Personification Life: EPIC (IC Thread XI) [CLOSED]

by **Primordial Luxa** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 1:42 pm

Northwest Slobovia wrote:Amanda listened to Primordial as they walked along, but the landscape held almost as much of her attention as his lecture did. After he finished, Amanda thought it over for a while before answering. "I'm not sure if you're supernatural or not, but you are a salesman for a pantheon or another supernatural group." She gave him a brief smile. "You've got a good pitch, and a smooth delivery; you make it seem so reasonable. But it is a sales pitch, and I prefer to read reviews and take test drives before I buy."

"Ha!" Primordial said in a amused manner "Thank you. I don't mean to sound so much like a used cars salesman so my apologies. Unfortunately the reviews aren't very flatter come most of them come from mental patients and people run out of town with torches and pitchforks.

Primordial also noticed the church as Amanda did so and seemed intrigued by whatever kind of inhuman religion these folkish fay might be apart of. His naturally horrific imagination dreamed up several fanatical cults dedicated to the All-mother or the Blackness from Between the Void, but the sign atop the church didn't match any of the tentacular signs of his pantheon and so he gave a small sigh. Perhaps their would be some in this village open to a new way of viewing the world, he thought, he could find some mythos way to improve their cattle or crops as a sign of good will perhaps.

He was quickly distracted from his his insidious thoughts of spreading his religion by the Klaus friendly german accent and he gave a slight nod in response before walking over with Amanada. "Its good to see you Klaus. I must admit in all of this confusion I haven't been able to keep who was in the building straight. But I take it from you comfortable state that you have been here for some time already?"

by **Giovenith** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 5:32 pm

Willow nodded along with what Nick had to say, scooping the cat onto his back as he followed the others in the quaint scene that was the nearby town. Looking around at all there was to display, the artist couldn't help but feel very strong Ponyville vibes, which did more than their fair share to boost his happiness despite the twisted situation. Actually, that was being humble. He was extremely happy! The town's feel, the variety of creatures, the other ponies, he almost felt guilty in admitting to himself that this was an extreme upgrade from Bielefeld (what with it's constant invasions, high technology, and lynching racism.)

Fuck, even the danger they'd just witnessed. Let's see... Mad God on the loose, the parasprite infestation, the rabbit rampage, the dragon attack, the muffin poisoning epidemic, the cutie pox outbreak, the Cerberus attack, that other dragon attack, the Ursa minor attack, that doll that made everypony go insane with greed, that other Mad God on the loose, that vigilante who saved everypony for like two days and then never showed up again, that insane magician girl with the amulet...

Wow, Willow had a terrible history of neighborhood choice.

"What do you think, Nick?" he asked his friend on his back, broadly gesturing to the whole. "I think we're going to be staying here and helping these folks out for a while."

--

Needless to say, Giovenith was concerned about the description Ayla gave of the Fiends and the disturbing patterns behind them. It didn't seem right that these people were forced to knuckle down and wait it out anytime it happened, not with all the tragedy they'd seen today. Heck, what if they were on this planet for longer than they thought? They could bring people into the Building everytime.

She decided to figure something out right there, even if it took a while.

"You really have no other protection other than locking yourselves in your homes?" she questioned carefully.

by **The BranRiech** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 9:36 am

"If we can't wait any longer, we can go now, yeah." Bran said with a worried expression. He had full confidence in the small group they'd gathered, and yet he was still weighing whether the time spent rigging the exo could be shortened if they could grab at least one more person. Walking along, his trench-coat fluttered, swivelling his head around to look at Marcus, Varona, and Romulus. "Meet on the roof as soon as possible, I'll get the chopper started."

With all the responsibility on the others, Bran headed off back up to the roof, leaving the door open behind him.

"Hey! Get her back out here!"

