, I'll come. If we pass by a bow shop though I'm going in, mine was destoyed in that last fight."
Coriko let his hands burst into flames.
"Don't worry about the fire, I have it under control. I am, well i wouldn't say fire mage because i have no medallion or anything. I've just learned to harness the power over the past few years. My hometown was very boring and i needed something to fill my spare time."
Coriko started forward but stopped so his new ally could catch up.
Posted by: Dude Man on Saturday October 21st, 2006
Marshall caught up with Coriko, and the two walked through the dead city. "Ah, yes, that's fine. I'm familiar with magic users, from the things I've seen today, that wouldn't scare me in the least bit." He said, chuckling a bit.
"I myself, also have talents. That wyvern I was riding on, was summoned by me. I used to be with a group known as the Blue Minotaur, who practiced summoning monsters, so we could protect others."
"I'm now with the Aspyes Revolution. I'm sure you've heard of us, we're a large group." He then smiled. "We plan to bring the world of Gaian, equality, freedom and a high standard of living, in a sustainable fashion."
As they continued walking through the city, Marshall spotted a weapons shop. "Aha, there is one right there. Let's take a look inside. I'm unarmed, so I could use a new weapon. I heard this place has some interesting technology."
He walked into the weapons shop. He looked around; there were a few swords, bows, axes and the basic stuff, hung up on the walls. He looked a bit disappointed with the selection; he walked around the shop, looking at the other walls.
Near the right corner he saw a pair of interesting looking guns. They were about the size of a pistol and made of mostly metal, save for the handles, which were ivory. On the side of them was a small dial and above the handle was a crystal, on one of them it was light red and the other it was light green, behind the crystal was a small pull. Under the barrel was a pull to open it up.
He noticed a wooden case, with a strap, was also on the gun rack next to it. He took the case and opened it up; there was a fair supply of bullets inside. The bullets looked about the same size that were used for his machinegun, but he was unsure if he could use them for the gun, in the case was a light yellow and a light blue crystal. He closed the case, a wraped the strap around his shoulder. He picked up one of the pistols; he opened the case with his other hand, and took out a few bullets. He opened up the gun, and put the bullets in, he was kind of making this up as he went along, he hopped he was doing this right. He aimed the gun at the wall, everyone was dead so I'm sure nobody would mind if he took a shot at the wall. He pulled the trigger; the red crystal glowed, as the weapon fired a flaming bullet from the barrel.
"Ooops!" Marshall exclaimed, as the wall began burning. He then assumed that the weapon was well, an elemental magic gun, he hastily took out the blue crystal from the case. He tried pulling the red crystal out, but wasn't having much luck; he looked a bit stressed as the flame on the wall was starting to get bigger. He then tried tugging at the pull-tab under the crystal, and the gem popped out as he tugged it. He took out the gem, and replaced it with the blue one. He shot it at the flame, and the area of the wall froze, and the flame was gone.
He looked at the gun, and smiled. He took the other one from the rack; he didn't even miss his old machinegun anymore now.
Posted by: Xorlak on Sunday October 22nd, 2006
His aura of flame flaring more brightly, Draven brought both hands before his chest and slowly pulled them apart, a thin pillar of fire growing in the space between them. When he was satisfied with the length, he grabbed one edge with his right hand as the opposite flattened into a razor sharp blade as he had done so many times before. Flipping the burning blade upwards, he met Duilin's mace not in the jutting blades, but in the chain behind them, causing the weapon to wrap around his flaming sword. He pulled the weapon with Duilin in tow towards him and to his right, just changing the inertia enough to cause the weapon to miss his head. At the same time he extended his left hand in an open palm as it glowed red. His intention was to catch Duilin's face and then promptly blow his head clean off...
"Goodnight!"
----
The darkness directly overhead was spreading, becoming more circular in shape. In contrast was the lightning, which was dancing around the void more and more frequently, so much so that the flashes were making it easier to see...
CSEVB: 60%!
Posted by: Dude Man on Sunday October 22nd, 2006
Duilin was shocked as he was swung to the side, and Draven was able to avoid his attack. He saw Draven's glowing hand attempting to grab his face. He quickly rolled to the side, wrapping his wings around himself, yet dropped his mace as he made his hasty escape.
He jumped back up facing Draven, he then swung his hand around charging energy as if he was swinging a flail, He created a cord of dark energy in the shape of a spinal cord with a skull attached (same type of attack he used in chapter 9, against Zeros'). He tossed the demonic flail and at his foe, and it began to fly towards him, even if it missed the demon flail would just fly right back at him.
'Abodahon taught me that, and I shouldn't be using that type of magic, but Draven is really strong, I've got to give it all I got now.' He thought to himself.
//God, where the hell is Ein? We had a bunch of stuff planed for the end of the chapter but now he's wasting time on Guild Wars, n00b. Well, I'll give him three days to post, just to be an ass.\\
Aegidius fired the arrow of light magic, towards Kronos, the arrow was aimed right at the Lich's torso...
Posted by: Coriko on Sunday October 22nd, 2006
Walking in to the store Coriko had low expectations, and it was a good thing. As he walked in he scanned the walls. One word came to mind, junk.
