Hello and welcome reader, to the 28th instalment of the Character Development Threads
! These shared story exercises help budding writers develop their characters alongside the characters of other budding writers. No sign-up is needed; just jump right in with your characters. It is recommended that you read the thread page and the last couple of pages before starting.
Discussion Thread Thread Page Town Map
This is a "Main Series" thread and, as such, an element of risk is expected. Rules and participation guidelines may be found on this page.
The thread page groups active characters under the areas in which they are active, enabling you to see who is at a given location in which you might be interested or to find out where to go to encounter characters with whom you wish to interact.
Kindly add your own characters to the thread page, with a link to their initial post, under the area in which they are located and update the page if they change location.
Bear in mind that if your characters are arriving at a location, they are likely to know little more than what they see and hear as they arrive - what the location looks like, what other characters are there (both of which can be read on the thread page) and the last few lines uttered and actions taken as they are arriving (which can be found in the last few posts for that location in the story thread itself), so inserting characters need not be a terrifying process.
If you need help, have any questions, or want a quick recap (if the page count is daunting), head over to the discussion page, and someone is sure to help you out!
To help guide character interaction, having your character come in with a at least one short-term and one long-term goal or motivation is strongly recommended. It is not required, but it does make it easier to drive the plot forward. Feel free to come up with rumours about what treasures, adventure, locations, and dangers may be found in the setting - they need not be true or accurate, just some hook on which to hang an adventure.
The setting is specifically designed to be a vast sandbox into which details can be inserted by participants (for example, you are free to decide that there is a particular temple in the midst of the forest in which something may be found or that there is a particular shop/hotel/restaurant in a section of the town), if you come up with a location that you desire/expect other characters to visit, please add it to the thread page as a sub-location of the relevant area.
Things change as the story progresses. If, for example, a massive battle occurs at a location and the area is now strewn with bodies and buildings are damaged, kindly update the thread page to reflect those changes, in order that other participants have an up-to-date description of the location prior to sending their characters there.
Special thanks to all those who helped in getting the thread launched or provided ideas and feedback. In alphabetic order, they include:
Blackfire667, Collen, Corvidae, daird, DarkbloodCarnagefang, EternaMemoria, Gault, Kkutwar, KillerClowns, ladytanuki, Masterofchaos, nrjxll, Pyxo, Slysheen, TroPartner, WillDeRegio and yours truly
Apologies if I missed anyone - just let me know and I'll update the post.
Between dimensions, and linked to the rest of the multiverse, lies a strange post-apocalyptic environment made up of various regions strewn with the remnants of past glory - ruins, lost technologies and magic. Here and there, nature has found its way back amongst the ruined temples and towns.
In the midst of the blighted landscape, a fresh new town has emerged - a synergy of technology, nature and magic; clean and eco-friendly; a beacon of hope for a brighter future - where travellers can rest, recharge their batteries both literally and metaphorically and get whatever they may need - technological, magical or otherwise - to aid them on their adventures.
New arrivals can turn up by diverse means in the transportation area in the north-western part of the town or by whatever other means they deem appropriate. Here they may also find for rent, lease or hire, any transport they desire from riding animals to vehicles.
The wilderness areas have not been fully explored since the mysterious apocalyptic events that ravaged the area some time ago and no one is really sure what's out there - but rumours abound.
All that is known for sure is that both magic and technology have existed here for a long time, so anything is possible...
Currently in Day 1.
Current Time: 10:00 PM
Current Weather:
General Setting: Fine, a few light clouds Rainforest: Moderately misty, the fog is slowly thickening
See the thread page for updates.
Edited by Wolf1066 on Feb 11th 2021 at 12:12:29 AM
Restaurant (Leone, Gwion, Kris, James, Wolfe, Sophia, Teri, Diantha, Nora, Jean, Ulf, Nui)
Leone let out a bitter chuckle at Kris's remark. "Eating contests were never appealing to me, ironically enough."
Nora's own commentary on the subject made her frown heavily. "...You wouldn't know where it came from. You don't want to know where it came from. You shouldn't even think about it, for your own good."
With that bitter commentary out of her system, she turned to the others, putting on her best attempt at a pleasant smile, just in time for a whole host of newcomers to join them. She recognized Wolfe from earlier, as part of the initial group she met at the notice board. The others were new to her, but as far as she could tell they were all part of the upcoming expedition.
"Leone Blakesley," she said simply with a curt nod, "I'll be coming along with whatever group happens to need an extra person. Presumably after we're finished suiting up."
Forest - Ruins (Eris, Inanna, Henry, ???)
For their part, the two seemed to listen quite intently to the traveler's explanation of the flashlight he held.
"...I didn't understand any of that," Inanna cheerfully stated as soon as he'd finished, "Maybe it was because I was too busy thinking about just how cute-"
"Assuming we're indeed in the wrong place, we're just as lost as you are," Eris stated, loudly enough to cover up the rest of Inanna's attempt at flirting and earning her an indignant glare, "But the mission we were meant to undertake did require us to be armed. And perhaps it's for the best we have them here as well, depending on what sort of creatures might live around here."
"...And you think I'm scaring him," Inanna grumbled. Then she turned back to the man. "You said it was dark, right? Let me make it less scary!"
At that, the blade of her scythe suddenly burst into flame, lighting up a significant portion of the area, or at least more than the traveler's flashlight did.
Eris blinked, before once again finding herself frowning and shaking her head.
"...That doesn't seem to be making things 'less scary.'"
Inanna puffed out her cheeks. "...It's helping, isn't it?!"
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
Strepsirrhine of DOOM!
The Scar (Ozurr; Krakka'a, Zarokh; Jann, Varg; Rosalind)
The deep rumble of the truck's engine aroused a primitive instinct in Zarokh, who reflexively turned and hissed at it before realizing it wasn't another Deinosuchus coming to challenge him to a duel to the death.
The hiss was enough to get Krakka'a's attention. He turned and saw the truck. "Zarokh," he said, "we have a tail."
"I know," Zarokh said. "Mine helps me swim."
If Krakka'a wasn't using both of his wings to stay airborne, he would have facepalmed. "I mean we're being followed. Take care of it."
Zarokh looked back. "I'm not sure they're following us. They were already going this way when we passed them."
"Your job is not to think. Your job is to bite."
"No, really. Watch, I'll just stand over to the side, and they'll go right past us, and then..."
Krakka'a suddenly went into a steep dive, spun 180 degrees on the way down, and landed in front of Zarokh, the downdraft from his wings kicking up a massive cloud of dust in the process. "First of all," he said, "when I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it. Remember who is representing whose god here. Second, we are alpha predator archosaurs, and we do not stand aside for mammals! Now, since you are clearly not up to the task, I'm going to have to show you how it's done." With that, he turned to face the oncoming truck, reared up on his hind legs, and spread his wings as wide as they could possibly go while screeching loudly, before dropping back onto all fours directly in front of it.
Tidesson Son of the staves of time
[The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny...at Town Square]
Once again, Mael felt panic when Morpho wrapped his arms—and eyes—with metal. If he somehow got the gem, there would be no way he could escape
Fortunately, once again, Mequoql came to his rescue. He picked the right person to recruit; he wasn't sure if Harry could even handle half of this now that he thought about it.
He still couldn't really move though. At least, not without some assistance.
"If you want to help," he told Dius, "You mind trying to get these damn things off of me? I'm no fighter, and I know my limits, so I would really like to get away from here." He then shouted to Mequoql, "Hold them off as best you can! Just send me a message when you got your targets! I'll catch up with you!"
Professional Recluse
Restaurant (Leone, Gwion, Kris, James, Wolfe, Sophia, Teri, Diantha, Nora, Jean, Ulf, Nui)
"Huh." he noted in idle recognition rather than disgust or fear at the display of anatomical arrangement. "She might be a local, I know a wendigo that can do something similar, though with her it's just jaw and cheek rather than full head. Certainly doesn't look that young though."
He followed Sophia and Teri to the table and leaned against some decorative ironwork close by, he gave Gwion a cocksure smile. "About time you got here old man, I could've sworn you'd have been here as soon as it opened to offworlders."
He waited and gave Wolf a polite nod as he approached with a rather self-confident woman. As he accepted introductions, a small but growing distress sprouted as more and more people gathered around the table, not only with the number, but how young some of them looked. He was neither a tour guide, nor a babysitter.
Jean mentioned the ghost town to the acknowledgment of a sizable portion of the party. He nodded to himself in understanding and the apprehension vanished.
"I'm Ulf Marten." he said as the introductions passed around to him. "Local guide, woodsman, war veteran, and occasional werewolf." the last came out rather unexpectedly but he decided to go with it. The locals didn't seem to have much of a problem with people of his disposition, and the wolf seemed more satiated when he wasn't actively trying to conceal it. "I've been missing leaves and bark recently so I think a forest trip would do me good."
Jamie
Saen would likely notice the heal spell take unnaturally well to the sliced flesh. "No matter, wounds of the flesh knit on their own." she said, a slight giggle making its way out as she folded the wing back into the robes, the endorphin rush making the sudden absence of pain its own narcotic high. She quickly dumped the contents of another vial into the receptacle holding the flesh and fastened a sturdy lid with some latches onto it.
She got to her feet and started stretching. "Good, squeamishness does not become of explorers in the dark places of the world, you have fortitude." she noted as tendons and ligaments creaked and at times snapped as she worked out any extra growth and stiffness. "Ahh, excellent." she said to no one in particular. "Fast acting with no undue complications." She turned back to Saen, "I have met some such as you. Bearers of a curse, one skilled in healing, and the other an obstacle in our path. Hopefully you will also prove as formidable and resourceful."