His footsteps echoed into the hanger, where the cultists who were usually hanging around were busy trying to wheel the Twinblade back into the hanger. "We need her back here!" He shouted again, breaking into a run to help heave the chopper back onto the landing pad.

by **The Carlisle** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 12:54 pm

Kale laid upon her bed, looking up to the ceiling, giving the thousand mile stare. Her face was blank besides the dried streaks of tears. Her hair was unkempt, full of dust from battle and messy from thrashing about in overwhelming emotion. The room was dead quiet, differing from the loud cries that sounded down the halls, silenced once things started sinking in.

Time has passed but she couldn't read how much. Minutes? Hours? It felt like a foreign concept to her right now, so lost in her mind that her senses seemed to stop working. But in the timeless moment, the events tortured her. Cries of despair as the realization of her actions. She killed innocents. She maimed, slaughtered, and killed innocents. She hurt them and her friends. She counted the injuries as she was carried to her room. Her powers, they went out of control. So many mistakes, so many oversights. She should have known. She should have thought more. She could have done more. But she didn't. Rushed into the field, she pulled out all the stops to protect her own but in the end did more harm than good.

But now, in the silence of realization, she had finally settled on what he must do. Her powers were dangerous. They could cause immense harm and suffering to people. And it was obvious that she couldn't control them. She couldn't trust herself anymore to control it, not after this. So it was time to suppress them.

Suppress them. Those words burned themselves into Kale's mind. She had to do it. It was the only way to prevent further harm. The necklace passed down from Garrus to her, it could suppress her power. It was the only way.

Kale finally moved, lie a still corpse coming back to life. She swung her legs to her bedside and sat up, sitting there for a few seconds before standing straight. She walked over to a wooden chest and opened it. Inside contained several items, all priceless to her. She grabbed a small wooden box made of treated pinewood and opened it, revealing the necklace. She grabbed a piece of the necklace, carefully raising it up to face level.

Twelve pieces of obsidian, carved into shapes to represent twelve aspects. An upside-down triangle for Earth, three swirly circles for Wind, a three pointed flame for Fire, a wave for Water, a cloud for Sky, a lightning bolt for Lightning, a moon for Darkness, a sun for Light, two leaves on a stem for Plants, a lizard for Animals, a human head for Mind, and an O-shape for Nothing. Each piece was imprinted with symbols and designs unique to each. Each piece was smooth to the touch and never cut skin. Each one was held in place and spaced perfectly apart. All held together by a copper wire.

Kale learned about the necklace long ago, taught to her by Garrus. It was bought off a magi long ago before Garrus was born, and was passed down through the magic users in the tribe to allow them to keep trust with non-magic users in and out of the tribe.

She lifted the necklace over her head and put it on settling it onto her shoulders and neck. It hummed softly and shook. Kale let go, letting the necklace do its work. The necklace turned around Kale until the Plants piece settled on her chest. The etchings across the Plants piece glowed with a bluish white light. The piece flashed three times before fading back.

When it finished flashing, Kale could feel the powers of the necklace affecting her. She could sense her powers but her use of it was completely suppressed. She crossed her arms and tried to use it, but nothing happened. She smiled, relieved that it was working. She placed a hand gently on the necklace, thinking of how long she would wear it. Forever, she felt.

Kale, more stable than before, wandered out of her room and walked up the stairs of the building. Her destination was the room, the last place she was. She could remember people there. People... she hurt. She needed to do something to help, help with medical care. She remembered the healers up there.

Reaching the roof, she was shocked to see that no one was there. Were they moved elsewhere? Just how much time had passed. She wandered around, entering the hangar when she heard voices and movement. She spotted a familiar face, Mr. Nikanor. He was shouting to a couple of others who were moving an attack helicopter of some kind. It looked like they were buy so she tried to leave quietly. Sadly, that didn't happen, as the plant girl tripped on a stray screw and fell into some boxes, making a loud noise throughout the hanger.