“Crap, crap, shit, damn it all this stuff is junk!”
Coriko picked up a bow at random. He pulled one of his arrows out of his quiver. Lined it up and was ready to test it when the bowstring snapped. Slowly and surely he picked up bows at random bad tried to shoot a single arrow, and each one broke in some way.
He got to the last and most expensive longbow bow on the wall. He read the description on the label; this bow was owned by one of the greatest archers. Killed from behind by a highway bandit. The criminal was apprehended and the bow recovered. This bow is claimed to be indestructible and flame-retardant.
“Flame-retardant eh?”
Coriko thought about a way to test this claim. He put one hand on top of the bow and one hand at the bottom and then fired a flame from each hand along the bow towards the middle. As he did this, the bow wasn’t destroyed; it kept its shape and stayed on fire. Bewildered by this he then tried to bring his hands together. The bow disappeared into his hands. As soon as his hands touched he pulled them apart and to his amaze the bow was gone. Not believing it he looked around.
“Did you see that?”
Coriko asked Marshall, but he saw that Marshall was busy with his own new toy. Suddenly a though came to him. Once again he put his hands together and thought about this bow. As he pulled his hands apart the bow was formed, still ablaze. Amazed he made the bow disappear and reappear several more times just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. He had a new bow, and a special bow at that. Coriko turned around to tell Marshall his discovery.
"OH GOD LOOK OUT!"
Coriko screamed a warning to Marshall as the back wall of the building was blown in and something big was on the other side.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Sunday October 22nd, 2006
Galaks army started to push foward. Nick ran around the rock running from the fight. He notice the girl from before and started to ask kronos something. Sir what should I do about this army?
Posted by: Dude Man on Sunday October 22nd, 2006
Marshall turned to look at the wall, being torn apart. He looked up and there he saw a large abomination.
It stood about twenty feet tall, it's torso, which was very over sized and was most of it's body, consisted of several random rotting body chunks meshed together, it's head was of normal size however, which looked quite odd and it had a massive tumour above the left eye and it's mouth was drooling blood. The limbs were that of an ogre. On certain parts of its body it had metal plates nailed on.
The horrid stench and sight of the creature was enough to make Marshall want to gag. He was glad he didn't have that food earlier. Marshall walked backwards, he was to busy plugging his nose to block the stench then to look shocked.
Without hesitation he took out one of the magi pistols and fired two rounds of icy bullets at the creature.
The abomination flinched a bit but barely showed any signs of damage. The abomination picked up a wooden log from the piece of the wall it smashed, it then swung down the log, yet Marshall jumped out of the way.
"Coriko, use some of your fire magic." He said. "These zombies can burn pretty easily."
He then popped out the blue crystal and replaced it with the red one. He noticed the dial on the side. He noticed three letters L, M and H. The dial was pointing to L. He assumed, that this meant low, so he turned the dial to H and aimed the gun at the advancing abomination, and fired a single round at it, the crystal glowed three times brighter then before, and fired a large fireball. The recoil was quite massive so the shot was quite inaccurate, and the blast only skimmed its shoulder.
Posted by: Zeros' on Monday October 23rd, 2006
// Soo sorry. RL stuff... Grr... \\
Zeros' nodded, but instead, just 'leaned' back in the air, crossing his arms behind his head, closing his eyes and just... waiting. He knew some big attack was happening. He could feel the air swirling... the energy fluxuating...
He opened his eyes and looked at Jayce. He grinned. It wasn't a pleasent smile either. It was sadistic.
"I still have a score to settle with you, Jayce... And I can promise that I'll repay it... someday."
Posted by: Coriko on Monday October 23rd, 2006
As the dust cleared Coriko saw the enemy and went right for it. Hands ablaze he ran forward. As he got to the zombie, he slid in between his legs and fired a hot blaze upward then went into a roll and spun around facing the creature’s back. He then started to shoot rapid-fire bolts at the creature’s back. As it started to turn around Coriko jumped over the creature. Landing with a roll to absorb the blow, we then rolled behind a desk.
“Let’s try my new bow.”
A huge explosion was behind him and when he looked he saw Marshall standing with his gun. And the creature’s shoulder was blown off. Coriko stood up and turned to face the creature. The two made eye contact for a split second and that’s when Coriko unleashed a wave of fire arrows at the creature. As he shot the arrows he felt less tension on his bow even though it was pulled back really far, and instead of him having to manually light the bows the were lit as soon as the passed the tip. The creature swayed as he a little as the arrows hit him, but he still get coming forward.
“This isn’t working, you got anything else that gun can do Marshall, cause we could use it.”
Posted by: Dude Man on Monday October 23rd, 2006
"Son of a..." Marshall muttered. He then drew the other gun, with the green crystal in it. He fired the weapon at the abomination, a bullet flew towards the creature, leaving a streak of spiky foliage, the bullet went right through, and thorny vine was stuck inside it.
The abomination didn't seem to give much notice to it, and lurched towards Marshall and Coriko.
"Coriko I've got an idea." Marshall said. He ran towards the creature, and started to run around it, he fired several more vines at it, as he circled the giant zombie. "If we need to have it catch fire, we need something to feed the flame."