A strange sound drew her attention to the window of the wagon. She glanced out at the bikes of Pearl, Aubrey, Finn. "My, what manner of transportation are those? Where are the beasts of burden?"
edited 20th Jun '18 6:48:12 PM by Slysheen
Stoned hippie without the stoned. Or the hippie. My AO3 Page, grab a chair and relax.
The Prince of Foolish Relevations
What a rare occurrence...
Hand still rubbing his neck, Justin looks at Shale with self-worry as he sees her thinking to herself. His expression becoming more resigned as she began speaking, just from how he looked he seemed to expect the outcome.
However... The young man blinks in confusion, his face clearly reflecting his puzzlement- Over her realizing "Vindex" isn't a true demon like everyone else assumed. For a moment, something resonates through the essence of this place, a... Hope, far too varied and brief to fully understand.
Just as quickly though, the human familar's mindscape returns to normal. Justin, however, seems oddly happy- Why is unclear, but without the distracting "hope"... It seems Vindex's violent thrashing has slightly subsided. Probably just a coincidence...
Still, odd happiness or not, Justin looks at Shale peculiarly before speaking in an innocently questioning manner. "Wait, then how did she fall prey? At their core all telepathy does the same thing, even if their methods differ... And the best defense against mind control is to be stronger than everyone else. So if you could devote a thousand hours to training... Is Mael some god?"
It was then as a look of realization clicked across his face, remembering what Shale said that caused his slip of control. Taking his hand from his neck and looking over at Vindex, Justin lets out a slow sigh.
Looking back to Shale and absentmindedly scratching at his white facial scars, Justin finally answers in a more somber tone. "My de... Vindex, is my corruption segregated. Thus why his presence seems incredibly demonic, yet in the end... He isn't me, which is a big reason why demons are often so deranged."
Letting his arms dangle limply as he looks up at the 'ceiling', Justin continues... Yet his words seem just be a bit more focused on himself. "In his own way, Vindex is a pure creature... One whose only care is protecting our master, who he built his existence around... He lacks so much, and is desperate to fulfill his purpose."
Rec Room of a mortal, an angel, and a self-dubbed goddess
The apparently telepathic Felian tilting her head in confusion as she felt Mae's disgust... The young "cat" casually flicks her tail as she muses to herself. "Geez, what a weirdo. Designer would of artificially made them anyways, duh."
Still, her influence withdrawn, Felian seems to settle for intensely staring at Mae instead. Explorer, however, chuckles sadly as an unhappy smile formed on her face. Though her mind still couldn't be read... Her emotions became truly apparent, yet untouchable nonetheless. Resting her face against her right fist, Explorer answers half-sadly.
"Certainly, but Psyche-chan is down on Earth. Technically my bro is the planet's supervisor, but he's very much a slave of the high council. I wasn't lying about little Psyche's feats, and that's exactly why the high council is so afraid of her. She might technically be twenty, but she's still an unborn infant. So..."
Half-heartedly finger snapping with her left hand, a holographic approximation of Mae's mother is created- And the purpose of the projection becomes clear as Explorer continues. "Imagine if Sarquoql did everything he has whilst still an embryonic creature. If such feats could happen while nowhere near maturity... Fear is the natural response, yet would you willingly murder a child?"
The rainbow-haired deity casually waving away the hologram, she lets out a semi-dragged sigh. "I may be one of the nicer members of my people, but the neutral & 'less nice' deities outnumber me. It wouldn't be difficult for them to take away my 'godhood suit', and though I worry about Psyche-chan... Going on the run from a species serious about becoming true gods wouldn't be good for either of us."
Leaning back in her non-existent chair, Explorer snorts as she muses. "Ultimately, the high council are indifferent to her success so long as she stays on Earth. The planet is where magic was invented, so there's already heavy restrictions in place as a 'Class E' location. I just hope she doesn't get murdered out of fear like some of her alternates, so painfully awkward to see people boasting about killing a terrified child..."
The nicely suited goddess slowly blinking a few times, projected into the air is some sort of looping video clip of Mae's sisters' awakening from earlier. Explorer leaning forward and looking at Mae, the goddess speaks more calmly casual like before.
"You know, I could help regarding Nyoria's physiological condition- Assuming that's actually limiting her growth in power. Otherwise, you girls don't strike me as the 'heavy maternally interested' type. Though, I am curious what factors causes one's psychic affinities. Honestly, I'll need some data to work with so Designer of Life doesn't take an interest in your species."
Hotel
Looking down at the still dog-like Arilay, Valerie raises her right eyebrow slowly and slightly as the not-dog spoke. "Does, does she not know humans are animals too? She also doesn't seem to grasp my magic can clean..."
Hearing Arilay warn her about showing something 'icky', though, caused Valerie startle a little at the word. Yet as the woman apparently reveals her true form, Valerie's initial startle completely fades away as she looks on in calm curiosity.
Her attention shifting over to Moobly as the older(?) woman reacted, Valerie just gives a look of baffled confusion at Moobly and Cynthia. Turning back to Arilay, the young(?) witch simply says completely unfazed "I don't know what their deal is, you seem perfectly unhurt."
Twisting a lock of black hair at the back of her head, Valerie speaks up innocently calm. "You're kind of strange, like how you think humans aren't animals or that deceiving someone is a good idea. I could of easily used my magic to clean the biscuits too, and make more I guess? I usually just transmute water into food."
The young witch holding her hands against the small of her back as she begins rocking on her feet, she speaks up in that same almost surprising calm. "Hey, are you a Demi-Golem then miss? Are you using a Golem Core in place of a normal heart? How exactly do you have little girls that way? Is healing magic not very strong where you're from? Why do you think only human-derived creatures are intelligent? I met this charming rabbit once, charming because she insulted my mom."
edited 20th Jun '18 9:34:24 PM by Kkutwar
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."
Town Square, near West Gate Road (Mael; Controlled!Mequoql, Morpho, Moquoql; Explorer of Unknowns)
Mequoql thought fast, under these conditions, Morpho would try to make a break for the spaceship, unless... She unsheathed her claws and raised them to her own throat.
Morpho thought Mequoql was suiciding with no ifs ands or buts. He frantically formed a hammer-like pseudopod and tried to smash Mael's gem, but Mequoql's telekinesis deflected each rapid-fire blow. Panicking, Morpho released Mael and went diving for Mequoql instead. He missed.
Mequoql dodged and flung mud into Morpho's eyes. That ought to keep him busy for the next minute. Then she turned to her sister, who was just starting to recover from the nerve pinch.
Blinded, Morpho started echolocating while swiping at his eyes.
Transporter Room (Moquoql)
Moquoql did not want to stick around long enough for her sister to re-pinch the back of her neck. She grabbed her gear and signaled the spaceship to beam her up.
Safely on board, she shakily got to her feet and went to fetch a gas mask. It had a tiny deactivated el-kor patch ready to cover the first few vertebrae of her neck. As long as it was activated, she couldn't use the spaceship's teleporter, but neither could her sister pinch her there.
Town Square, near West Gate Road
(Mael; Controlled!Mequoql, Morpho; Explorer of Unknowns)
—> Shopping District
(Controlled!Mequoql; Not-Chaos Hunters; Carol, Lily; Stranger; whoever else is in the crowd)
Mequoql smirked as her sister disappeared and Morpho started swiping at his eyes. She noticed him echolocating and telekinetically pelted him with rocks from all directions to make a disorienting racket. While juggling the rocks, she helped Mael to his feet. "Hurry, they'll recover soon. Put a building between yourself and Morpho," she advised him before sneaking back to the shopping district.
Checking to make sure her telekinetic blue visor was still in place, Mequoql discreetly leaned against a building, facing away from the Not-Chaos Hunters but keeping them on her psychic radar. She quit with the rocks and instead sent out a cluster of firefly-like motes of light to circle around the teens and get their attention.
Hotel Lobby (Arilay, Shale; Cynthia, Moobly; Justin, Valerie, Vindex)
Arilay had seen the whole thing from her spaceship telescopes. She was not a happy camper. As she returned some of her nanobots to a human face and arms formation, she messaged Morpho and Moquoql, "Moquoql, remember, we haven't done nearly enough lab testing. Morpho, next time, call Mequoql's bluff."
"How was I supposed to know that was a bluff?" Morpho asked. "She didn't make any demands or conditions or anything! We can't assume Mr. White Suit follows the same 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' policy that Sarquoql does!"
Arilay patiently explained, "(Mr. White Suit) Mael can't kill Mequoql yet, he still needs her. She knows more about what we're going to do to get her back than he does. Now do something unexpected!"
The microchip conversation didn't take up much time. Part of Arilay's figure was restored to a vaguely aged young lady's face with short brown hair and peachy skin, and she shifted herself back upright. Aloud to her audience, she said, "Moobly's right, what's left of my organic bits is basically a rearranged pile of internal organs and half a skeleton. You just can't see it very well because I'm all sealed up inside a can." She tapped her metallic ribcage, then reached for her brown doggy-eyes. "Even these are mechanical," she said, popping them out. Despite her eye sockets now being empty, she unerringly opened one of the small panels on her belly and swapped the pair for a more human green pair.
Arilay reviewed what she said earlier and rephrased, "I must have misspoke, I meant dogs don't insult you or yell at you, and I wanted to make a good first impression. The disguise was meant to be temporary and easily busted, lasting just long enough to demonstrate I mean you no harm so I could reveal myself in peace, like I was about to do immediately before you outed me."