"Owwww...." said the plant girl as she tried to get up.

by **Fvaarniimar** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 5:41 pm

By this time, the quadrupeds had been in contact for long enough that the connection was starting to transfer a bit from Willow's mind. More specifically, his happiness - Nick's mind was used to emotional input. For a second the cat thought that the information was from the future - and then he heard the pony mentioning staying awhile in a happy tone.

<I think that sounds great.>

As for Nick's own thoughts, they were running along similar lines to Willow's. Perhaps some subconscious influence was happening; quite possibly not. Bielefeld was home, but at present it wasn't that much of one, what with everyone - okay, not everyone, but nearly half of them - feeling so negatively towards abs. Wait, EBs.

Even if being outside after it was dark was still dangerous, this place seemed like a nice vacation from that. (The train of thought hadn't been the most positive one, but thanks to Willow it hadn't saddened Nick.) Nevertheless, he turned to happier topics. <This place is quite green. It smells nice.> Nick's sharp perceptions - possibly rather similar to Willow's - of the scene accompanied the thought. Anything else of interest... He spotted a horse. <Willow...> Too many images of cats to count, and then a sad, <I'm sorry. Nevermind.>

by **Swith Witherward** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 6:42 pm

A plume of exhaled smoke trailed over Myra's shoulder as the two teens kept pace with the villagers. None of the natives seemed to mind the smoke, or to think anything of it. Cigarettes must not be too uncommon, she thought. Torii's voice mingled with the crunch of gravel under their feet. This was much nicer than Bielefeld. Clean air. No bullies. Perfect.

"Nightmares suck, but there's no shame in crying. If you don't cry, it means you're dead inside. And you're not a burden, Torii. You're a person. People matter. You matter. It's okay to be afraid of dying, especially if you've had to face it a bunch of times."

The conversation had turned grim, not that Myra minded, but the warm sunlight and crisp air warranted something more lively. Besides, they were going to see a brand new village filled with fantasy creatures. Maybe even dragons!

"What about Marcus?" Myra suggested. "If you want to learn about that stuff, those priests seem happy to teach. If you get disabled, you can just build a new part. Marcus has a machined arm and an eye, and I think his legs aren't real anymore. Just replace what wears out, like that cyborg politician did. He was all old and wrinkly and machine-y when he first arrived. I don't think they even bother with regular schools. Marcus doesn't go to high school or anything."

A soft sigh broke the girl's solemn tone. She'd asked for permission to join the priests last year, but her father put his foot down. No daughter of his would roll around in grease. No daughter of his would follow a machine god! He hadn't even listened when she explained that religious indoctrination wasn't even a requirement. Nope. Nope, nope, nope, you WILL go to school like a regular girl, and you WILL tolerate those mean kids, and you WILL, by all the GODS THEMSELVES, do well there. Yeah, Myra's happiest day had been last June. Graduation had been nice, even if her father hadn't been able to make the ceremony. And now she was free!

Her half-smile vanished. All the money she'd earned from babysitting had gone towards her first semester at college. Wasted money. Her profs were probably rolling their eyes because she'd flaked on them by coming here.

"I have only my dad. I didn't even know he was around until my mom died. He came to collect me. You know, he wasn't too happy about that. I crimped his style."

Myra stopped walking. She had her dad. Past tense! He wasn't here. The girl should have felt liberated, yet the realization that she was completely cut off from her only family suddenly weighed down on her.

Shoulders rose and fell with a shudder. Her feet carried her forward again. "For all my bitching about him, he was a pretty good dad. He cared. He was busy, but he always made sure I was okay. I have no family now. And neither does he, until I get back. But hey, you're not the only mistake. He was shocked to learn about me."

Joyous laughter banished her grim thoughts. Myra looked up to find young children scattering out of the church like ducks sweeping from a pond's still waters. They ran up the gravel road and into the arms of their parents. Myra's bottom lip trembled. These adults were the ones on the brink of death an hour ago. These kids would have all been orphans.