He pocketed the gun and grabbed on one of the vines, and ran towards the creature. It swung down the log, yet Marshall dived under its legs, and the log smashed into the ground. Marshall wrapped the vine around its leg, and ran to grab another vine.
The abomination was very slow. As it was about to lift up the log, Marshall ran up it, and jumped, he almost fell, and he grabbed onto it's shoulder and then he wrapped the vine around it's neck. Marshall grimaced, as the stench of the monster was ten times worse, now that he was so close to it. He jumped down off of it, with still a bit of vine left, he grabbed one stuck into it's back and then tied the town vines together and then he jumped onto the ground.
The creature roared and lifted up the log and turned around to face Marshall, the monster swung down the log at Marshall, yet he jumped out of the way, he circled around the log and grabbed onto a vine stuck in it's arm. He jumped the arm, and wrapped it around. That should be enough, he ran away from the creature, before it could swing the log at him again. He looked at Coriko. "Okay, show off some of your fire magic skills."
----
Roland's zombie warriors were able to smash the wall up enough, which it finally collapsed down, mostly caving in on itself. The wall could be repaired quickly after the raid.
A group of surprisingly agile undeads were able to climb up onto the guard towers and kill the gunners manning the magic cannons. The blue wyverns flew in, shooting ice blasts at groups of rebels that were firing their machine guns at them.
Roland dashed into the city, swinging his staff, whacking at rebel to the ground.
Suddenly several trap doors opened from the ground, men in black and red suits popped out, armed with magic powered riffles. The elite rebels began blasting beams of energy at the zombies, rapidly lowering the number of Roland's army.
From sky, spears came flying down, and impaling the elite rebels. In the air, there were undead wyverns with Kandarin warriors armed with spear guns, riding them.
Roland ran to one of the trap doors, avoiding the occasional bullet flying towards him. He grabbed an energy gun, he waved his staff and one of his blue wyverns flew right over Roland, he jumped into the air and landed on in.
The wyvern flew in towards the large memorial statue. Roland aimed the gun at the statue's head and fired a single blast. A small explosion of energy and stone, and as the smoke cleared up, the head of the statue was gone.
Many of the Aspye rebels looked at the decapitated statue. They looked in horror as their beloved memorial has just been beheaded; it was the biggest insult to them ever.
"SHOOT THAT FACIST DOWN!" A rebel yelled. Suddenly nearly every single Aspye warrior began firing their machine guns at Roland, this actually was a good opportunity for the zombie warriors to take them down wile the were distracted.
Roland's wyvern was torn apart by the rain of bullets and Roland jumped off as the creature's corpse fell to the ground. He fired the energy gun at the statue's torso below him, he dropped the gun and then grabbed onto the hole he made below him. The jagged rock digged into his hand, and an unsually low ammount of blood came out. He didn't have much left, but it's not like he needs it too much. Several bullets digged in to his body. He then pressed his feet against the statue, and then let go and allowed himself to drop, yet he dashed down the statue as he came down, when he was nearing the platform of the statue he jumped and landed on the ground. Several cracks from his body were heard, yet he seemed to show no sign of pain, whatsoever.
The enraged rebels atemped to dash towards Roland, they were desperate to punish him, the stairs to the statue however were far to high, and the spear gunners were able to shoot them dead, before they could reach the top.
The remaining zombie warriors, drew their wrist blades and raiding through the buildings and slaughtered all living things.
Geif has fallen.
Posted by: Coriko on Monday October 23rd, 2006
“Will do.”
Grabbing a handful of arrows from his quiver. He put them all into the bow and released. The arrows flew through the air crackling and leaving a trail of smoke. Hitting the zombie in the chest, right on the vine. Immediately the zombie started to screech in agony, but it still kept coming.
“Determined little bugger isn’t he. We’ll lets try a different method.”
Putting away his bow he lit his hand and got into a fighting stance. He then made a ball of fire in his left hand. And then wound his right hand back. Suddenly thrusting his right hand through the ball of fire in his left hand. By doing this the power of flames combined so the fire surged through his left hand into his right arm and out of his hand. He had a steady stream of fire hitting the zombie and slowly burning a hole through its chest. There was a loud pop as the flame broke through to the other side. This is when the creature fell on its knees and finally fell down, once again, dead.
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Monday October 23rd, 2006
Alex had silently decided to split off from the group and look for the escape tunnels that might lead to Kleiner.
The longer Alex spent in Asgarnia, more he noticed how horrid the damage to the city was. Where the shield spire once stood cloulds were spinning and roiling ominously, occasionally green superbolts of lightning arced through the clounds. The bright green grass and trees in the city's many gardens and parks had been crystallized, almost looking like they were frozen.
One of the city's aqeducts had collapsed, causing water to spill into craters and chasms caused by the spire's collapse. The water glowed a dull neon-green and swirled with purple and blue eddies. As Alex approached the water, a human skeleton floated to the top. Upon this sight, a shudder ran down Alex's spine, chilling him to the core. Any organic matter to dip into this mix would be immediately corroded and decomposed. Those who were unfortunate enough to live became shambling sub-humans, somewhere between zombies and neanderthals. Somehow the explosion seemed to have opened dimensional seams...Alex could have sworn he saw a headcrab or two earlier.