"As for the biscuits, I still remember their molecular structure. I can..." she tried the new word "...transmute more of them too." To demonstrate, the atomic manipulator behind the largest panel on her belly activated, then opened up to reveal two dozen biscuits. "Hey, Moobly, how close did I get?" Author's note
Arilay exposited, "Golems, demigolems, where I come from we have similar ones that we call robots and cyborgs. I'm a cyborg. It's like a demigolem but with a few quirky little differences. I've still got my biological heart."
Arilay thought out loud, "Well, let's see, I don't know for absolute certain how much you already know about how babies are made in general, but I'm guessing you know enough to infer that my different body makes the process different..." She explained, "I'm missing the organ that houses babies, but I still have the organs that make half of a baby seed, and they work just fine. I'd need to have technology catch those half-seeds and take them out of my body, then find some suitable half-seeds from a man, and then grow the baby outside my body, either in a surrogate mother or an artificial womb depending on who volunteers."
"It's not that healing magic was too weak to restore my body, it could have done so. But rebuilding my body like this gave me very important talents that have saved both my life and the lives of others."
"Why do I think only human-derived creatures are intelligent? The more accurate question is why did I think only human-derived creatures are intelligent. I didn't grow up surrounded by talking animals and magic and everything else I enjoy interacting with now. Between that and a poor-quality public school, it's a bad cognitive habit from my childhood I'm still trying to shed, and I still get careless and misspeak sometimes. I still resent that public school for hammering that oversimplified information into me in the first place. I didn't know any better until after... that life-changing incident."
Arilay thought for a minute and added, "Dare I ask what your mother did to deserve that?"
Justin's Mindscape (Shale, Justin)
Shale pointed out, "In one way you are right, mental strength counts for a lot. I, for example, come from a slightly eldritch species, and with that power, I have never been mind controlled, or rendered holy, or rendered unholy. Likewise, the computers that I've seen that are advanced enough to hold artificial intelligence and even souls are too strong to be mind controlled. Still, the methods are more important than you think. Using mental strength alone to dominate someone's mind is like using a sledgehammer when lockpicks are available. A valid tactic, but you limit yourself by not learning to use the lockpicks. The Web of Friendship spent a thousand hours practicing against one specific individual and that individual is not Mael."
"But we weren't completely unprepared for Mael. Despite being caught off guard, Mequoql was still able to last long enough to set off an alarm. She was able to disobey what she felt was a suicidally stupid order. Even now, she's not panicking, she's patiently biding her time until the next opportunity to break out. That's more than she could do the first time she was caught off guard and mind-controlled by Sarquoql."
The more Shale learned about Vindex, the more she was reminded of Riversnake. "The way you describe Vindex is starting to sound like what I'd call an identity shell. A specific bubble containing a facet of someone's identity that takes on a life of its own the more it gets separated out. If that's the case, then yours is separated much more than the identity shell I once knew... and had a hand in constructing."
WFS Hummingbird, Rec Room (Maequoql; Explorer of Unknowns; Felian)'''
Maequoql felt much better once Felian's influence was withdrawn. She inquired, "Twenty years and still an unborn infant... would she have been born by now if her mother hadn't been killed? How does an angel get killed, anyway?"
Upon seeing the hologram, Maequoql smiled. "Mayatan society already faced the question of what to do with a scenario like that. Every time the moons are in a specific position around my home planet, a specific pair of twins gets a massive surge in psychic power and predatory instincts, outperforming Sarquoql, fungus infectees, and our planet's champion hunters for as long as the moons are in that position. And it started in utero, with their parents driven to hunt in their stead. The story of the twins and their power growth is a long one filled with many curious scientists giving much-needed aid to the family from the pregnancy onward, but the twins are now fully grown and members of the Web of Friendship precisely because they're still dangerous, but they and the rest of the Web know how to harness that danger for specific purposes."
Maequoql swiftly corrected, "Nyorla's physiological condition aids her growth in power, not limits it. Nao Ranay Nokt children are powerful lifesavers, and the last time someone tried to induce puberty in a Nao Ranay Nokt child, it was a catastrophe. And that's coming from someone who doesn't break a sweat over quite a few of what some folks would call catastrophes."
She got to her feet. "Well, we do have a medical library you can browse. It's got tons of information on Mayatan physiology and psychology, including how Nao Ranay Nokt works and ties in with prophecies. I can show you."
edited 22nd Jun '18 1:36:25 PM by Miss_Desperado
If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
Forest - Henry and the Sumerians*
Henry wasn't sure if he could handle—on top of everything else—the fact that the more boldly dressed and ditzy of the two Sumeria-seekers seemed to be hitting on him. He tried a smile, but the rest of his face refused to cooperate.
He was glad to have something else to pay attention to in Eris's answer to his question. Before he could ask anything else, the other sister offered to solve the dim lighting problem, and then did so.
Henry at once nearly knocked off his hat and nearly toppled down the ruins' steps as he stumbled backwards, trying not to be caught on fire by the spontaneous combustion that seemed to be going around.
Once he steadied himself and got his tongue back in order, he put up his hands and reassured, "I'm okay! It's okay. Holy... moly... mackeroly. What have I gotten into...?"
At Inanna's question, Henry let out a big sigh and shrugged a little helplessly. "Well, it's... it's definitely less dark. Score there." Squinting up at the brightly lit and somehow-even-more-intimidating-than-before scythe, he said, "You know... that's almost like what I was talking about with the flashlight, if the blade was like a filament and the heat was less... blazing, and if there were batteries involved, but somehow..."
He glanced back down the steps of the ruins. "I don't know if there's a point in keeping this up anymore. Can I just ask-" he returned his chary gaze to the sisters, "the gateway, your burning grim reaper scythe— is this... is this magic?" He looked between them, "Are you sorcerers? Because I've got a friend who I think could use your help. He..." Henry clicked his teeth, "hell, I don't know if you'd believe me without seeing it. Maybe. I guess I don't know what things are like in Sumeria aside from the gateways and the fire scythes."
He looked back down the steps, seeing a tiny bit of movement beneath the bottom one already. "All right dude, I'm pretty sure we're not in Kansas anymore. I think you can just come out."
From the bottom of the steps, the second traveler's slightly younger, distinctly muddled voice rose up, though at a level just above a whisper.
"Tsthah curd?"
"No, not a code. Just... you can get up off the ground now."
Slowly but surely, the second traveler came into view. First was his hand, sticking out from the sleeve of his colorful ski jacket. Perhaps it could be attributed to the lighting, but it looked jet black. What most certainly could not be attributed to the lighting were the pale, stubby claws extending from each finger.
The hand steadied itself against the bottomost step, pressing gently as the second traveler's head rose into view. He had two fairly large blue eyes, a very long mouth, two small nostrils, and a long face that was both somewhat pointed and somewhat blunted. Most of his head was the same dark shade as his hands, save for a dull white that ran from his lower jaw down to his neck and beyond. On first glance, most earthlings might identify him as being—or at least looking like—some kind of lizard or amphibian.
Henry looked from the second traveler to the sisters. "...This is Joseph."
He waved and smiled a toothy smile.
"...Hi."
* Wasteland, Southeastern Cove - A Thief is Confronted*
Joseph let out a huge sigh, stretching his limbs and blinking up at the big blue sky. Despite his initial worries, it turned out that being a distraction was nowhere near as stressful as he'd feared. Everything had gone smoothly, and it had only cost him a few nervous minutes of staring at some rocks.
Now all that was left was to lay back, catch some rays, and wait for David to finish up business. Maybe it was only because it had been ages since he'd visited the beach during the daytime, but he couldn't remember the sun ever feeling quite so nice against his skin. It wasn't a cold day, nor was he even cold-blooded, but the breezy air, the scent of the sea, the soft slosh of the shoreline, and the warmth of the sun had him in the coziest state he could imagine.
He wanted to lie there for hours, but at the same time wanted to run up and down the beach until his legs fell off. Laying on his back, he reached his hands and legs up into the air, trying to touch his toes. When he tapped the tips together, he flopped onto his side.
Maybe he could convince David to make a proper outing of it, once they'd concluded their business with the stolen keys. They could head back to the city, link back up with Connie and Rip whatever they were up to, and spend a proper day of celebration and relaxation out by the water.
Lifting himself slightly, he slid onto his belly, arms at his sides and head facing inland. He blinked up at the sand, staring through heavy-lidded eyes and sighed. Hmmmmm. So this was why people loved Hawa—
"Joseeeph!"
Like a cat introduced to a spray bottle, Joseph sprang off the ground, his feet finding it again in full sprint. He moved so fast he'd made it all the way up the beach before he remembered what he was missing.
Up in the shallow cave, David waited, breath abated, for the call to retrieve his backup. However, shortly after Joseph's lizardy visage peeked into view, David discovered that the rest of him was completely unarmed.
He shifted his grip on the shotgun and pointed frantically at beach with the newly freed hand. "The rifle! The rifle!"
Joe nodded wordlessly, a heightened nervousness dancing his eyes about before he turned away, scurrying back to his sunning spot.
David started to relax, his breathing beginning to steady, his heart settling, and the adrenaline leaving him.
The moment he looked back down, the thief's hand seized his gun by the barrels and yanked.
His finger hadn't been on the trigger, but as the gun slid from his secure grip, his claw caught it.
The weapon's mechanisms fell into play in an instant.
There was a deafening boom, close enough to his sensitive ears to quiet all else but the ringing.
It was even closer to the thief's ear, followed by a spray of 12 gauge buckshot, inches away from blasting the side of her head to Timbuktu.
Even in the wake of the shot, the struggle ensued. The sharp tug on the weapon had loosened David's grip. The recoil from the shot fired had freed the weapon almost entirely. It was all he could do to grasp at the stock while the thief continued to pull it away. She rolled onto her back, seizing the barrel with both hands, holding it well above her head while she drew in one leg, close to her chest.
