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Post by NPC Controller 3 on Jul 29, 2010 22:44:17 GMT 8
[OOC: Start posting in this thread now for the mission.]
An eerie silence permeated the empty hanger of R.T. Vehicle Hire-Purchase Co. Ltd., broken only by the sudden appearance of several interlopers, namely Faranella, an unconscious Sierra, Sol, and Venser.
Catherine Ludwig Bostock, R.T. Vehicle Hire-Purchase Co. Ltd.
Guess lady luck isn't with me.
Holed up in the pantry of the abandoned structure, Catherine Ludwig Bostock, one of New Technia's most important UAV drone project leaders, contemplated the strange twist of fate.
She was on a trip to study older technology in hopes of finding ways to re innovate them, make them stronger, and faster, in the now made commercially available drone models in R.T. Vehicle Hire-Purchase, but an ill-timed alien invasion had made her chances of returning to New Technia with her fresh ideas relatively bleak.
But then again, some luck might still be with me.
Having evaded detection and capture so far, Catherine had snaked her way into the upper floors from the hanger, in hopes of finding assistance from the employees within the offices, unfortunately, they had already vacated the premises.
Luckily for her, water was still running within the building, hence she lived on the supplies within the pantry, hoping that someone back in New Technia would remember that she existed and that she was most probably in a very tight bind.
Let's see now, five chocolate bars, two boxes of cereal, two cartons of milk, one expired, a box of instant noodles, and a single cabbage.
Setting the supplies aside carefully, she estimated that it would last her for about a week, though the supplies were pitifully low on dietary fiber.
All I can do is sit and wait, anyway. When the food runs out, however...
She took a peek outside through the pantry window, observing the desolate cityscape.
... Then I'll have to take my chances.
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Post by RaineScarlet on Jul 30, 2010 15:01:32 GMT 8
Why does it always end up this way?
I always end up being a burden to everyone.
How am I supposed to help them, when I can barely take care of myself?
Always over-exerting myself, causing trouble.Sierra, in her wisp form, watched as Faranella carried her vessel out of the drop ship -- A reminder that time did not stop for anyone, not even a forlorn spirit trying to regain control of herself. She floated beside Faranella, silently apologizing as the latter continually infused Sierra with healing spells. But I ... don't ... regret helping anyone.The Undine sighed as only a cotton ball would sigh and felt her vessel begin to accept her inside once more. Finally ready. She slipped in slowly, causing each part of her vessel to glow faintly as she reclaimed it. When the process was complete, she opened her eyes, slowly, and breathed out a plume of cyan mist. "I'm ... sorry. And ... thank you." She tried moving, and her limbs responded without much trouble. Sierra sighed with relief, curiously breathing out mist again. What ... have I become a walking refrigerator now?She brought her arm up to wave the mist off, but her heart skipped a beat as soon as she made contact with the mist. Physically, it should not have been possible, but the mist was far from physical in nature. She was leaking mana energy every time she breathed. H-how is this poss ... It can't be because of ...Sierra glanced furtively at Faranella, who, was still sticking close by. Was it even remotely possible that her mana had caused her vessel to mutate? But how? Were the repeated regenerative spells so effective that they were causing her to spontaneously regenerate her own mana pool ... ? I may be a spirit, but this is unheard of ... I cannot even begin to imagine what the connotations of something like this would be. An eternal supply of mana ... within myself?Still sitting and not having made much movement since her awakening, she decided that she needed to confirm her fears before moving on. She pointed her face towards the sky at the clouds, and stretched out her senses toward it. Normally, she would have only been able to sense droplets in the sky but not control it. And now ...Sierra bit her lip and emptied her mind. The sky simultaneously was emptied of clouds, as if something had pushed all the clouds suddenly away. She stared at the sky numbly ... and then quickly made to stand up, pretending that she had nothing to do with it. Something is wrong. This is a violation of Mother Nature.