Alex pried open a manhole cover and lifted it away. The water had not yet seeped in. He climbed down the ladder and dropped into a dimly-lit tunnel. He suddenly saw himself face to face with a surviving Asgarnian guard.
"Hold it right the-- Wait a minute. You're Alex, aren't you?" the guard asked, lowering his gun.
"That would be me," Alex replied. "What the hell happened? The city is devastated."
"It was those damn Kandarian soldiers. They decided it would be a good idea to suddenly attack the city for no reason! We were able to hold them off for a while, but soon they outnumbered even us. Our only defense was the shield spire. When that went down, it was over.
"Then what?" Alex inquired.
"Well," the guard continued. "The explosion from the spire's interdimensional energy core caused what has come to be called a 'resonance cascade.' The energy released was registered to have a yield of about 100 megatons. That much energy in such a small space ripped open interdimensional seams between Gaian and the Borderworld. As you can see, the landscape has been tainted and defiled, and there's unimaginable amounts of radiation in the air. I'm surprised I haven't dropped dead already."
"Where's Dr. Kleiner?" Alex asked.
"Isaac and his headcrab cleared the city during the early stages of the attack. They're probably ten or fifteen miles from here. I'm sure he's concerned about you. Luckily, you picked the right manhole to come down. Kleiner took this tunnel to safety. I'll escort you."
"Wait," Alex said. "I have some friends in this city, as well as some others not far from it. If we both go, there's no one to tell them I've gone. You should stay here and pass the word on. I can manage myself."
"All right," the guard replied, unsettled. "At least take my rifle with you. It's similar to the one you have, but it's more of a rapid-fire assault rifle."
"Thanks. If anyone comes to you asking where I went, you tell them."
"Not a problem. Be careful."
"Thanks. I'll see you later." Alex continued down the tunnel, hoping to soon find Kliener.
Posted by: Xorlak on Monday October 23rd, 2006
("Earth" -> "Gaian", not to be picky, of course. Heh...)
The sudden clearly demonic spell was unexpected. But Draven was facing a half demon, after all. He flew backwards several feet, performing a horizontal slash across the skeletal thing, the two halves fading from existence.
Impressive. This one was putting up a halfway decent fight after all...
"It's not too late, you know..."
He held out his free left hand, as his burning blade was in the other.
"Your involvement with whole spell-gone-ary five years ago was minimal, as far as Retan knows at least. I could probably sneak you by as my personal body guard. You are almost qualified, it seems, after all..."
----
Jayce let the massive scimitar rest on his shoulder as he floated within speaking distance of Zeros'.
"Really, now? Well then, I'll look forward to it... To be honest, I never agreed with such tactics."
He motioned up to the swirling blackness of impending doom above, ready to cast the enemies of Retan into oblivion forever...
"Seems anti-climactic."
He shrugged.
"Tell you what. When I'm in charge, I'll let you out. Then it'll be you an' me. No distractions. By then the rest of the world will be gone and out of our way anyway..."
His grin was quite sadistic as well...
----
The winds were even more intense, as almost hurricane force winds swept the area. The lighting above was no longer chaotic, but pulsated in a continuous, almost symmetrical ring around the black circle....
CSEVB: 80%!
(Chapter 10 ends in two days. Next chapter will pick up around one year of Gaian time later.)
Posted by: Zeros' on Monday October 23rd, 2006
//Psst! Banish Draven too!
Zeros' growled at what Jayce said, but only nodded and straightened himself and held out his hand... to seal the deal, of sorts... but now, thanks to Jayce, he knew what type of spell his father was casting.
"Well, you have yourself a deal, then... Just you and me," he said. Then, he telepathed to his friends: Be prepared for a wild ride... Retan is casting a spell that will banish us from Gaian...
He knew, that what Jayce said was true. He knew the planet would slowly die while the Emperor and his son ruled over it... and also, the planet wouldn't have it's sentiant guardian to protect and watch over it.
He sighed sadly, but smiled grimly, his hand still outstreached.
Posted by: D. Ein on Monday October 23rd, 2006
//ONE BLOOMIN YEAR? I thought like three years... One is not nearly enough to take over Gaian!!!\\
"I snapped out of my trance, angry that I could not use the attack I was planning. Well, accidents happen. We all try to do our best, though, don't we?
I shifted phases, and the arrow passed right through me... with a rather unexpected effect. As my transluscent body filled with light, I felt a strange sensation... as if I was about to burn up... but it was gone quite quickly. The arrow was not powerful enough to scorch me, not at that strength."
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday October 24th, 2006
//Ein, you bloody n00b, you ignored Aegidius' attack. Way to break the read all posts rule <<bans ein from dal>>.\\
Aegidius received the message. "No time, for the lich. Maybe I can stop this Retan." He flapped his wings and then flew down closer to the ground.
Suddenly a large figure jumped out of nowhere, and tackled the angel, knocking it to the ground. "Where do you think you're going!?" It fiercely hissed.
Aegidius got up and looked at the creature, it was a fairly large lizard man, with a strong looking build.
Aegidius took out his golden rod. "To stop your emperor from banishing my friends. Who's asking?"