Before he could release his grip or shift his weight, the thief drove her boot deep into David's gut. He didn't even stumble backwards. He just crumpled, mouth open and gasping, desperate for the air it couldn't draw in.
The thief wasted no time in getting to her feet, shotgun in hand. She murmured a single word apology that neither of them could even hear, then she pushed David over, pressing the barrel of the shotgun to his side as she rifled through his shirt pockets. He tried to shove her hand away, but couldn't muster the strength through his wheezing and the throbbing pain in his ribs. She ignored his resistance and searched his pants pockets as well. Finding nothing in either, she shoved him back against the ground.
"No reserves, huh?" She jabbed the shotgun against the back of his head. "You're lucky to have a friend."
"Nnnn..." he moaned, reaching out as the thief departed.
"Thanks for the truck!" she called back, running out of the cave, out to the large gap in the rocky outcrop that lead back into the wasteland. Out to where David had driven his truck. Out to where he'd left it unattended, so he could run back in a ploy to catch the thief off guard.
"Nnno! No no no!" David tried to scramble after her, but the pain that reigned over his innards threw a fit, swiftly dropping him back to the ground where he could only groan and clutch at his sides. She was going to get away. She was going to get away. She was going...
"STOP!"
Joseph had no idea what he was doing— not really. He'd always pictured himself handling a gun standoff like in a movie. He'd seen so many, he knew how it went down. Get the gun up to your shoulder, squint your shooting eye, put on a mean business face, and bam, Clint Eastwood.
But Clint Eastwood wasn't a lizard. And Clint Eastwood had more than one take to get it right. And for whatever it had been worth, in that moment Joe couldn't remember anything else about guns and movies besides 'the look'. He could barely remember anything about guns and aluminum cans. He knew where the trigger was, but god, he was so scared.
The thief stood ahead of him— far ahead of him, at least fifty yards, maybe more. But she was close enough to see the rifle in his hands. To see that it was pointed at her.
There was a second at most of silence, before...
"SHOOT her!"
Joe's lizardish face contorted in ways he'd never thought possible as he braced himself and pulled the trigger. A shot cracked off, whizzed just under the thief's raised elbow, and burrowed deep into the rock far behind her.
The thief was already responding before the shot had been fire. She lifted David's snub-nosed shotgun and fired right back. Joseph barely had time to drop to his belly and clutch his big head for dear life as the buckshot flew over it.
He laid there, squeezing tighter and tighter, not wanting to give up that moment, or face reality. He was going to die. He was going to die in an instant. He- "Joseph! Joe- Joe! Are you okay!?"
It sounded like his brother. He had just crashed his bike. They were trying to jump a ditch with a flimsy ramp made of old plywood and two five gallon buckets. It broke. And he fell in. And he was going to die.
He opened his eyes and looked up. A white furred otter was wearing dirty beach clothes, and had his brother's voice. Only, it wasn't his brother's anymore. It was David's. It was David.
"Roll over for me."
Joe wasn't sure what was going on anymore, but—like an obedient dog—he did as he was commanded.
David looked him up and down, even checking under each side of his banana-colored overshirt.
"I think you're clear." He snapped his fingers and pointed at Joseph's hand. "Rifle."
It was only then that Joe realized that he was still clutching the rifle tightly in his hand. He'd even been pressing it against his head as he ducked for cover. Wordlessly, he held it out to David and loosened his grip, letting the latter slip it free before running off.
Slowly, he let his arms fall back to his sides as he blinked up at the big blue sky. Either ten seconds or a minute later, he heard a fourth gunshot, more distant than the previous three. He didn't flinch so much. Maybe he'd get used to them. A few hours after that, or possibly some time before, he thought he could hear an engine start up, then rev into full action. It became quiet as quickly as it had become loud. For some strange reason, the cloud above his head wouldn't move.
edited 21st Jun '18 9:19:30 PM by Ryuhza
the color today
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
Hotel - Room 444 (Murquoql and The Woman)
After Murquoql knocked on the door, there was a shuffling of feet, and after a minute or so, the door opened. From the dark interior of the room, the eponymous woman peeked out. A human and a brunette, looking to be in her thirties, and wearing a fuzzy knit hat and gloves made of suede despite being indoors in the middle of summer.note And a very business-like beige jacket-and-skirt combo, despite being in a dark hotel room.
She took a second to look the strange fur-covered lady up and down, and blushed and covered her hand with her mouth upon realizing she was naked, even though nothing showed.note But instead of remarking on it, she just looked at the visitor's face when she spoke.
"Oh, hello... Are you here about the notice I posted about my son? I must apologize for being so elusive about well, everything... safety precautions you know." She opened the door further, and Murquoql could see that the shades on the window were fully closed, although there was a soft pink light coming from somewhere near the bed. "I would look for him myself of course, but the wilderness and I don't exactly agree, you know?"
South Gate (Chitara, Naiolo, Jamie, Saen, Sindar, Nyceme, Aubrey, Pearl, Finn)
A smirk crossed Nyceme's face at Naiolo's remark about the fallen. Oh, how very wrong he is. Still though, in a way he was right. Sindar did watch over those whom few else would watch over; such a job was, mythologically speaking, usually the job of psychopomps and gods of the underworld, in his case. And yet he was a regular ol' fairy. Well, an unusual regular ol' fairy. So she let the young harpy bard think that's just what Sindar did, saying only, "Yesss, he helpsss the fallen rissse to a new purpossse."
Then she watched with interest as Jamie treated her wing, with Saen helping. It was a bit of a struggle for the undead snakewoman's spindly little arms to hold the wing in place as the rest of the body squirmed in agony, but fortunately, the slight added pain of her claws digging into the wing to hold onto it seemed to go unnoticed.
Nyceme had only a small understanding of alchemy, and had only barely heard of the "chemical reactions" of which Jamie spoke. Still, there was one thing she did (probably) know. "Hmm, I sssee. The modificationsss to your body involve inccciting growth in placesss where growth wouldn't normally occur. Ssso thossse placesss run the risssk of bearing aberrant growthsss. Isss that correct?"
And then she watched Saen heal Jamie's wing. When Jamie thanked her, she used the word "cursed" in mentioning people like Saen, and also said that of the two she knew, one was a healer and the other was an obstacle. Here Nyceme scowled—was Jamie going to associate her with an obstacle now? She already had a negative impression of Sindar, so if he and Nyceme were buddies... Well, it didn't exactly bother her too much, so when she contributed to the conversation, she did so calmly.
"Bearers of a curssse?" She took a glance at Saen and then back. "Are you referring to her magic, or to her ssserpentine form?" She suspected the former; it would explain why she didn't trust Sindar. "How wasss the other an obssstacle if I may asssk?"
She paused to take a bottle of perfume out of her bag, spraying a small amount of it into her mouth as if it were mouthwash. Just in time for the motorcycles to arrive...
Meanwhile, Sindar shook his head at what Chitara said. "I'm not undead. All fairies, at least where I am from, take on physical characteristics of their domain. A wood nymph might have leaves for ears. Flower fairies have petals growing out of all sorts of places. Likewise..." and here he held up his skeletal hands and wiggled the fingers, "take a guess as to what my domain is. Honestly, with regards to holy magic, I'd be more worried about..." He suddenly reconsidered saying what he was going to say next. "...By the way, are the fairy folk malevolent where you are from? Otherwise I am not sure why holy magic would harm them. Usually the most harmful thing to a fairy is iron, and I don't think iron is holy."
Speaking of iron, the strangest contraptions made of it arrived. Both Sindar and Nyceme turned to look at them, just in time for Jamie to wonder where the beasts of burden were. "I sssecond that quessstion," said Nyceme. "How do thossse vehiclesss move?" They clearly weren't alive; Nyceme couldn't detect any souls inside of them. And if it was magic, she just had to wonder what sort of spells kept them in motion.
edited 25th Jun '18 8:04:48 PM by ladytanuki
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
In the middle of Nowhere, Interrogation Room #(10 ↑)2 8.6 — John Smith, Security Service; Alice
"Hm. Poor choice of words." Smith raises an eyebrow. "This means that you're saying Ace was acting on his own volition. Perhaps I should have a talk with him, indeed. Tell him you've pointed in his direction when questioned."He leans forward.
"You want something from him." Alice's voice fills the room. Smith takes a pause for the effect to take in, then continues in his own baritone: "But probably I shouldn't. That would achieve nothing."
Smith stands up.
"Alice Winters, the City accepts your restitution. You have time till today's sunset, at 9:34 pm. If you fail to perform the transfer in time, since you were acting on their behalf, Western Amalgamated will be … unwelcome in the City." He picks up his document case. A door appears behind him. "You are free to go."
edited 22nd Jun '18 9:52:59 AM by Millership
Spiral out, keep going.
Town ~ Hotel Lobby (Cynthia, Moobly; Justin, Valerie, Vindex; Arilay, Shale; others)
"I wasn't expecting someone with so many prosthetics; most folk wouldn't survive that kind of extensive damage to their body," Cynthia told Valerie, "I—" She faltered, before glancing away, "never mind."
Cynthia then gawked at Valerie, "You can do what?"
"Valerie said that she could transmute water into food," stated Moobly.
The young knight furrowed her brow, "but... but... that would mean..." Cynthia suddenly gasped, "You must be a prodigy mage!" she told Valerie.
When Arilay mentioned that she took the form of a dog because they wouldn't insult or yell at someone, Moobly made a point of giving Vindex a stare and a point of the tail. "Small fluffy dogs make a lot of noise," the cynthonic said, "and they have teeth."
"You know Moobly, that reminds me," Cynthia turned to face Valerie, "You and your familiar remind me a lot of one of the coordinators at the academy; she even has a loyal guard dog, too."