I hope this is only temporary, or else, as a spirit, I may have to correct this imbalance by destroying myself. Breath of Life - Able to cure all things living from a near-death state to a perfect state. Cannot revive dead people. - Able to replenish mana of all things living and greatly amplify casting ability, speed, and range. - Conditions: Must be extremely close to the living thing in question (1~2 feet radius). - Also affects Sierra herself, but may cause her to lose control of her water and hit things that she didn't intend to hit.
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Post by Carillus on Jul 30, 2010 22:31:52 GMT 8
Kamin was the last out of the large, howling belly of the beast. Above, she could still hear the hollow reverb of matter upon mana, elemental bombardments raining hell down upon the magic shield.
She had remembered. Why she had such a textbook knowledge of various technological weapons and artifacts. Why she felt so at home in the thick of war. Why she felt a sense of familiarity with these fellow comrades, people whom she'd never met before, but she knew were people who could fight to save themselves.
A weapons specialist. That was what she had been before. She had been to the Roundtable almost six years ago. And she had learnt to embrace the clinical efficiency of fighting with technology.
Why she had learnt to embrace it - that fact still evaded her, suppressed within the deep recesses of her memory.
Then again, things that one doesn't remember, are best not remembered.
A principle she had lived by, ever since she awoke those few months ago in an elderly couple's house with nothing but the clothes on her back, her name in her mind and that Walther P38 in her hand.
Kamin was vaguely aware of the dropship pilot shouting a goodbye, then quickly taking off and turning tail for the border. As it left, the massive shield slowly receded along with it.
"I guess we're on our own now." In the cavernous hangar, with close to a dozen buildings around it and a mere one person to find. Not to mention the enemy would be all over the place soon.
Backing into the hangar after the others, she once again unslung the S2-AM from her back, and the Barrett .50 with it. The weight of the two massive rifles hanging off each arm was a familiar one in her magic-reinforced grip.
Yes, she had been a weapons specialist. And now, she had remembered which she was.
A firearms specialist.
Weapons Proficiency [Level 120] - Eye of True Sight Kamin has the ability to target and shoot the weakest point of any enemy within a 3km radius of herself. This ability is limited by her being able to use only up to two weapons at once. This proficiency is limited to one-shot, one-kill weapons like sniper rifles and particle laser cannons.
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Post by Phagetthree on Jul 31, 2010 22:54:48 GMT 8
Good, she's finally up.
Nodding in way of acknowledgment of Sierra's thanks, Faranella stood back up and continued looking as she seemed taken aback for a moment, before quickly composing herself and picking herself up.
"I am glad my efforts have finally paid off. Are you well enough to move with us? We are currently in the midst of searching for a person of importance, if you can recall the briefing we had not too long ago."
Scanning her surroundings once again, she felt odd that no enemy presence had been felt yet.
"Come on!"
Leading the way, she once again unslung the Soul Keeper, gripping it tightly in her right hand as she proceeded to delve deeper into the structure.
Noting a door that had a sign 'REGISTRATION OFFICE' above it, she walked up to the door with caution, wary that it could swing open and expose her to enemy forces at any moment.
Confident that her comrades would be ready to assist her in the event of an ambush, she placed her gnarled left hand on the door knob and turned.
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Post by schrodinger on Aug 1, 2010 2:32:30 GMT 8
After great pain a formal feeling comes, the nerves sit ceremonious like tombs, and oftentimes when the mind - or perhaps the heart - is left reeling in the wake of a shock of some magnitude, unable to process it all, one's world changes in strange ways. Emotional torpor sets in, reducing experience to a slow-motion flurry of disconnected images, denied a coherent context by a mind unwilling to work, to see and to understand - because refusal to comprehend is the only anodyne available.
And it was in this state that Venser approached the building that their mission was to take place in, walking as one who cannot quite wake from a terrible dream, looking at his surroundings without seeing them at all.
Non, je ne regrette rien...
But that was an empty line.