"Heh." The lizard grunted, and then smirked, wile adjusting his sleeveless jacket. "Gorus, Gorus Van'deln. High General of the Subterrain." He said with pride.
"Well, I can tell by the way you stand and announce yourself to a total stranger and potential enemy that you're quite full of yourself."
Gorus growled. "I'd watch it pretty boy!"
Aegidius rolled his eyes. What was up with everyone calling him that? "Please get out of my way. I do not wish to harm you."
"Was that a threat?"
"Yes, yes I suppose it was."
"Well it was weak."
"So, I can assume you will not get out of my way then."
"No."
"Suit yourself." Aegidius shrugged and then jumped at Gorus and swung his golden rod at him. The lizard caught the rod, and then bent it, ripped it from Aegidius' grip and then smashed the bent metal at Aegidius' head, knocking the angel back, and then threw it at him knocking him down.
"Pathetic..." Gorus spat.
----
"Pheww.." Marshall gasped plugging his nose and fanning away at the air in front of him with his other hand. "God, and I thought it smelt bad before. I shouldn't have thought twice before thinking of burning it."
He then began to walk further from the burnt monster. "Good work, Coriko. You're a worthy ally." He said. "Say, I was wondering. Would you like to join my group and me? We could use another comrade." He suggested.
----
Rink received the message from Zeros'. He looked up in the air. Yes it appeared to be true. He stopped hiding and then sat on the rock. He then continued to watch Duilin and Draven.
----
"Personal body guard?" Duilin said, cocking an eyebrow. "Yeah, sure why don't I just wear skimpy leather suit and you can carry a whip." he hissed.
"I'm not joining you. If you're so desperate for me to join you, that obviously means you're afraid of me."
He then pointed at him and raised his voice. "Admit it Draven, you fear my power! You're only a human. And I'm the son of the most powerful demon who ever lived, and his power is in me!" ((That's possibly the cheesiest thing I ever wrote.))
'My god, Not only am I excepting the fact that that Abodahon is my father, but I'm also bragging about it. What's wrong with me?'
He then waved his hands across each other as he created a blade of lightning energy.
He then received Zeros' message. He seemed confident, so he knew that it wouldn't destroy him, but he wanted to finish this with Draven. He didn't want Draven to fly away like a coward, again. Maybe he couldn't kill him, but he could bring him with him.
Duilin kept his glare at Draven but lowered his voice. "No, is my final answer Draven." He then pointed the lightning blade at Draven. "Yet it won't be my final word!"
He dashed towards Draven, he held the blade back as he moved in towards him, the lightning became a more golden orange colour, as he flowed demonic energy into it. He then made a fierce downward swing at his foe.
Posted by: Burton_projects on Tuesday October 24th, 2006
Nick assumed Kronos had not received his message. With arms ready he plunged into the mess of armies taking out one by one the puny men.
Galak turned seeing Nick. "You again I shall kill you myself." He grabbed Nick from the back and flung him into a large boulder.
Nick got up and hit Galak with the flat of his sword.
"Puny Scum." Galak lifted Nick once again this time constircting him, crushing his body.
Nick tensed his muscles hoping to slow down the crushing powers of Galak's rock coated hands. He slipped away from Galaks grip and fell to the ground. Hie stabbed his swords upward at Galak peicing the rock covering his chest and killing Galak. He slowly pulled the blades out. Galak fell to the ground and his army lost hope.
Posted by: Coriko on Tuesday October 24th, 2006
Coriko thought about this for a few seconds.
"Marshall, you have been nice to me and if you act this way I assume your other comrades are as well. In saying this, i accept you invitation and would very much like to join the group."
Posted by: Dude Man on Tuesday October 24th, 2006
Marshall grinned. Already he has gotten two possible joiners of the revolution. "Excellent, most excellent." Marshall said, they began walking through the city. "Let me tell you a bit of our goal here. You see, it all started with this one man, a great powerful man. Perhaps not even a physical formed god, rather then a man."
Marshall took a deep breath and looked into the sky, he began talking as if he was reciting a poem.
"His name, Haraldur, he showed many, many people including me the ways of true freedom. Empires rule the world, but think of this...no empires. When the revolution is done, people will no longer will we be treated like cattle. Nobody would have more power then the other, everyone...equal. People used to say that life in unfair, well we can make that untrue. The Aspyes are the future."
He looked at Coriko. "I really don't see how anyone could disagree with us, except for those sick fascist rulers of the empires and...The sovereignty..."
He looked back in front and continued speaking. "The Kandarinian Sovereignty, is against everything the Aspyes stand for, they are also the biggest threat to anyone living on Gaian. They are the ones responsible for the fall of Asgarnia, as well as many other parts of Gaian. Their ruler, Kronos, has had thousands of people brainwashed or killed and transformed into zombies loyal to the sovereignty. Such as many of the members of the Blue Minotaur." He sighed. He thought about Roland, he highly looked up to him, it was hard knowing that he's now a minion of Kronos.
"Anyways, so any questions?" He asked.
----
Gorus stepped towards Aegidius, the angel slowly got up off the ground.
Gorus shook his head and then swung his foot down in an attempt to stomp on him, however the angel shot a blast of light right at the lizard's chest, and he fell back.