They proceeded to share a synchronized head tilt as Arilay and Valerie exchanged some terms they didn't understand. "Golem... where have I heard that before..." Cynthia pondered out loud, "You mentioned Golem Core; I presume these golems are like automatons, then?" she asked of Valerie.
"Anyway," The young knight faced Arilay as she spoke, "what you can do reminds me a lot of a slime. A really advanced slime. Or Nora."
Meanwhile, Moobly tentatively nabbed one of the belly biscuits, and sniffed it before taking a nibble. She then narrowed her eyes a bit, "Very good," she said, before mumbling, "too good..."
Town Square ~ Near West Gate Road (Bonnie; Mael; Morpho)
Bonnie's ears quivered as she picked up the sound of panic close by. Going against her instincts as a lagokin to flee as fast a possible, and instead following her training as a combat supporter, she dashed toward the source of the confusion.
Rounding a corner, she found a metal man flailing about. Judging from the way he was moving, he seemed to be— Bonnie's heart skipped a beat— a metal slime. And a princess class or higher to boot.
The rabbit-eared girl quietly gulped. Slimes, once they've surpassed their weak, basic state, are notoriously hard to deal with. As an amorphous blob, it had not anatomy to exploit, and was funtionally immune to afflictions. Optimally, the best way to defeat one is to either hit it with Holy spells, overload it with aetheric attacks, overwhelm it with heavy artillery bombardment.
She was a lagokin support medic with a lightning affinity, armed with a stick and whose list combat spells could be counted on one hand. As such, a direct assault on the slime in the hopes of defeating it was unlikely to succeed. So, the immediate plan was to stall for time until the air cavalry arrived with sufficient precision firepower to put the metal slime on ice. But first, there was still someone in harms way.
Prepping a speed-and-stamina boosting spell, she cast it on herself. Electricity crackled across her body for a moment, and to the magically inclined, she would seem rather... magenta. She then darted over towards the man in white, breaking the local speed limit in the process.
"Dont be alarmed," she said, before tapping him on the shoulder to cast the same spell on him. The man would feel something akin to a static shock, followed by essentially what could be considered a souped up surge of adrenaline.
"Get away from here as fast as you can," she told him, before darting around to near the opposite side of the metal man.
She stamped her foot and slammed the butt of her staff on the ground, launching a glowing magical flare into the air, discharging a bit of electricity in the process. "Oi, over here you overgrown hydrargyrum puddle!" she shouted.
edited 22nd Jun '18 6:41:47 PM by WillDeRegio
Hotel Room 444
Murquoql glanced down at herself, had her fake zipper fallen off? Nope, it was still there, it just hadn't worked. She resolved to keep an eye out for any signs that the lady might be getting too bothered by Mayatan nudity, but since the lady didn't remark on it, it could just remain the Elephant in the Living Room for now.
"Yes, I'm here about the notice." She stepped inside and looked around, her psychic radar automatically scanning and calculating how to defend the room from intruders.
"My name is Murquoql. Before we get started with this interview, I'd like to inform you that I'm a telepath. I limit myself to the most obvious surface thoughts only. I typically use it as an aid to mundane conversation, but if it bothers you too much, I can stay out of your mind. Once I actually start the search, I can use my psychic radar to scan my surroundings, so unless there's some exception, I'll be able to locate your son as soon as he's within my radius."
"You don't have to tell me, but I wonder why you need security? Besides the mind-controller in the town square, that is..." She pulled out Mael's mugshot and showed it to the lady. "Watch out for him, he's giving my friends a hard time out there. Nothing they can't handle." She winced as she got a situation update on her microchip communicator and added, "...after they prepare a new plan."
Sun-Dry Sea (Nyorla; Pilot 0037, Unit 09)
While waiting for the strangers to holler back or close the distance, Nyorla slowly and methodically started hauling the limbs of one body into position for skinning.
The Scar (Ozurr; Krakka'a, Zarokh; Jann, Varg; Rosalind)
Rosalind suppressed the instinctive urge to extend her fangs and hiss back. That would have caused a lot more trouble than it was worth. Instead, she braced herself for the inevitable stop, whether it be a slam on the brakes or a collision.
Rosalind took a closer look at the flyer and recognized a familiar hunger in his eyes. It wasn't a mundane predator's I-gotta-eat-to-live gaze. It wasn't a zombie's unceasing vacancy. It wasn't the starving berserk gleam she'd seen in her own vanishing reflection. She'd seen that hunger before. In one other vampire. Specifically, the one who seemed obsessed with teaching her how to baffle murder investigators no matter how many times she said she didn't want to learn. The same one who got in big trouble with the landlord for overeating and causing too many deaths in the neighborhood.
She murmured behind her hand, "Jann, Varg, I recognize the look in that flyer's eye. He's not hungry, but he still wants to eat us just because we exist and he doesn't like that fact." Hopefully Ozurr would be able to handle this.
Larger River, Forest Tributary (Rosalind's Mustangs, Inquisitor's Stray Horse Whisper, Skvader)
The very distant dot in the sky landed way too fast to be a Sabertooth Metalbeast. Something was strange there.
Guardian Thunder kept an eye on where the dot had landed while Lead Mare Flashfoot surveyed the herd as they all turned to look expectantly at her. Walking through the herd, she approached Angel and asked him to move. He got out of the shallows. His limp had been reduced by a significant chunk, but was nowhere near gone.
We stay put for a while longer, Flashfoot proclaimed. Angel returned to soak his injury.
Town Square ~ Near West Gate Road (Bonnie; Mael; Morpho)
Morpho finished clearing the mud from his eyes and checked the newcomer's eyes. Not silver, yet, so she'd misunderstood the situation. "Do you mind?" he yelled, "I'm trying to apprehend a mind-controller here!" He pointed at Mael...
...who vanished. Morpho grumbled, "Now look what you've done!"
edited 22nd Jun '18 9:04:50 PM by Miss_Desperado
If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
[Town Square—Shopping District]
Now free, Mael rose to his feet, just in time to see a...bunny girl? Whoever or whatever she was, she helped stall them a little longer. And there was the extra rush of adrenaline in him. There was no need to control her; that would seem a little ungrateful.
"Thank you." he said, smiling and looking directly at Morpho, "Now you excuse...I have somewhere to be."
With a snap of his fingers, a bright light appeared...and with it, Mael vanished without a trace once again.
[Shopping District]
Nothing was breaking the barrier, and Nick was getting increasingly angrier. No matter how much he slammed at the invisible wall, there was no progress.
"Damn it, DAMN IT!" he barked, "Fuck! Why is this shit happening?! Why won't they let us leave?!"
"Don't give up, adventurer!" Amy said, "Just keep trying! I know we'll get to the bottom...of..." She looked up and noticed the fireflies, "...this?"
These were unlike any butterflies she or her friends had ever seen. They seemed to be circling around them—and only them. This only added to their suspicions that something or someone was hunting them specifically.
"...I don't like this." Jackson said, "Something's not right."
Agreed. Maya signed, This has trap written all over it.
All six of the kids stood in the circle, their backs towards each other and their weapons drawn. They looked around, trying to find the source of the strange motes that appeared.
Appearing next to Mequoql was Mael, via a bright light. He saw that the six teenagers were now confused and probably a little scared. All according to his plan.
Now it was time to strike.
"Nice distraction." he said, "But let's not let them be confused for long, alright? You take care of them and bring them to me. I'll be here." He pointed ahead, "Go."
Town Square ~ Near West Gate Road (Bonnie; Mael; Morpho)
The rather nice man withdrew coolly with a snap of his fingers, leaving Bonnie a little startled and slightly dumbfounded; she had no clue he was also a fellow mage, let alone someone capable of telemetting.
Which, in hindsight, was a possible explanation for what happened to Cormack. The lightning still scared the piss out of her, though.
She didn't have time to think too much on this, though. She turned to face the metal slime, which, of course, talked.
Pointing her staff at the metal man, her confidence in what she was doing faltered slightly as she barred his way. "I'm not going to let you leave," she told him, before charging her staff with electricity, "now, who sent you," she demanded, under the assumption that, as slimes are usually docile unless provoked... or hired.
120 feet above Town Square (Lily)
Following the sudden burst of a flare which she recognized as Bonnie's, she noticed the commotion down bellow. A metal slime. And Bonnie was trying to keep it occupied. Which meant it was hostile.
Raising her aether rifle, she chambered an enchanted round and begun the necessary calculations for a Cryogenic Burst spell.
It's a bird.
The Scar (Ozurr; Krakka'a, Zarokh; Jann, Varg; Rosalind)
Varg stepped on the brakes, and the vehicle screeched across the concrete, finally stopping just a short distance away from the giant winged creature.
"Let's discourage him then," Varg responded to Rosalind's comment, grabbed her quad-barreled shotgun from behind her seat, and stepped outside. She took a few relaxed but confident steps towards the creature, her tail swinging casually from side to side behind her. She made sure to non-threateningly keep her weapon pointed at the ground, but was ready to use it at a moments notice.
"Good day, sir!" she called out to the creature in a way that might have been cheerful if it wasn't for her completely deadpan expression.
"Is there a problem?"
Jann held a hand to his nose, grimacing painfully after having slammed his face into the dashboard. Looking up, he found himself face to face with the flying being that had swooped across the sky just moments before. Good gods...
"Varg, I'm not sure that's wise..." he mumbled as he noticed his companion leave the vehicle, but it didn't take long until he simply shook his head at their mutual foolishness, and decided to follow her.
He briefly considered telling Rosalind to stay behind, glancing over at her with a concerned look, but dismissed the thought as silly. She was likely the most resilient one out of all of them, perhaps besides the frost giant.