The sad part was that he had to sincerely hope that it was, because the alternative would be to begin his journey down a long path to darkness and start dealing in absolutes. He knew what it signified now, knew that his outburst, effective as it had been, had also marked him as a murderer. Not just a killer, not just someone who took lives because it was necessary. Murder. He'd wanted them dead.
And he'd gotten what he wanted, by his own hands. There it was, the reason in plain sight. Accomplishment wasn't something to be penalized, typically, but the nature of his recent conquest was rather dissimilar to anything he'd tried before. There had been a sense of justice involved, of course, but over and above that he'd been spurred to action by hatred, a sudden effusion of toxicity that threatened to choke him, and that was what really counted in the end.
That was black magic. That was death, corruption, malice and hatred. And that way - for him at least - lay madness. And he was touched by it, now, his act of murder a beacon of darkness for forces that existed just beyond perception, casting a shadow over him where none had been before.
No way out, no convenient excuse - if any devil had made him do it, it was one of his own making. If there was evil afoot, it wasn't without but within, and he knew it, body, mind, and soul. His body, attuned to the flow of mana around him as it was, was only reflecting this shift, an indelible sign to him that he'd crossed a line somewhere.
Was redemption possible? Could he be cleansed of this taint? He didn't dare to hope, not at this point, but he wouldn't know until he tried. And he couldn't try anything until he had the time to think it through, which clearly wasn't possible under his current circumstances. First things first. The mission took priority right now.
Forcing himself out of his stupor, he took stock of their current situation, trying to keep his mind focused on the here and now.
"We're going to need a point man. If Faranella's volunteering, the rest of us will just have to back her up as best we can. Should someone remain here to ensure that our exit route remains clear?"
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Post by Mathus on Aug 2, 2010 16:41:10 GMT 8
"Should someone remain here to ensure that our exit route remains clear?"
"I'll do it. Careful though, seeing as we haven't encounter any enemies, I suspect they might be planning an ambush or a massive attack."
Ugh, why am I feeling very uneasy about this? Like something very bad is gonna happen. Better set some traps I suppose, just to be safe.
Sol proceed to create some spiked pitfalls outside of the hangar. Noticing a slight movement, he quickly threw a sword, but it only impaled a rock.
I guess I might be too paranoid. But I swore something was there.
However, as Sol approaches, a pair of jaws appeared from underneath. Instinctively, he jumped and locked the jaws with some kind of metallic construction.
Dammit, I was right.
But it was too late. Two sets of spikes had already appeared and are rushing towards the hangar.
Ugh, I won't let you enter.
Sol created a metal barrier that extend far below the ground. But it was futile as they merely jumped over it, revealing their huge bodies, and entered the hangar.
Earth dragons? That's not something you'll get to see everyday. Oh crap, I need to stop them. Or at least one of two.
He then tried to chain one of them to the entrance. It resisted, but that was enough, as it had decide to face Sol instead.
"C'mon, I'll take you on."
...What the hell am I saying? I'll probably be killed by this beast.
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Post by Carillus on Aug 2, 2010 20:26:15 GMT 8
OoC || I'm taking creative liberties with stuff here.
"I'll take the other, then."
Kamin, with that off-hand remark, levelled her two rifles square at the massive construct making its way through the hangar... through the ground.
...Well, maybe using .50 cal shells against a massive spiny earthworm might not be such a great idea.
Then the dragon roared, rearing its ugly head up and out of the ground, revealing rows upon rows of spiked tungsten-tipped rock - its teeth.
...Scratch that.
"Faranella? Venser? Sierra? You guys go on ahead. I'll take this one; Sol alone ain't gonna cut it."
The dragon was now right in her face. Undaunted, she stared right back at the magical construct, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Bring it, earthworm."
Compressing magical energy into her feet, she shot herself up to the ceiling of the hangar, both rifles aimed down at the ground.
The core of the construct... lies within the eyes.
That was the standard for summoned dragons. She hoped it was right this time. Sixteen bullets in the Barrett - four in the S2-AM.
Twenty light-enhanced rounds, shot straight into the eyes of the dragon.
This better work.