"You little freak! Now you die!" Gorus snarled. He swung a punch at the angel, yet he stafted out of the way.
"Heh" Aegidius grinned. "Pathetic."
"That does it! Now you shall feel the deadly wrath of the Gepardi!" He shouted. Suddenly Gorus was surrounded by a glowing light, and his body was a dark silhouette. He then changed shape, looking more human and much bigger.
When the light faded, Aegidius stood before a giant green skinned ogre, nearly twenty feet tall.
"Heheheh." The ogre laughed in a deep voice.
Aegidius shot two more beams of light from his palms at the ogre. The beast growled in pain yet it didn't seem to do too much.
The ogre swung it's fist down at the angel, he attempted to strafe out of the way, yet his swing was surprisingly fast and was able to smack him back a few yards.
The ogre laughed again and then stomped it's foot down at the angel, crushing it into the ground.
As he lifted his foot, the angel was breathing deeply.
'Can't go down this easy.' Aegidius jumped up and glared at the ogre.
The beast gave a surprised look, he then roared as he swung his foot at the angel. Aegidius flapped his wings as he jumped backwards avoiding the kick, and then flew in the air; he began circling around him rapidly firing beams of light at the ogre.
Gorus growled in pain, and annoyance, as he flailed his arms around trying to grab the angel from the air.
"Time to go down!" Aegidius said in triumph, he then surrounded himself in bright cyan white aura and then flew towards him, aiming a flying kick at the ogre's forehead. As soon as he got close, the ogre’s hand however grabbed the angel, by the right wing. Gorus then took his other hand and grabbed the angel by the throat.
Aegidius was choked as the mighty hand was grabbing his throut, he could feel his windpipe being squished against his neck bone. He could barely feel the pain as Gorus twisted his wing; he then tightened his grip on the wing.
"I won't even give you the honour of being banished by Retan. Time to meet your fate now...pretty boy." Gorus smirked. With one mighty tug a loud snap followed by a scream of pain, was heard, as Aegidius' wing was ripped from his body and then dropped on the ground. Aegidius then began mouthing prayers, not even fighting back his tears of pain; he grabbed the ogres wrists so hard that the angel's hands were soar in a few seconds, yet his attempt at fighting back was useless on the brute strength of Gorus.
"That's right you pray little man. You pray." Gorus laughed. He then grabbed Aegidius throat his both of his hands and pressed him down on the ground. He then leaned his head and spoke into Aegidius' ear. "Now, tell this to your friends up in paradise, angel boy. Don't **** with the Dark Empire!"
He then roared as he squeezed Aegidius' neck, until finally Aegidius' hands let go of Gorus' wrists and his eyes closed as his spirit left his body and went home...
Posted by: Dark Spartan on Tuesday October 24th, 2006
Alex kept creeping through the tunnels below Asgarnia, hoping to soon locate Dr. Kleiner. He wondered if Marshall noticed that he was gone. He was also becoming concerned about Otis.
"Damn it all, I shouldn't have left Otis back at the cabin," Alex muttered to himself. "God knows what could happen to him."
Suddenly, something was skittering in the airducts above him. Alex leveled his new weapon at the duct, prepared to shoot whatever dropped down. He heard an all-too-fimiliar chirping. Suddenly, the duct collapsed, and Otis fell out.
"Otis!" Alex cried. "How in hell did you find me, much less get here?!"
Otis chirped happily and assumed his position on Alex's shoulder. He then chirped a question to Alex.
"I'm down here looking for Dr. Kleiner... Tell me, did you see Marshall on your way here?"
Otis gave a negative chirp.
"Hmm...I just hope he realizes I'm not there with him. He IS kind of oblivious sometimes. Whatever, we need to find Kleiner and get in touch with him. The guard said he was down this tunnel."
A little later, Alex soon came to a large pit full of the noxious fluid once known as water.
"Urgh. I have to cross THIS?" he moaned.
Otis, excited, leapt off Alex's back and into the water.
"OTIS!" Alex hollered in horror.
Otis splashed into the toxic soup, and then surfaced, happily paddling his way across. He appeared completely immune to the water's effects. It clicked in Alex's mind. Otis was from the borderworld, as were the toxins in the water. The substances normally lethal to humans were probably natural to Otis. As he reached the other side, the black headcrab clamped onto a pipe and skittered up the side. He landed on the other end of the pit and shook off the excess water, leaving him with a wet shine.
"Well, glad YOU were able to make it over," Alex snorted. "Now for me..."
Alex scoped around for something he could use to clamber across the poisonous dip. He saw it; a thin pipe that his hand could easily reach around. It was roughly two inches wide, and ran the length of the tunnel. It occassionally dripped, leaving it a little slick in some places. Directly underneath it was a larger pipe that Alex could tiptoe across while holding the top pipe for balance. Seeing no other alternative, he mounted the pipe and secured his balance while his alien companion sat down on the other side and watched.
The pit was about fifty or so feet wide, and with the pipes as slick as they were, Alex would have to take it in increments. The rough texture of the soles of Alex's footwear helped benefit his traction a little. As he took a step forward, he inched his hands across the small pipe above his head. He continued this for a while...