Leaving the vehicle, Jann took a deep breath and carefully reached out into the Storm, channeling it's magic into his body while considering his options. Something relatively quick and reliable, but impressive and threatening enough to make the large creature keep it's distance... A lightning strike perhaps? Easily repeatable and useful as a weapon in case things went bad, as well...
He focused his mind on the spell he had chosen, slowly and discreetly weaving it into shape with the occasional assistance of a whispered phrase or slow hand gesture. As he went on, familiar shapes of distorted, cracked air began to form around his hands. He just hoped the others could buy him enough time...
Still a great "screw depression" song even after seven years.
Crazy Kiwi
Restaurant
[Jean, Diantha, Nora, Leone, Nui, Ulf, Kris, Teri, Sophia, James, Wolfe, Gwion]Gwion looked at Nui. 'You're from Orenya, arncha? Only met one other Orenyan before - an... interesting woman."
James nodded, remembering the strange 'witch' from the frontier. "I'm James Turner, also planning on visiting the ghost town."
Wolfe acknowledged Ulf's nod as he approached with one of his own then turned back to the table and raised a cautionary hand. "Talking of the ghost town, there was a woman in the hotel who said it probably wasn't safe t'go near it. Said we should give 'er a call 'n' she'll explain everything. Name of Alice."
Kris looked up at the name and muttered, "Alice? Who the fuck is Alice?"
Gwion shot Kris a 'did you have to?' look and took Alice's card from his pocket. "Well, I've got her number, here, I suggest we give 'er a call 'n' see what the issue is."
James gave a curt nod. "Probably a very good idea. Don't want to go off half-cocked."
Gwion dug out his 'Portable Office', scanned the card and selected the number. As the phone dialled, he idly turned the card over and over in his fingers.
Ulf's revelation that he was an 'occasional werewolf' came as a surprise to the Mad Bastards but not to Sophia, who had heard all about the incident at the abandoned mall from Gwion.
Teri wasn't sure whether or not Ulf was joking but noted that neither Gwion nor Sophia seemed particularly taken aback.
At that moment, Peggy, Karl and Kaitlyn arrived at the table. Peggy introduced herself and Karl for the benefit of those who didn't know them. "And this is Ca—" she broke off midway through attempting to indicate Cas and gave a puzzled look at Kaitlyn.
Kaitlyn shrugged - she had been too busy focusing on the people at the table as they approached to notice what had happened to Cas.
Wolfe looked about at the group. It seemed that a lot of them were planning to go to the ghost town - Kris, Kaitlyn, James, Nui, Diantha and Nora, at least. Jean, and now Ulf, had expressed an interest in the forest and Leone seemed fine with going anywhere she was needed.
He nodded at Leone, realising only now that she was the quiet one who had been at the notice board earlier. "It looks like the only people currently going to the Wasteland are Sophia, Peggy and Karl. P'raps you c'd go with them."
This is my good side.
South Gate
A bit of fumbling between themselves, and the three humans let Chitara know they were ready. "Alright, then! Off we go!" She said and gave the reins a good whip. The beetles started pulling, and the wagon started moving again, this time at a faster pace, around a normal, if brisk, trot. Despite the speed, the interior did not shake much more than before. Harpid transports were made for travelling rocky and uneven terrain with minimal inconveniences. The others followed suit on their vehicles.
As they moved down the road, Chitara resumed her conversation with Sindar. "Oh, I see. Can't say I ever heard of that before." She nodded, getting the idea of what the fairy meant. "So, your 'domain' is death. A noble cause, not understood by many."
"Well, fairies are not malevolent, at least not actively." The old harpid explained. "They can be, however, quite childish, vain, petty, vindictive, and with a very twisted sense of humor. Even the oldest ones, that should get wiser over time, don't really act much more mature, they are just better at not showing it. They act like children, with the addition that they are very good at natural magic, which makes them dangerous. A kid may think tripping people is funny, while a fairy may think that tripping people down a cliff and see them stumble all the way down to the ravine is hilarious. Another one may just amuse itself by shoving thorns in your eyes while you sleep and hear you scream. Understand what I mean?"
"In what you said you're right, the Holy Knights' power doesn't actually harm them, sincel fairies are natural spirits, not beings of Dark. But most contact fairies have had with other races is not friendly, so the Knights just see them as another threat to protect humanity from. More often than not they are seen as pests, not worth dealing with." After a pause, Chitara decided to add. "They are not like you."
She meant that last part. Sindar did not seem like any fairy Chitara had dealt with before. Despite his size, he seemed to handle a conversation with a great deal of maturity and undestanding. Plus, of course, that Sindar seemed to be male. As weird as it sounded, Chitara never heard of there being 'male' fae, only female-looking ones.
As the conversation and time went on, the wagon and its guard would make its way to the Scar.
Wolf, feel free to post the arrival at the Scar before we move on.
Crazy Kiwi
Outside Frontier Sporting Goods
[Carol, Lily, Not-Chaos-Hunters, Matiu]Finally, they got it! One of the young lads revealed that they had no idea where they were, either, and mentioned just appearing out of nowhere after a fight. The two strangely-uniformed women seemed to have a clearer idea of the place - enough to know that it didn't seem to be called anything but 'the town', on account of being the only one around and were of the opinion that he had probably ended up on another world.
The woman - who Lily identified as Carol - seemed quite off-hand about it, as if it was normal.
Matiu barely had time to register their names when there was a strange commotion and people started fleeing something that wasn't yet visible.
Things started to progress at a rush. One of the girls tried to run but was stopped by an invisible wall that didn't seem to be affecting any of the fleeing public; one of the teens put on gloves and the pommy one drew some sort of gun.
Matiu heard Lily tell him to get into the back of the truck and then watched as she suddenly and surprisingly took flight. He looked at Carol - tasked with 'getting him out of here' - "yeah, nah! Screw that. These kids need help." Without waiting for Carol to respond, he turned about to see if he could find some sort of weapon, mindful that he had nothing but his Martial Arts training against whatever was threat was coming.
Then came a swarm of glowing specks that clearly was directly targeting the six teens and no one else - it was quite evident that the group was the object of the attack. It was also clear that the 'attack' of the glowing spots was intended as a distraction or to harrass - Matiu well understood the principles of distraction and misdirection in combat.
One of the people fleeing past the group stumbled and fell, dropping a length of wood he was carrying as he did so. The length of wood rolled across the ground and the man scrambled to his feet and ran, not bothering to retrieve it in his haste to get away.
Matiu looked down at the fallen bit of wood - it was a simple dowel about a metre-and-a-half long and around three-and-a-half-to-four centimetres in diameter. A broom handle? A really budget walking stick? Matiu couldn't tell, but he scooped it up, anyway, feeling its weight. It would do. He had wanted a weapon and his tupuna had sent him one.
He adopted a stable stance and, holding the staff in two hands, performed a few drills - in part to limber up before the scrap started, in part to get used to the differences in balance between this simple stick and a proper taiaha and in part to show whoever, or whatever, was coming that he was ready, willing and able to kick their sorry arses.
Town Square ~ Near West Gate Road (Bonnie; Morpho)
Now that the rocks had stopped, Morpho was still echolocating, which meant he noticed the floating sniper aiming at him even though he wasn't looking in that direction. As he bobbed, weaved, and signaled the spaceship to beam him up, he brusquely answered, "The Web of Friendship sent me. No Time to Explain." Morpho disappeared.
Transporter Room (Moquoql, Morpho) -> Shopping District (Morpho, Moquoql, Controlled!Mequoql; Not-Chaos Hunters; whoever else is in the crowd)
Moquoql in her gas mask joined Morpho on the teleporter pad. They got a location update on Mael and Mequoql from Maequoql and the spaceship. Moquoql set her mental shields to stealth mode. Her stealth mode wouldn't work if Mequoql was actively searching for her, but as long as Mequoql was distracted, Moquoql wouldn't show up on her psychic radar. Morpho ducked, drastically reducing his height as he took on a pony shape.
The teleporter pad sent the two to the shopping district, behind the Not-Chaos Hunters, out of sight of Mequoql and Mael, and right where a cluster of large garbage bins hid them from sight. Meanwhile, Moquoql activated the el-kor patch on her gas mask. Now her sister couldn't telekinetically pinch her neck, and she didn't have to worry about falling victim to her own chloroform.
Mequoql didn't need to move to redirect her light show, but she did so anyway as a slight theatric for Mael's benefit. She turned and curled her fingers in a beckon to her firefly lights. The lights dancing around the Not-Chaos Hunters took on an obvious elliptical orbit, pointing towards a place near Mael's location where he could set up an ambush.
Behind the blue strip of telekinetic color hiding the silver glow in her eyes, one of her transparent eyelids twitched. She'd just remembered something, something important, from before Mael had taken over her mind.
Darn it, the pesky vow she took to get the other side of the story from the Not-Chaos Hunters wouldn't let her continue her sneaky idea. Besides, the Not-Chaos Hunters looked appropriately suspicious and unwilling to move, as did their allies. Had they encountered will-o-wisps before? Well, in any case, she'd have to change tactics and use social tricks to get the Not-Chaos Hunters moving in Mael's direction.
The dancing firefly lights vanished as Mequoql showed herself with her hands in the air as if she was on the wrong end of a stick-up. She called, "Good grief, you seem a little trapped in there. Who put you in a selective force field? Is there anything I can do to help you out?"
Behind the garbage bins, Moquoql and Morpho exchanged puzzled glances. What was Mequoql up to, and how much of it was Mael's idea?
edited 24th Jun '18 10:08:19 AM by Miss_Desperado
If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
[Shopping District]
Hearing her voice, all of the kids turned around to face Mequoql, and instantly felt like something was up.