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Post by Phagetthree on Aug 2, 2010 20:59:55 GMT 8
"Understood! Sierra, Venser, let's go! Our target may be in mortal peril!"
Pulling the door back, her blackened appendage responded to her intentions with far greater force than she had intended, ripping the door clear of its hinges and sending it flying back, nearly hitting Venser on its whirling path onto the hangar bay floor.
That felt good... This strength, it is unlike anything I have felt before! They say the Goddess works in mysterious ways, perhaps this is...? No! This is, and always will be, a blight upon my body, an unholy curse!
Shaking her head to clear her heretical thoughts, she knew that were a Templar Psychic be near her, her heretical thoughts would've been picked up immediately, and her mind crushed into instant oblivion, both to serve as an example and to keep the Order free of any taint, indeed, her hand itself was cause enough for her eradication.
Looking up again, she was relieved to see that the corridor beyond was free of contacts, any enemies present would have gladly taken advantage of her temporal reverie for a surprise attack, leaving her defenceless.
As she walked cautiously into the corridor, she spoke into the communications device on her head.
"I will attempt to engage any and all melee attackers we encounter, the both of you should focus your efforts on any casters, does anyone have any objections to this strategy?"
While silence still reigned within the corridors, her thoughts drifted again.
Away from the caring embrace of the Gods and Goddess, only my faith will protect me now.
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Post by schrodinger on Aug 3, 2010 21:48:51 GMT 8
Whoa, nellie. What'd it ever do to you?
Avoiding Faranella's furniture fury, Venser, holding true to his effort to put the spectre of his hubris behind him and focus on the mission at hand, cast his mind into the world, sweeping the entire building with a mental net of sorts. At such a wide range, and at such short notice, he couldn't sense any true thoughts, but it was certainly sufficient to alert him to the presence of people. The priority, of course, was their target - yes, there she was, holed up in a room on one of the upper floors.
As far as unwelcome houseguests went, there were of course the two dragons behind them... hopefully way behind them... but it was impossible for him to sense thoughts from them, being that constructs of their sort lacked minds in the conventional sense, possessing a very different sort of sentience instead.
That said, there was still the possibility that there might be any number of very unfriendly people lurking in hallways to come, waiting to come bursting out of rooms and catch them unawares. Had it been up to him, he'd have chosen a more subtle approach, with far less risk of announcing his presence to any possible adversaries, but this was, of course, shot to hell by the ongoing struggle with the dragons that they'd managed to embroil themselves in.
Still, knowledge was power, and knowing exactly what they were going to be up against was going to be a vital piece of information. Following Faranella through the very recently violently liberated doorway, he let his senses wander through the byways of the mental network he'd cast throughout the building, searching, probing, looking for anyone that might be a threat to them.
OoC || NPC Controllers, Mathus, I ask for your cooperation - information is the name of the game here, so without giving too much away, please decide (if you haven't already) if the building is populated with anything other than the intended target, and let us know.
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Post by RaineScarlet on Aug 4, 2010 4:27:01 GMT 8
It was difficult for Sierra to ignore the dragons behind them. Her stomach churned as the earth elemental within her burned in fury, but she forced herself to turn away and follow Faranella and Venser into the building.
Upon feeling a familiar net of mana cast over her, she instinctively stopped breathing to avoid letting out any more mana. True, it was only Venser doing some preliminary probing of the area, but Sierra was still too paranoid about her recent unwelcome mutation.
Still holding her breath, she cast her senses into the building as well, searching for bodies of water--blood. It frightened her how she felt a much closer connection to blood now, almost as if she could ...
No! Controlling someone else's blood is terrible! I can't believe I can ...
She hoped she was mistaken, and decided not to try it on anyone anytime soon.
"I don't think ... there is anyone else here. We should move quickly though, so the dragons do not destroy the foundations of this place." Sierra spoke quickly, turned slightly away from Faranella and Venser and moved a bit ahead of them so that neither would notice the mist that was still leaking out with each breath.