...Nearly over the pit, Alex suddenly lost his footing. His feet slid off the bottom pipe and he was left dangling over the noxious pond below. Using all of his strength, Alex kept clambering the remaining feet with his hands on the top pipe. Right before the edge of the chasm, his hands suddenly slipped off the pipe. For a millisecond he fell before he was able to grab a pipe jutting out of the pit's wall. Grabbing now with his second hand, he pulled his weight up over the pipe until he could reach the ledge. He brought his foot up onto the pipe and stood. He finally picked himself up over the ledge. Impressed with this spectacle of acrobatics, Otis chirped approvingly.
"You have to admit that was good," bragged Alex.
Otis chirped again and scaled up onto Alex's shoulder.
After hours of walking and more pit climbing, Alex came upon a barricade in the tunnel. It was a hobbled-together thing built out of scrap sheet metal and boards. Alex knocked on the gate to indicate to whoever owned it that he wished entrance. A gruff voice answered,
"Yeah, what do ya want?"
"I'm Alex. I'm here to find Dr. Kleiner," he answered.
"Alex, eh? I've heard of you. Hero who saved the borderworld?"
"The very one."
"Welcome sir," the guard said amiably, raising the gate. What Alex saw what unimaginable. Kliener and his escort had converted this large area into a makeshift laboratory, complete with bookshelfs, workbenches, and consoles. Kleiner was again rooting around his lab looking for Lamarr.
"Blast it!" Kleiner cried. "Lamarr? Here, girl! I've got watermelon!"
"Isaac...?" Alex called.
"Yes, what is-- My goodness. Alex! It really is you, isn't it? I had given up hope of ever seeing you again!"
"I know I was gone a while..."
"I'm amazed that you were able to stop the Borderworld storms, but unfortunately, soon after you left, we had greater problems," Kleiner went on. "Kandarian soldiers soon attacked the city for no reason, and we were overpowered in a mere seven hours. The shield spire collapsed, and huge amounts of Borderworld energy were released on the area. As you saw, the landscape was poisoned. The city has been leveled. It's only a matter of time before it's under Kandarian control."
"What about the other scientists?" Alex asked.
"We all managed to make it out safely, and are hiding out here until someone can help us. With you here, it's a great improvement, but it's just not enough."
"Well, I do have some other friends...but they're all back in the city," Alex said. I told the guard at the post to relay my position to anyone who asked..."
Otis peeked over Alex's shoulder.
"My goodness!" cried Kliener. "Is that a headcrab?"
"Yeah, actually. He followed be back from the borderworld, and decided that he wanted me as a friend. His name is Otis."
"I see he still has his fangs," Kleiner noted. "Since he hasn't made any attempt to couple with you, I suppose it's a good idea to leave them as they are. I had to work a little bit with Lamarr to get her to cooperate."
Lamarr crawled out from underneath a box, and immediately saw Otis. Lamarr let out a chirp, perhaps inviting Otis to commune with her. Otis crawled off Alex's back and over to Lamarr. The two began chirping back and forth.
"Hmm, interesting," Kleiner mused. "Let's leave them for a moment while we focus on how we're going to get out of this alive."
Posted by: Xorlak on Tuesday October 24th, 2006
Draven swung his crimson blade in an upward arc, slamming against the offending sword of lighting. The force of impact was so great that a blinding flash ensued, shattering the stone beneath the two warriors.
"Ha! Demons are the true pathetic ones. Unreliable and deceitful. Easily manipulated, however..."
He finished the upward arc violently, to push Duilin back.
"And now your final parting gift!"
The burning blade dissipated into his aura of flame as he thrust both hands forward.
"Crimson!!"
A large series of superheated orbs materialized around Duilin, exploding violently in rapid succession...
----
Retan suddenly dropped his arms, as if pulling something towards the ground.
"Thus the enemies of the Emperor of Darkness and True Lord of Eternity were cast into the abyss. For never again would cursed Light be allowed to sully this world..."
Virmir, who had be watching silently the whole time, raised an eyebrow.
There was a very deep rumbling...
Grav was less subtle, and his large toothy jaw hung wide open.
The blackness that was overhead, which in itself was over 1000 feet in diameter, began to collapse inwardly as it began to fall downwards. It was soon revealed that there was much more to it as it broke through the thick clouds.
The blackness was merely the gaping maw of gargantuan dragon...
So massive, that only it's face and eyes were visible, taking up the entirety of the visible sky...
The eyes were burning crimson suns, silted and glaring, its victims found...
The skin was nothing but a burning blackness. Like flame it flickered, so black that the dark clouds seemed as bright puffs of smoke as they were shoved aside...
And then the vortex began. A fitful catastrophic gust of wind that drew the targets of the spell and them only into the massive blackness that was the being's mouth...
Posted by: D. Ein on Tuesday October 24th, 2006
//Edited.
jeez, DM, why are you so uptight about me constantly posting? So I wanted an early retirement from DAL, because I was too busy with guild wars. I know, I know, guild wars > dal, blah blah blah... but come on! It's not like we're married or something! jeez!\\
"The whirling black maelstrom was a truly beautiful sight. A portal to somewhere, by the looks of it...