They have been around a lot of non-humans before—so many times in fact nothing really phased them anymore (well, maybe Amy but she got excited about everything new)—so that wasn't what unnerved them. What did make them worry was her timing.
Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe she just so happened to find them trying to escape the barrier—but the way she appeared at the same time the magical motes arrived...they couldn't help but be suspicious.
Who the hell are you? Maya signed, tightening her grip on her knife. Explain. Now.
From behind the building, Mael gave an irritated glare. Excuse me, what the hell are you doing? Apparently you can speak through mind, so please tell me why aren't you getting these kids. I believe I gave you a clear goddamn order!
edited 24th Jun '18 2:34:55 PM by Masterofchaos
Strepsirrhine of DOOM!
The Scar (Ozurr, Krakka'a, Zarokh; Jann, Varg; Rosalind)
Krakka'a glared at the smaller creatures as they climbed out of the vehicle. The larger, grey one kept her posture non-threatening, but Krakka'a knew a gun when he saw one. He had seen the wounds they had left on his soldiers during the Battle of the Beach, when the Prenocephale inexplicably set aside their decades-long rivalry with the Troodon and fought alongside them to drive him from the island.
"Yes," he said, straightening up to his full eighteen feet, "there's a problem. You're following me. I'm going to do something I don't normally do with my enemies and give you one warning. Turn around and go back to where you came from, or I will eat each of you in turn, alive, one organ at a time, while the others watch. Do I make my...myself...cle...ah..."
He trailed off, because at that moment, Ozurr climbed down from the bed of the truck and walked up to him. He had been sitting down before, so Krakka'a hadn't been able to get a good read on his size. But now that they were standing next to each other, it was clear which one was bigger, and it wasn't Krakka'a. Not by a long shot.
"Like she said," Ozurr said, recognizing the look of arrogance and anger on Krakka'a's face rapidly fading to terror, "is there a problem?"
Krakka'a took a second to shake his head to clear the fear from his expression before Zarokh saw it. "You don't scare me, mammal."
Ozurr raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because everything about you says otherwise." He tapped his forehead, a gesture that he realized a second later would mean nothing to the not-dragon in front of him.
Krakka'a sneered and looked his adversaries over. "Right, then. Which organ goes first?" He turned to Ozurr. "How about your tes-"
In a move that seemed much too fast for something his size, Ozurr's hand shot out and closed around Krakka'a's throat. He squeezed, hard enough to show he meant business, but not so hard as to cut off the pterosaur's air supply.
"Since you were kind enough to give us a warning," Ozurr said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I'm going to extend the same courtesy. Let us pass. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."
Ozurr was dimly aware of a deep rumbling sound before a massive scaly tail swept his feet out from under him, sending him toppling to the ground, just barely avoiding landing on his companions.
"That is the earthly emissary of the Great Sobek!" Zarokh bellowed, positioning himself between Krakka'a and Ozurr. "You will not harm him!"
Oh yeah, Krakka'a thought with a smirk. That's why I keep him around.
Ozurr picked himself up and unhooked his axe from his back. "The hard way it is, then."
Tidesson Son of the staves of time[Shopping District]
Mequoql took a moment to explain what she was doing for Mael's impatience. "Simple. I may be a telepath but I lack the mind-controlling talent that you have. Furthermore, if I start a fight, I'd get shot by that sniper in the air. My only recourse is social engineering. Patience. I'll have them eating out of my hand soon enough."
Aloud, she started weaving truth and fibs to the Not-Chaos Hunters as she slowly approached, "My name is Mequoql, I'm a Mayatan alien and a member of the Web of Friendship. I was walking along, testing this scanner..." she gestured to the blue shield hiding her silver eyes "...when I started seeing things like a demon, buildings turning transparent, a selective force field around you six, and what might have been will-o-wisps. What else was I supposed to conclude, that you weren't in trouble? If I could bust or loophole this selective force field, I could take you somewhere safer."
By 'safer' she meant 'towards Mael'. Silently, she added to Mael, "See? Social engineering."
Meanwhile, behind the trash bins, Moquoql passed Morpho a chloroform packet and palmed another for herself.
The Scar (Ozurr; Krakka'a, Zarokh; Jann, Varg; Rosalind)
Enough time had passed since the weapons shop incident, Rosalind's regeneration finally kicked in and nullified her cuts, bruises and sunburn. She noticed the intimidating displays her traveling companions were putting on and decided to use a display of her own. She had a few different mix-and-match effects she could use, and picked what she thought would be most unappetizing.
Her white sclerae turned black and her brown irises glowed yellow. Her skeleton was now pulsing with the black inverse of a glow through her flesh, which was now an undeathly pale gray between her freckles. Her fangs extended. She grasped the roof of the truck and flipped herself up on top of it, spinning to take a predatory crouch facing the beasts. She indulged her earlier instinct, bared her fangs and hissed.
edited 24th Jun '18 3:46:27 PM by Miss_Desperado
If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
[Shopping District]
Excellent, Mael thought, I apologize for doubting you in the first place. You're doing great. Let's see if they take the bait.
He swore he could hear some form of movement from the trash bins...but he dismissed it for now. He didn't have time to start investigating; his plan was finally going well. However, just in case he did hear something, he had his glove ready in case he had to make another get away.
After she introduced herself and offered to "help" them get out of the city, red flags started going up. All of this timing...it just seemed too convenient. Nothing seemed right. It only made them feel more and more dread.
"Ok!" Amy said cheerfully, "We'll go with you!"
Jackson, baffled, turned around and glared at her.
"Are you bloody joking?" he whispered harshly, "This is obviously a trap! What the hell are you doing?!"
"I know it is!" Amy whispered back, farrowing her eyebrows, "This is our chance to find out why this is happening! Plus, I have an idea! I know what I'm doing! Trust me, please!"
"...Ok. We're putting our trust in you." Jackson turned his attention back to Mequqol. "Fine. Lead the way."
Everyone else looked visibly uncomfortable, but whatever Amy had planned...they only hoped it worked.
Town Square ~ Near West Gate Road (Bonnie, Lily)
The metal slime man disappeared from sight, much to Bonnie's surprise and chagrin. Fraking telemetters.
Meanwhile, up above, Lily dispelled her casting and lowered her weapon; her target was no longer there, and she wasn't sure where it went. She flew down to check on her comrade-in-arms.
"What was that all about," the flight mage asked of the rabbit-eared medic.
"That slime was trying to apprehend a mind controller; apparently it was sent by a web of friendship or something," replied Bonnie as her hastened state wore off.
Lily pursed her lips as she put two and two together. A web of friendship. To her, the first thing that popped into mind was thora being rather... euphemistic. And they wanted a mind controller. That... couldn't be good.
Lily clicked her teeth together before pointing in the direction of where the others where, "Things are smelling very fishy around here. Those kids we met are apparently trapped by a barrier that only affects them; which means—"
Bonnie's eyes widened, "That the web of friendship is after them!"
Lily narrowed her eyes. "That is a likely possibility," she said, "We can get back faster if we fly, so..."
Shopping District (Carol; Matiu; Not Chaos Hunters; Mequoql; others)
Carol turned off the engine and hopped down from the drivers bench and retrieved her halberd from where it was holstered on the side of the truck. She wasn't planning on missing out on a fight, especially since her charge didn't want to hop in the back of the truck.
She joined Matiu, her halberd hoisted over one shoulder as she kept an eye on the strange furry person with the visor, who called herself Mequoql (which sounded like the name of a drink to the quarter-elf), announcing to those closest to her, "Okay, whose ass do I have t'kick in order t'get this show on the road, hmm?"
She frowned slightly as the Not Chaos Hunters decided to take Mequoql's offer of being taken to safety. She shrugged, "I guess we should follow them."
edited 24th Jun '18 6:29:11 PM by WillDeRegio
The Prince of Foolish Relevations
So, the confrontation soon begins...
Reappearing next to Mael so seamlessly and suddenly, it would seem like "Dius Giudice" was there all along- Well, for anyone who could see, which would be just the sharply dressed mind-controller. Casually spinning around in the air to face Mael, the mysterious 'observer' goddess speaks slightly playful.
"So, little prince, what did you think of that girl I guided your way? She seems to think your doll's friends are some, like, brothel of spider-people who want to enslave you. I mean, really, isn't that absurd? One should just raise artificial lifeforms, they got no family missing them."
'Dius' turning her head to the side to look over the Not-Chaos Hunters, nothing seems to happen- Yet to those few who were able to see, the transparent buildings Meq alluded to... Are perfectly normal.
The kids themselves, would soon realize the invisible walls trapping them have changed. Specifically, that the walls seem to be guiding them in Mequoql's direction, with just enough room not to feel malicious... But nowhere near enough to be completely reassuring.
Turning her head back to Mael, 'Dius' holds out her bucket of popcorn before speaking up "You know, I've been meaning to ask... Why do you so strongly dislike these children? Surely a prince has only valid reasons. They bullied your daughter or whatever, yeah? You seem like a parental sort, your children must be so proud having a dad like you..."
Fascinating, what power the mind can hold.
Justin, as Shale explained about mental strength, has this look as if politely saying 'Not exactly what I meant'. Yet as she explained how they trained for only one individual... The young man looks incredibly incredulous, clearly trying to be polite about it even as he all about shouts 'That's insane, why would you ever!?'
Still, the in-here dark haired man manages to compose himself, looking at Shale thoughtfully as mentioned identity shells. Scratching at his scars rather absentmindedly, Justin flicks his gaze to Vindex before speaking to Shale calmly.