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Post by Phagetthree on Aug 5, 2010 21:29:22 GMT 8
"Whoa, hey, wait!"
The girl she had helped, Sierra, rushed past Venser and Faranella, with her faced turn away.
"Don't run like that! Stay behind me!"
Without quite thinking, Faranella reached out with her left arm, since her right was still occupied by the Soul Keeper, and grabbed Sierra's shoulder.
"Stop!"
Careful not to apply too much force, she spun Sierra around, pulling her to an abrupt stop.
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Post by RaineScarlet on Aug 7, 2010 15:25:11 GMT 8
It seemed she had made an error when impulsively deciding to move up a bit. Well, doing things impulsively never turned out well anyway.
Sierra suddenly found herself pulled back and spun around until she could barely differentiate between the ceiling and the floor.
"Yahh!" She yelped inadvertently, breathing blue mist into Faranella's face. It was far from harmless (it would, most likely, prevent sicknesses for about a year and grant increased regeneration from injury for the next 48 hours), but it rendered all her careful secrecy useless for the moment.
"I-I'm sorry, I will stay back," The Undine stammered, putting a hand to her mouth, and stumbling out of Faranella's grasp.
I'm taking this too seriously--no, it IS serious--but it's causing trouble for the current mission. Under normal circumstances, I would have done something about it, but this is hardly a normal circumstance. Should I just come out with it and hope that no one finds anything disturbing about it? No doubt trying to keep this covered will cause more problems in the future.
Sierra thought it through nervously, and decided to gauge Faranella and the so-far silent Venser's reactions before acting. It was somewhat childish of her, but she couldn't afford to let her personal issue cause her to slip up in a life or death situation.
I-if they don't say anything off-putting about it, then maybe I can forget about this until this mission is over. I need to think about this without dragons screeching in the background.
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Post by schrodinger on Aug 7, 2010 23:45:48 GMT 8
"No need for undue worry, ladies. The path ahead appears to be clear of enemies - we should make haste, really, it'd be impolite to keep our date waiting."
Firmly pressing forward, in the hopes that it would defuse the little domestic dispute between Sierra and Faranella, Venser led them towards their eventual destination, the poor lady who'd been stranded upstairs. Speaking of which, that gave him an idea.
Reaching out through the mental network he'd created, he touched her mind, speaking into her ear across boundaries of concrete and steel without so much as moving his lips. This particular act of telepathy was not especially difficult, although it was complicated somewhat by the fact that he'd never so much as met her. It was rather like talking to someone on the other side of a foggy river, with only an idea of their general location as a guide.
Still, he was reasonably confident in his ability to communicate a simple message to her, even in the face of a terrible blow to his sense of self. This was nothing. Easy. Piece of cake.
Ms. Bostock, can you hear me? I am part of a rescue force that's been sent here to bring you back home, so please don't panic. Can you tell me where you are, and how we can reach you as quickly as possible? Just think of the directions, or visualize the path in your head, and we'll follow it to you.
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Post by NPC Controller on Aug 8, 2010 14:04:07 GMT 8
Catherine Ludwig Bostock, R.T. Vehicle Hire-Purchase Co. Ltd.[/u]
That was... faster than I'd expected.
The tinny voice had suddenly echoed through her head, just when she had been wondering whether it was possible to save the milk through electrolysis.
But first...
I'd very much like to trust you, first, the reply to the code "Degora-05". The answer should appear on the communicator once you say the code.
"Degora" was a codename series that was assigned to high-level scientists within New Technian industry; if the order for rescue had come from the top, the reply would be stored within the communicator assigned to the rescue group. She herself did not know the reply, but by putting the reply into her own cell, she could ascertain if this rescue group was a genuine one or not.
Technology was a very precious thing.
I'm waiting for your reply.
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Post by schrodinger on Aug 9, 2010 1:13:38 GMT 8
Well, protocol is protocol.
Making sure not to broadcast his every thought to the lady on the other end of the line, Venser brought Faranella's attention to the communicator she held, seeing as it was the key to earning Ms. Bostock's trust.