"We're all pretty well off, as far as protection goes," she murmured, "But who protects the villagers?"

Bran's improvised crew kept time with him, gaining the roof shortly after him. Marcus joined the cultists in pushing the helicopter towards the pad.

"We're going to have to tweak this bird," he muttered to Bran as they pushed the last few feet. "Because there aren't any aviation fueling points out here in the middle of nowhere. You'll run out of gas eventually."

Not today, however. Cultists were resourceful. They had already refueled the thing.

Marcus rubbed the grime from his palms. He moved to board, but Kale's soft protests caught his attention. Well, at least she was still alive.

"Plant girl! Hey, over here. Hurry up."

More hands, lighter burden.

The mayor shook her head in response to Giovenith's question. "I'm afraid not. One constable does not an army make. The Fiends are a relatively new phenomenon, and-"

"Mayor Mercer? The last group is moving out now."

Ayla smiled at the young minotaur that had come to deliver the message. "Thank you, Dorian."

The cervitaur returned her cup to its saucer and then stepped back from the table. "Please forgive me. Perhaps we might meet again later this afternoon or tomorrow? I am indebted to you for your kindness to my people. However, I've got villagers to sort, and the death list to publish. I fear there isn't any rest for me today."

Her hooves clip-clopped softly as she slipped through the door and to the elevators.

"These are tough people," Minerva quipped once the lift doors closed behind the mayor. The cultist leader had remained silent during the meeting, preferring to weigh the words spoken by others. "Makes me wonder what sort of world we've stumbled into. Bielefeld, for all her pluck, would have freaked had that wave washed over them. We survived Drones and Cthulhu, but a solid wall of mindless foes might have given us pause."

She pierced Septimus with bright green eyes. "Your people behaved admirably, Representative. Sandy and Giovenith here did an outstanding job, as did the Luxans and Raptors and the rest. This is the first time I've ever seen the Building's healers bustle so hard. They ought to be commended. Those that took up defense or set out to rescue villagers should be commended as well. Perhaps we could do so at the Residents Meeting this afternoon?"

Minerva rose. Pale hands carefully adjusted silver buckles and leathery straps to smooth out her uniform. "I need to take stock of Chaos' forces. We should have seen more cultists during this. I have a horrible feeling that they were either left behind during the jump or are currently trapped. I never thought I'd say this, but I dearly wish we had more Men on board for this one. I have a feeling we're outmatched here. And now, please forgive me, but I'm due to die soon."

Time was of the essence for her. Minerva left without a further word.

by **Torsiedelle** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:00 pm

Torii walked next to Myra in silence for the next minute. She looked at the kids, and around at the village, and took a long drag of her cigarette.

"So you only had your dad, too.", She nodded. "Well, I don't know about Marcus's group, though. I mean, they'really nice, but I think he has kind of a strict family, fight? And they all live so cramped, too."

Torii hadn't thought much about their current predicament. If they were cut off from home, then they had no more money...and no local TV, or contact with the rest of the world, or anything they were used to.

Torii sighed and tried to brush it off. "Anyways, yeah, the village. Do they have guns? What about materials?"

by **Highfort** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:09 pm

"Due to die?" Septimus raised an eyebrow. He would have to ask Minerva just to what extent Chaos affected her corporeal self, but for now, the Captain had made an excellent point. The meeting was adjourned and there was work to be done concerning both the Villagers and the Residents. The latter commanded his attention and he turned to both Giovenith and Sandy as Minerva's form receded down the hallway.

"Resident's meeting should be, first and foremost, to debrief everyone," the cyborg found himself suddenly wishing for his old nicotine patches or even a cigarette to ease his over-tensed nerves, now that his body could handle such vices. He'd have to pick a pack up from the clinic if Ogoti was still manning it later in the evening, "After we get everyone situated and explain what's going on - at least, as far as we can understand it - then I think commendations are due. The Captain made an excellent point - morale is probably shaky given how things went and people could use a good pat on the back or two."

