Orwell stands aside, and have the two step forward in front of the hololith recorder.
"You may speak."
When in deadly danger, When beset by doubt, Run in little circles, Wave your arms and shout.
—the woman sinks to one knee—
Chapter Master Zolomon, sir.
Parsee blinked as she looked up as Trogg stepped into the train. She raised an eyebrow at this unusual sight and asked "Where do you want to go, big guy?"
Dreams of Revenge
Drake looked at Corollianus.
"So... what do we do now?"
Locking you up on radar since '09
Trogg says to her "The dark cave place, train girly."
edited 6th Jan '11 4:19:39 PM by Daionusthe23rd
—Behind his helmet, the stormtrooper grins. —
-"We find you a Salamander, kid."-
—The Chapter Master nods.—
Rise. First, clarify what you are, Exactly.
Elsewhere on Gensokyo, a majestic block of crystal glittered faintly in the darkness. It had lain there for many years, gathering dust as its owner, satisfied that it could no longer do any harm and that no further data could be derived from its intricate matrices, had put it into storage where it would not be found. The light of day had not touched it at all since that day, and even if it had the accumulated dust had rendered its depths all but inscrutible to the naked eye; it would take a very powerful scanner to pierce the veil around this crystal and discern that it had grown around something as opposed to occuring naturally.
Sitting at the heart of this enormous jewel was an ornate suit of power armour, tinted blue by the very fabric of the crystal which contained it and making its colours impossible to discern. Even so, the stylized horns which arose from its helm like a pharaonic headdress and the flaming ouroboros branded on its left shoulder guard made the armour's former allegiance abundantly clear, and while it had been many years since any living man had worn the ancient suit, evil still lingered within.
Fortunately for all concerned, the crystal was more than a physical container for the armour; it was both a prison and a seal, preventing the dark forces which inhabited the suit from escaping in search of a new host. They were powerful, they were strong, and they were durable, these bonds; the dark force within had quickly discovered that it would not be able to break them alone, and for a time it had howled and raged, beating the walls of its metaphysical prison until its hands flowed freely with ethereal blood and conceptual matter.
The daemon in the armour was patient and a schemer, however, and above all it was patient; its master had a far greater destiny in mind for it than this. And so its furor subsided, and the fiend took to waiting, confident that events would arrange and conspire to see the return of its freedom. Perhaps not this century, perhaps not this millennium...but someday, it would be free, and those who had imprisoned it would feel its vengeance, slow and horrid.
The crystal glimmered faintly in the dark, though no light had touched it in nearly fifteen decades. Oh yes, it was patient, it could wait; unlike some other beings in the material universe, the one who had so drawn its ire would not succumb to the rigors of old age. She would experience the full might of his wrath, whether his vengeance was realized in ten years or ten thousand.
The Danse Macabre Codex
Youkai, sir. A tsukumogami. On Gensokyo, when an object with special meaning to its owner reaches one hundred years of age, it becomes a living thing.
A sentient, sapient, being? What do you deem your purpose? How do regard Mankind at large, and in particular the Steel Judicators?
Yes, sir. To do my duty as a soldier of the Emperor and a citizen of Gensokyo, sir. I feel that the Judicators are my Brothers in battle, sir.
And do you know the rites of the Chapter, and of our original sin?
edited 6th Jan '11 4:38:03 PM by Colonial1.1
A strange sound caught the daemon's attention in the midst of its ruminations, and with some effort it brought its senses down to the physical world, straining at their utmost in order to perceive the immediate vicinity of its crystalline prison.
Something had entered the chamber where it had lain, untouched, for a century and a half. Who or what it might be, the dark force contained within the armour could not say; if it was a living being, its intentions were clouded and immutable, and its form seemed wrapped in an impenetrable darkness that cast a shadow on both the materium and the immaterium.
Confused, the daemon sent out a questing tendril of thought in an effort to discern more about this mysterious intruder. Its astral probe was met with a wall of frigid black ice, and the dark force recoiled from this potent mental barrier. It was definitely a living being, but whoever it may be was unfathomably powerful to hide its intentions and turn aside his probing tendrils so thoroughly and effortlessly.
The shadowed figure stepped forward and lifted something long and thin—a staff, perhaps—in one hand, then drove its base towards the crystal.
A faint sound, like chipping glass, split the air as the staff made contact, and before the daemon could discern what had happened the figure disappeared, seeming to disolve into shadows and nothingness.
Unusual, to say the least.
The dark force probed the intricate matrices of its prison, attempting to discern what the mysterious interloper had done. The wards which contained it felt as strong as ever, and the crystal was flawless and completely intact—
No.
Wait.
Not completely; a small imperfection, a flaw at the point of impact. The interloper must have struck off a tiny sliver of its bejewelled prison, not enough to undo the bonds and matrices entirely and set it free, but enough to exert a small amount of its will, perhaps?
Had the daemon possessed lips, it would have smiled. What fortuitous circumstance; it would need to remember to thank this shadowed stranger if it ever saw him again...
The Danse Macabre Codex
Parsee shut the door and set the train in motion. It zoomed off underground until it reached the underground city. The door opened and Parsee said "Welcome to Umbra Villa."
"'Ank you." said Trogg. He steps off of the train and wanders around, seeking out his team-mates.
The One Thousand Chimes Of Cleansing Victory, the Statement Of Regret And Remembrance, the Affirmation Of Imperial Service... yes, sir, I know them. And I know too of the Iron Warriors, and their heresy.
And what do you want to do now?
What would you have me do, Chapter Master?
—Zolomon's gaze was as serious as ever. —
You are to serve the Chapter and the Emperor, as the first abhuman Marine in our history, alongside Battle Brother Martin. You are to accept this, brother.
—At that, Martin bowed in acknowledgement. —
—She salutes him immediately—
The Emperor's will be done, Chapter Master.
— Brother Martin salutes also, and then starts to leave, head buzzing with thoughts. —
—The armored woman falls in step next to him—
Remilia landed near a wayside resting spot beside the mountain path. Usually it would have been busy with worshippers coming from the Shrine on the mountain or people travelling to the Tengu village. But the recent incidents had made people finish their business early. Sakuya was already waiting for the group to touch down.
The Tengu are still investigating, m'lady.
I thought as much. Come Arcturus, the scene is a bit further up this path. The White Wolf Tengu have been sniffing around, trying to catch the scent.
Join us in our quest to play all RPG video games! Moving on to disc 2 of Grandia!
Once he and the other two vampires have touched down, the Inquisitor falls in step with Remilia.
"What can you tell me about the scene? Who's the victim, how long ago did it happen?"
The Captain watches the two marines leave the room, then he turns back to the hololith.
"Is this wise? Even with your blessing, the others may not accept her so readily, this could easily have major impacts on the definition of what a Space Marine is supposed to be. She will have to prove her worth in their eyes. Impress them."
edited 6th Jan '11 11:59:37 PM by l3wt
When in deadly danger, When beset by doubt, Run in little circles, Wave your arms and shout.
Flandre landed next to Remilia and hopped a couple of times. She walked ahead of everyone, but she turned around and walked backwards so she could watch everyone.
Indeed.
—Brother Martin takes the armour woman by a gauntlet, marching into the 'lith room, saluting as he does, slightly nervous. —
Master, I bring before you the entity.
edited 6th Jan '11 2:19:51 PM by Colonial1.1