"Faranella, could you pass me the device you're holding? I need to use it for a moment, if you don't mind."
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Post by Phagetthree on Aug 9, 2010 1:23:38 GMT 8
Satisfied that Sierra was once again safely behind and under her protection, Faranella was ready to press on when Venser interrupted her.
"Of course, Venser."
Balancing the Soul Keeper against her body, she pulled the communicator off her head, and handed it to Venser.
It was then that she realised something was amiss.
... Where's my helmet?
Thinking back, she then remembered that it had been left behind on the dropship when she had received the communication device.
Must've still been confused, then, I wouldn't have forgotten it otherwise, but nevermind that, we have to move on.
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Post by schrodinger on Aug 9, 2010 3:22:27 GMT 8
"Ah, merci beaucoup, mademoiselle."
Taking the communicator from Faranella, Venser ensured that it was activated, and carefully enunciated the codeword that Ms. Bostock had given him into it. He didn't know what exactly to expect from the other end, but a prompt response was all he could hope for, given the circumstances. Hopefully there would be none of that 'Your call is important to us, please hold.' nonsense that many of these services were plagued by, because he didn't think they had very long before a troupe of disgruntled dragons brought the place down around their ears.
He wondered just how Kamin and Sol were faring against said dragons, come to think of it.
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Post by Mathus on Aug 9, 2010 22:37:13 GMT 8
Dodging all the attack from the dragon was all Sol could do.
Dammit, guess I'll have to fight with range.
Deciding that a melee fight was out of the question, he kept his distance and threw a sword at the dragon, but it merely disintegrate.
What the hell, did it just destroyed my attack?
Observing it closely, Sol noticed that the part of the dragon's armor where he threw the sword at, seems to be regenerating.
Hmm, interesting. So it sacrificed a part of it's armor to negate my attack? Then, I wonder what will happen if I kept attacking it till it has nothing left to sacrifice or a perhaps attack with something bigger than itself?
Sol then proceed to create a huge metal block, bigger than the dragon, above it and let gravity do the rest of the work. He watched as the dragon disintegrate itself to destroy the block.
Heh, that was easy. Now, what about the others?
Sol turns to face the other dragon, but it was now laying at the ground in pieces. Looking at the metal construction he made earlier, he noticed that the jaws had disappear from it's cage.
Crap, the first one had escaped.
"We need to go now! The first dragon made it through while we were bus-"
A roar interrupted him, a roar from the dragon that Sol supposedly thought he had kill.
It's still alive? But I was sure it killed itself.
"I guess you'll have to go first and warn the rest, if it isn't too late."
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Post by NPC Controller on Aug 10, 2010 22:18:23 GMT 8
"Code: Degora-05. Confirmed code identification. Voice identification: Venser Savoir. Confirmed ally. Reply: Valencia-81. Repeat, Valencia-81."
The communicator replied smoothly, the female operator betraying no hints of its mechanical origins, sounding every bit like the stereotypical female receptionist.
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Post by schrodinger on Aug 10, 2010 23:41:17 GMT 8
Having received the required codeword, Venser made haste in re-establishing communications with Ms. Bostock, calling out once more across his mental link with her.
Ms. Bostock, the code is Valencia-81. Is that satisfactory?
Awaiting her reply, his attention was momentarily - but very compellingly - diverted, for he'd just noted a rather worrying spike of shock and dismay from somewhere close by. Was it Sol? ...It was, wasn't it? Bugger. That could only mean one thing.
"Ladies, we're expecting some unwelcome company. Avec moi, s'il vous plait?"
Placing one hand on each of their shoulders, he focused briefly, channeling his energies through arcane patterns around the three of them, weaving a shroud of invisibility about their persons, impenetrable by mundane or magical means, unless his spell was broken by an especially skilled mage.