He paused.

"Of course, some could use a good whipping or roasting, depending on your preference," he sniffed, a slight twinge of annoyance creeping into his voice as the killer grass came into the forefront of his thoughts and Neste's broken form appeared in his mind, fresh and raw, "I don't want people to get the idea that they can just do whatever they want during a time of crisis. For people who need to be disciplined, the meeting will provide a good venue to ensure their transgressions are known and not repeated."

Getting up, Septimus noted with some impatience that his stomach was growling and his eyelids felt rather heavy, "I don't suppose either of you want breakfast? Tea is well and all but none of us have had much sleep. Something to keep us awake during the meeting would be good. And I also need to know any specific names to bring up during the meeting. Sandy, Giovenith, anyone in particular strike you as needing a medal or a lash?"

by **Northwest Slobovia** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:49 pm

Highfort wrote:Getting up, Septimus noted with some impatience that his stomach was growling and his eyelids felt rather heavy, "I don't suppose either of you want breakfast? Tea is well and all but none of us have had much sleep. Something to keep us awake during the meeting would be good. And I also need to know any specific names to bring up during the meeting. Sandy, Giovenith, anyone in particular strike you as needing a medal or a lash?"

Sandy swigged the last of his mocha then tossed the empty cup into the trash. "Breakfast would be good. Common dining room or one of our apartments? The dining room is convenient; our apartments are private." He dragged himself to his feet. "I could use a bit more sleep as well, but that'll have to come later."

"Public commendations, but private castigations, please. I've taught too long to expect good results from giving people tongue-lashings in public." Sandy thought for second. "I know one person who could use a good spanking, but... But in the long run, I'm not sure that would be a good idea. We're too short on manpower to pound on people. She probably just needs a position with less responsibility at first, and more guidance from there."

Sandy paused, slowly recalling what he was going to ask Mayor Mercer before she left, and what he was going to say from that. "We'll need a better answer on the moon phases; if we have to fight again tonight, we've got a lot of work to do today. But I suspect anybody from the village can tell us what we need. The longer we have, the more prepared we can be."

Sandy picked up speed as he talked: what he needed to say shouldn't get lost in the shuffle. "Debriefing, yes. I don't quite know what happened on the battlefield today, and I wanted to ask Blackwater. Mercer's reference to the Fiends being led confirms my worry that they've got spellcasters with them. That is, unless our return fire got them. But we can talk about that over breakfast. And we need to talk about other meetings after the general one: I should call the healers together, to find out what shape they're in, and see what we need to replenish. You should talk with the soldiers... and the spellcasters should meet and then coordinate with the soldiers. We have much to talk about and much to do."

With all that off his mind, Sandy felt another wave of fatigue sweep over him. The spirit is willing, but ... the spirit itself could use a few hours off.

by **Swith Witherward** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:58 pm

"Oh, I haven't been here long," Klaus offered a good-humored smile to the pair. "About as long as you, and much longer, and not long at all."

He crossed the small yard and met them at the fence along the road.

"Interesting church, ja? From what I've gathered, our illustrious landlord is more than a property owner."

He formed a box with his fingers as he raised his hands towards his eyes. His flesh formed a frame which screened out the dull, coppery device's points. Lips curled into a smile. "Chaos. Eight directions." His fingers moved apart slightly to increase his field of view. "Four cardinal directions tipped by eight curved points with an arrow dividing the pairs. Time. The other four arrows are the spaces between it."

Klaus chuckled. "Brown. Stability, structure and support. Relating to the protection and support of the family unit, with a keen sense of duty and responsibility, brown takes its obligations seriously. It encourages a strong need for security and a sense of belonging, with family and friends being of utmost importance - a comfortable home, the best food and drink and loyal companionship. It is a color of physical comfort, simplicity and quality."