"I've never heard that term, identity shell, before. Still, I'm pretty sure Vindex would be a special case... He is not part of my natural self, so it isn't like I'm missing anything from my soul. I've heard tale of a power, Daemon Unchain, that let's those born lucky to manifest aspects of their soul. Your True Name, your capacity to dream, whatever... Is that why you're emotionless?"
Justin pulling his hand from his face and casually waving off as if saying 'You don't need to answer', he folds his arms against his chest. Looking down for a moment in silence, he looks back at Shale with a somewhat serious expression before calling out similarly.
"I do find it rather mad that, despite having experience being mind-controlled, your group only trained for a single individual. If one person emerged abusing such power, it is inevitable at least a second will come along. Is it not illogical to overspecialize to countering a single mind? I-it makes far more sense to become the strongest yourselves..."
Running his hands through his hair and beginning to pace about, Justin's hands begin curling & uncurling as he continues. "You are telepaths, of course brute force isn't the only way! Strength, is so much more than that though! Y-you could lurk inside their minds, distort their perceptions, feed false information- W-what have you been doing if not making your minds hazardous and your enemies' untrustworthy?"
Justin stopping as he begins running his hands through his hair again, he lets out a sort of 'excited' sigh before speaking more calmly. "V-Valerie and I, we hate having our lives disrupted like that. If Master Valerie had to worry about someone dominating me, she would do everything to make sure it wouldn't happen. It just, unnerves me, that a group like yours still has to worry. It really doesn't say anything good about the rest of us..."
Rec Room that wasn't designed for my casual comments
Smiling somewhat sheepishly yet amused, Explorer responds to Mae. "The reason I don't call myself Researcher of Unknowns is because I'm not really that kind of person. Be really pretentious of me if I did... Nah, I let Ashley do the serious studying in my place. I'm really just an adventurer..."
Letting herself just drifting in whatever direction, there's a slight frown on Explorer's face as she finally answers Mae's questions. "Yeah, Psyche-chan would of been born only a few months later if Lux Sniper wasn't killed. Regarding how an angel dies... You either get the help of fallen ones, or have a god kill them."
Suddenly, though not unexpected by following her emotions, Explorer laughs rather cruelly as she stops her drifting. Her 'heart', so to speak, seems bursting with anger & sorrow & horror as she continues laughing for a few moments. Then, as she finishes, Explorer 'sits' cross-legged as a child-like hologram of Maequoql is projected between her hands.
"That must suck, stuck as eternal jailbait and knowing trying to avert your fate would end poorly. Woo hoo, you get superpowers? Big deal, everybody looks at you as a child even once you're a century old... Who the hell would be envious of that, huh? You maybe? My friend Lucifel can't even admit to having children because of her agelessness."
Little Felian looking up at her 'mother' with a look of confusion and concern, it seems the feathery cat seems to have difficulty comprehending what is happening. Explorer, however, seems to be seething as she looks at Maequoql.
"The Nao Ranay Nokt… Sounds like something my people would make for laughs. We created a species for whom water is alcohol and vise versa, ya know? We've created a species where male and female is reversed only in regards to their own people. We engineered Brittle society to mimic the society of a different universe, one full of stupid nonsense just so they couldn't become our betters..."
Taking a deep breath and letting out a sigh, Explorer's emotions... Compose, becoming some vague determination instead of that frustration. "I'm still the Explorer of Unknowns because I want to help people. My species, it is our greatest ambition to become the undisputed gods of the omniverse. Everything, all universes, yadda yadda. I hate evil, and suffering, and insane crap justifying it..."
Explorer's body visibly calming down, the rainbow haired goddess looks away and down towards Mael before speaking casually calm. "When you're not wanting your brother tortured for science, what does your organization do? Can't possibly be a trans-universal peace force, so you're just dealing with one universe right? Do you just... Clean up messes, or go at the root cause?"
Hotel
Valerie still seeming rather calm about Arilay's state, with her even looking perplexed by Cynthia's faltering. Though as Cynthia calls Valerie, the dark-haired witch actually seems rather bashful- To the point she seems unfamiliar with such compliments...
Between Arilay trying to correct herself and Moobly expressing disapproval in her choice, Valerie kind of gives Arilay a funny look- Like saying 'There were better choices.' Yet as Cynthia called Justin a dog... Valerie's fists clench.
It was then that Arilay and then Cynthia responded to her mention of golems. The young(?) witch blinking at Arilay in confusion and seeming uncertain of Cynthia's inquiry, Valerie 'hmm'es in minor frustration.
Arilay openly asking how much Valerie actually knows about children, however... Causes the young witch to blush brightly, conspicuously looking away from Justin as she sort of shuffles in place. Huh, does she... Does she have a crush on her butler/familiar? She clearly doesn't look upset...
What finally really re-grabs her attention is when Arilay asks about the insult regarding her mom. For a moment, Valerie seems reluctant to say, before cheerfully smiling in an innocently 'oblivious' manner.
"Well, I don't really get what she meant, but miss rabbit said something like 'Even we have standards'. All I really understand is that she was insulting my mom, and that makes me incredibly happy. Oh, I have a lot of sisters by the way!"
Rocking back and forth on her feet, Valerie hums to herself before suddenly looking at Cynthia with a pout. Flaring her arms to her sides and pointing behind herself, the young witch speaks cutely indignant.
"Justin isn't a dog! He's a good boy, but he isn't a dog!" Cutely glaring at Cynthia for a few seconds, Valerie resumes rocking on her feet as she speaks again sweetly. "Vindex isn't my familiar, he's my friend and Justin's sword. I made him- V-vindex, a-and not outright though!"
Blushing for a moment, Valerie glances back over at Arilay before speaking up. "I feel too much magic on you though, that's weird if you're a cyborg instead. Besides, golems are better anyways, since ya just use magic to make it move right. Plus, aren't you worried about your body becoming a Nomi?"
Seeming to consider something for a moment, Valerie excitedly hops over to Cynthia before trying to grab her arm to point at Arilay. Regardless, the young(?) witch calls out excitedly "We could make you a new body! With magic, an organic body that can shapeshift is possible for us! Moobly exists, so you know Cynthia is good!"
edited 24th Jun '18 11:28:45 PM by Kkutwar
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."
Town Square ~ Frontier Sporting Goods (Carol, Lily; Stranger; Not-Chaos-Hunters)
Carol nodded in understanding, "Oh, right, this is the town—" She paused for a moment as she frowned, glancing to and fro, "Hey, Lily, what was this town called again?"
It was Lily's turn to frown as she introduced herself, "Lily Otterbien. You know, I really don't know. I tried asking around, but all I got was that this was the town; there really aren't any other towns nearby. Anyway, long story short, you're probably on another world," she bluntly told Matiu.
She then pointed towards Carol, "She's Carol Hunter, the, uh, one with the most hunting experience."
Then the panicking began.
Lily immediately went into action mode. She pointed to the truck, "Matt, back of the truck, now. Lie down flat. Carol, get him out of here." She then turned around to face the others, moving her rifle to a ready position, "I'll take to the air, see if I can spot the source of this commotion," she told them as she took a few steps back, before taking a moment to make sure her take off was clear. "Stand clear," she warned, as she snapped her goggles into place and focused her magic power through her equipment.
She crouched slightly, firmly gripping her rifle, as the air began whistling around her. With a sudden whoosh, the flight mage catapulted herself into the air upon a whirlwind, sending light objects not properly secured in relatively close proximity to her swirling into the air.
At about a hundred twenty feet in the air, blades fanned out from her back pack, manipulating air currents to hover in place. Deploying her floating rings, she took to scanning the town below.
Town ~ Hotel Lobby (Cynthia, Moobly; Arilay, Shale; Nui; Justin, Valerie, Vindex; others)
Cynthia raised an eyebrow at Valerie. She was surprised that the little witch had figured out that Arilay wasn't a dog; she hadn't until Shale had told her during their telepathic exchange.
Moobly, meanwhile, tilted her head in confusion. She wasn't privy to the knowledge that Arilay was in fact a shapeshifting human cyborg. Or that there was such a possible combination. So she was caught off guard when Arilay replied. "Arilay can talk," she said, the uncertainty of how to phrase that caused her inflection to fall by the wayside.
With the initial surprise over with, the cynthonic nodded, "Aye, Moobly doesn't think Cynthia dropped them on purpose. Besides, Moobly will make more," she said, before crossing her arms, "at least they did not go to waste; Moobly is glad that Arilay liked them."
And then Arilay relieved her true form. Cynthia's voice caught in her throat, she held her hand to her mouth to stifle a gasp. A mix of horror and concern coursed through her. Suddenly, the initial moping she had to her injuries ten years ago seemed insignificant and selfish compared to what Arilay must have gone through.
Moobly took a step back, mouth agape, black stripes forming on her skin. She jerked her head side to side, though, to get a better look at her, "Moobly thinks Arilay lost more than a few parts," she quipped.
Sun-Dry Sea (Pilot 0037, Unit 09; Nyorla)
The boy simply nodded when Nyorla stated that she'd be using her claws to butcher the moufretas.
He then wrinkled his nose at the prospect of meeting a "lizard person". "I've met a few merfolk before, I guess that would be close enough," he told her as he mentally prepared himself for what he expected to be an anthropomorphic beastie with more teeth than he could count.
The Necropolis (It Came From The Sea; Wanderer; Crazy Hungry Lady)
The beast was rather grateful to no longer have a hungry woman clinging to its face, or a curved blade lodged in its head. It grasped the side of its head as it body began weaving itself back together.
"Me neither," it replied, before cocking its humanoid head to the side, "Ye are a most peculiar beastie. Ne'er met someain wha tried tae eat me afore"