He didn't know if the dragon that was doubtless headed their way was out for their blood in particular or if it'd just decided to take a stroll, but either way he felt it was a capital idea to keep themselves well out of its way, and in a confined space like the corridor they were in, this was perhaps the only way to accomplish it.
"We should get as far away as possible. Move quickly, but keep close to me, alright?"
Leading them down the corridor, he ensured that his glamer held firm, concealing all signs of their presence and movement.
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Post by Phagetthree on Aug 11, 2010 0:30:47 GMT 8
It was a very subtle feeling, just some hairs prickling on your neck, and the slight knotting of your guts.
Something's coming.
Instead of subsiding, the sound of battle in the hangar had grown louder, instead, and seemingly closer.
Venser seemed to have picked up a clue, too, as he promptly cast an invisibility shroud over the three of them and hustled them forward, deeper into the structure.
Keeping an eye on the receding doorway, Faranella followed through into another part of the building, a larger, more spacious zone, a common room.
Through the still open room door, she could just make out their pursuer's visage, made entirely of stone, seemingly searching for them as it roared into the corridor.
Great, just what we need, a creature made of stone to bring the whole building crashing upon us.
If the creature's face could express anything other than anger, it showed nothing other than that as it continued peeking through the corridor. Bemusement would've been the word, but who could fathom the mind of a construct, other than its creators?
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Post by NPC Controller on Aug 11, 2010 9:48:11 GMT 8
Catherine Ludwig Bostock, R.T. Vehicle Hire-Purchase Co. Ltd.
Catherine punched the code into her cellphone. The screen flashed a brief 'loading...', then went green.
I'm good. I'm sending you the coordinates now.
Closing her eyes, she imagined the hangar in as complete a form as she could - the doors, the path which she took to get to the room. She didn't know how this mind reader's skill worked, but she guessed more detail couldn't hurt.
...And here we have the pantry.
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Post by Seasons of Music on Aug 11, 2010 14:33:54 GMT 8
[OoC: I'M BACK! ] A shimmering blue sphere of energy faded into existence slightly above the floor. The humming that emanated from the energy bubble gradually rose to an earsplitting level, as the capsule solidified. With a loud crackle of electricity, the sphere burst apart from the top, causing rogue sparks to shoot outwards, scorching the floor, while revealing a humanoid figure crouched within. "Gosh. That was disconcerting." Jasper walked out from the charred circle on the floor caused by the energy from the chronosphere. Wobbling slightly, he stood up straight and found his vision obscured by a gigantic mass of earth. "HOLY SHIIIIIIT!" An animated dragon seemingly made of earth and stone turned to face him, widening its maw and revealing rows of metal-tipped teeth. Tungsten tipped A report from his constant clairvoyance informed him. Backpedaling furiously, Jasper bumped into a ruined pillar. The scene of devastation filled his eyes. Jasper's mind emptied itself. All his training left him, floating just out of the grasp of his blank mind. He shook his head, twice, before reaching out to embrace reality, along with his precarious situation. As a precaution, Jasper formed a telekinetic shield around him that would protect him from any flying debris. Jasper then probed the hangar with his clairvoyance, realizing that there were 3 humanoids that did not seem to reflect light properly. A dragon roared at him, forcing him from his reverie. A second dragon which he could not see seemed to be reforming some distance away. A third was apparently destroyed by Kamin's shots, but Jasper wasn't sure. "Well, whatever. I should get rid of these pests first." Jasper opened his mind to the information that flooding in through his clairvoyance. He could clearly visualize the erratic movements of each subatomic particle within every atom in each dragon. Jasper summoned his telekinetic powers to saturate both dragons. Attacking the nucleus of each atom, he overpowered the inter-nucleonic forces of attraction within, and causing a massive wave of stimulated disintegration of every atom, therefore a chain reaction of nuclear fission in both dragons, turning them into a large mass of seperate nucleons and electrons. These then reformed to form a more stable 56Fe, thus effectively disrupting the magitrons and severing the link that powered the ex-dragons. A large lump of iron was all that was left of both dragons. Jasper collapsed to the ground, before realising that he had over-exerted himself. "Crap..." Jasper's vision became blurry. His body felt devoid of energy, which it was. His conciousness shut down, to conserve whatever energy he had left into absorbing from the estrons which he did not use in the surroundings. [OoC: Refer to propella wiki for definitions of estron and magitron]
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Post by Carillus on Aug 13, 2010 13:56:02 GMT 8
The dragon faded into non-existence before her eyes, disintegrating into little bits of dust and floating off into the air.