Feeling myself getting sucked in, I quickly phase-shifted and glided a short distance away. Gravity had no effect on me in phase-shift; in fact, most things didn't. I could only do four things while in it - that is to see, hear, speak, and use magic to some extent. The perks were nice, though."
//Just a few notes. Sorry everyone for being gone. As DM so kindly explained, I am busy with a new game (almost in time for the chapter break, too!). Coriko, your posts are quite great for a newcomer like yourself, but just one tiny small thing: the part where you had the zombie screech? That could've been anything, but just a note: zombies can't feel pain.\\
Posted by: Zeros' on Wednesday October 25th, 2006
Zeros' looked up, also and noted the blackness. Very impressive spell that Retan was doing.
"Ahh... Impressive..." he murmured. He looked down and saw his angel companion's body destroyed, but, he knew, his 'friends' spirit would be perfectly fine. He flew down and sat down beside Rink, looking up into the dragons maw.
"So, how long do you think it'll take to get back here?" he asked Rink. He could feel the vortex starting to pull him upwards, but there wasn't enough pull to make him move.
Posted by: Dude Man on Wednesday October 25th, 2006
//Yeah, Ein and we never will be if you keep talking to me like that! <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /> \\
Rink noticed Aegidius and frowned. "May the gods rest his soul, he was actually a good man. I won't forget him." He sighed and then looked into the vortex in the sky. He then answered Zeros'
"I don't know. Depends on if we are conscious during our outing and where we are going. I actually wouldn't guess hell because it's so easy to get in and out of that place, that it's stupid."
He looked at Duilin and Draven fighting. "If this is the end for us..." He said to Zeros'. "I want you to know, even though I usually only spend time with you guys in times of darkness, they have been good days for me, just to have some friends."
He looked at Zeros', it was getting to hard for him to keep on the ground. "Well, it looks like I'm going in first. Farewell, Zeros'..." He then flew into the air as the vortex sucked the little imp in.
----
Duilin was smacked around, falling in one direction from one explosion and then falling in different direction after another one, he wasn't even able to hit the ground as the amounts of explosions were flying all over the place around him.
After it was finished Duilin collapsed on his knees, and began breathing deeply, he was obviously in great pain, and was bleeding and bruised in several areas, but not dead.
"When will you learn flame boy...Demons are nearly fireproof..." He then slowly stood up, and looked at Draven in the eye. "But I am half human. So I guess by both either of our logics I'm only half scum..."
He held up his lightning blade, charging more energy into it he then smirked. "...but I'm all ass kicker!" He then spun the lightning blade in circles, with one hand. The lightning then went from orange, to yellow, then green and finally blue. He then held the blade with both hands, as it formed into an orb of electronic energy. Duilin could feel his hands getting numb from the energy...
He then held the electro-orb in front of himself. He raised his eyes looking at the vortex above and grinned then looked at Draven again. "Looks like Retan's magic trick is going to cut us off." He then arched back the electro orb. "Why don't we just put this on hold!" He then jumped into the air and dived down on the ground right in front of Draven, he smashed the electro orb down at the ground with one hand.
'Dear Gaia, make this work...'
A humongous electro magnetic wave of energy exploded from the orb, anyone caught in the wave would be temporally paralysed. With Duilin's other hand he grabbed Draven's chest plate, hoping to lock the two together in the circuit. If all went to plan Draven would be sucked into the vortex along with him...
Posted by: Xorlak on Wednesday October 25th, 2006
Draven’s aura of flame surged as Duilin latched onto him, the crimson flare that was his body cutting through the deep darkness, looking downward upon the winged man. The fire and electricity surged, ripping at each other as the terrain was torn asunder. In such close proximity they locked eyes for a moment, Draven’s expression a triumphant, hateful sneer.
“Out of time. Out of energy. You’re. Too. Weak.”
He backhanded the man off of him like a rag doll, a tremendous burst of flame following in his arm’s wake which lit the sky in yet another crimson plume. Duilin was cast backwards into the oblivion of the portal. His spell had failed…
Draven flipped his cape and turned. They were all gone, the miserable wretches. There was only one more who stood in his way… Surely he could gain Retan’s favor over his miserably brash son, and inherit the Empire once more. This time for good. A waiting game it would be.
Draven’s boots lifted off of the ground and he began to float towards Retan’s perch. Before he could get close, though, there was a tremendous gust of wind as a gray blur materialized before him. It was one of those fox creatures…
Floating not two feet from Draven’s face with his arms clasped behind his back, Virmir merely shook his head ‘no’.
Draven suddenly felt his body being tugged backwards… Eyes wide, he looked past the fox and to Retan standing on the ledge, the Dark Emperor’s eyes slited and burning…
“… No! … Why?!”
Retan’s response was immediate, loud and overbearing though he was far away.
“Because you failed. In but five years you lost 90% of my Empire on Gaian. That is unacceptable.”
Jayce landed next to Retan with a thud, flashing Draven his right middle finger along with a maniacal grin.
“No! You don’t understaaaaaaaaaaaaaa--!!!”
Draven was hastily cast into the portal with the others. The sky seemed to fold into itself, and there was nothing but silence.
Darkness and silence.
To be continued…