So that was the core...
Behind her, a sudden sickening crunch, like the grinding of steel on bone. Swinging around, she caught sight of Sol's target, already withering under the weight of a giant block of steel.
...Well, that's one way to do it, too.
But Sol had made a fatal error - without ensuring his kill, he had turned his back to the block. Without his knowledge, the dragon had reformed, slowly, behind the hunk of metal, and was creeping slowly toward his unguarded back.
A roar, and the dragon raised its head, ready to strike - but too slow. Kamin's Barrett was already levelled.
"You're going down, boy."
Four shots echoed through the empty hangar, reverberating through the massive metal structure. Kamin slowly lowered her gun - then balked.
The dragon had not died - its head had been blown off, but it was slowly but surely regenerating again.
So the core isn't always in the head, then - I see. That makes things... difficult.
"Gosh, that was disconcerting..."
Eh.
Kamin watched dumbly as Jasper, hot out of the signature blue glow of a Chronosphere transfer, dashed himself into a pillar, rapidly took down two dragons, then collapsed on the ground.
In short, he had pretty much appeared, went for his one moment of glory, then bugged out again.
Uh, ok.
"Erm, Sol? Yeah, seems like uh, Jasper helped us take out the dragons, so I think it's fine if you go ahead first. You're better than me for close combat - I'll cover our exit."
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Post by schrodinger on Aug 13, 2010 19:21:54 GMT 8
Having remained largely isolated from the commotion, Venser was at liberty to dwell on the images of the building that Ms. Bostock had provided him with, cohering them into a clear path to her location. He didn't dare to drop the veil that was keeping them unseen, lest more unanticipated adversaries came their way, so he had to move as quickly as possible whilst keeping all three of them cloaked. It helped that he was now as familiar with the building as Ms. Bostock was, eliminating the need to check every room and go down every hallway - he knew exactly where to find her, and how to get there.
Perhaps it was callous to leave Jasper unconscious behind them, but since he'd already decimated the two dragons, there wasn't really anything around to threaten his well-being for the moment, and the time it would take to extend aid to him simply wasn't worth it. Or was that just the darker side of his id talking?
Did he feel at ease walking away from an unconscious ally because he knew that Jasper was going to be fine or because he just didn't care?
No, it's alright, Kamin knows he's there, she can help him, this is for the good of the mission, we can't stop for him, time is of the essence, nothing's going to happen to him, it's going to be fine, I'm not leaving him to die, I'm not leaving him to die because I want to.
It was a litany between the better part of himself and the insidious whisper of doubt that lurked in the back of his mind, refusing to abide by his affirmations to himself that everything was going to be alright. The only part of this cant he felt some surety in was his confidence in Kamin's ability to help Jasper, as she was the only one near him with the ability to heal. That was what he had to grasp at - faith in his allies and belief in their capabilities.
And though that should have been enough, it still took a considerable amount of restraint to guide Faranella and Sierra away from Jasper, through the hangar to where Ms. Bostock awaited their arrival. Every step was a reminder to himself that he was willing to walk away from someone in need because he had a greater objective in mind, and he was worried to find that he didn't know how to feel about it.
He was, thankfully, spared the ordeal of having to choose between cold, pragmatic, cynicism and flagellating himself with the scourge of guilt for the benefit of his conscience by their arrival at Ms. Bostock's location. It was an issue he would have to resolve at some point in future, he thought, dismissing the spell that concealed their presence as they approached the pantry.
"Ms. Bostock, are you alright? We're here to rescue you."
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