His gaze drifted between Amanda and Primordial before alighting on the structure atop the hill they'd just come from. The Building loomed across the early morning mists, a first and last bastion against whatever this new world held.

"Ever notice the hidden Mickey's in the Building? That symbol is behind the front desk. It's on a button in the lifts. It's tucked into corners and under the stairs and in the tiles in the lobby washrooms. Demens. Chaotic Greater Being overly obsessed with Time and Space. I do believe he's brought us to his dimension. If so, it's for a good reason."

The avatar's eyes twinkled. "Or he got pissed off at Bielefeld and chose to give them the middle finger. That's most likely the main reason we're here. Help yourself to some apples from that tree over there. They're rather good."

The villagers filing past them didn't seem to phase him until two recognizable faces came into view.

"Miss Tora, Miss Myra, out for a stroll?"

Myra was just about to ask Torii what she meant by a cramped family. Klaus' voice startled her and she jumped to the side, smacking her shoulder against her companion's.

"G-good morning, Herr Klaus." It was a soft mumble barely audible above the din around them. "We thought we'd see people home..."

"Ja. They're home. Good job, well done," he smiled. "But now I need you both to do a favor for Miss Giovenith and Professor Bela."

Myra face brightened. She didn't recall who Bela was, but Giovenith was always nice to speak with. Her smiled widened as Klaus pointed to several large satchels beside the old vehicle. They were olive drab in color, and marked with a distinctive red cross.

"Fresh gauze and other bandaging material," the avatar explained. "It won't replace all they used but it will help should the Fiends make more mischief tonight. Please bring it to the healers. And then go relax. You have both earned it."

The satchels were fairly heavy, especially after the long walk back to where the girls had come from, and neither had much opportunity to talk. Villagers returning home parted for them as they trudged along. They made good time, arriving home before the last of the villagers had left the lobby.

Myra mopped the sweat from her brow as the the last precious bag was tucked into the makeshift clinic. "Well, at least we were useful," she panted. "And he did tell us to relax. What do you wanna do?"

by **Primordial Luxa** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 8:52 pm

Swith Witherward wrote:-

Primordial followed Klaus’s gaze to the obviously chaos inspired symbol atop the church. Its familiar presence was deeply disturbing in such an alien and unfamiliar area rather than inspiring. It felt like something familiar had suddenly become unknown and not the other way around. He would look differently at the buttons in the elevators and the tiles on the ground in the building from now on as this revelation drastically reshaped his idea about several things.

However he isolated those racing thoughts of insane revelation to a corner of his five lobed mind which could process them without driving him to madness and continued the conversation with only a momentarily strange expression on his face showing his mental fragility.

“I see Klaus, very interesting occult description I will have to write it down when I have a moment.” he said “Although I can understand his frustration with the human world I wish he would have asked some of us about it before teleporting us all to this location without much consent of choice. Although I suppose that’s what I get for boarding in the proverbial Rue d'Auseil.”

At the mention of food Primordial realized that his voracious surgery fueled appetite was waxing one again and he reached out manipulating his gravitational personnel field to float a pair of apples over to him and Amanda slightly absent minded.

“Tell me Klaus, if you know, are there any shops open? I would like to purchase some supplies before they become scare.”

by **Monfrox** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 12:47 am

Varona had dropped off most of her weapons save for her pistols and some other gear off with Mon before she was at the roof with the rest of the airlift team. The twinblade drew her skepticism as she looked upon it with scrutiny. The thing looked like an over-sized Hind-D, and was just a tad ugly too. The rotor positions seemed rather precarious as well, but she remembered Murphy's Military Law number 22: If it's stupid, but it works, then it ain't stupid. She nodded as this had been flying around with seemingly no problems just minutes earlier. The engine would still be warmed up enough for a quicker takeoff at that. She slid into the hold and took her mask off, putting it into a pouch around her belt and revealing her face in a very rare moment.

"How heavy is this thing? Heavy enough to require a helicopter lift, sure, but will we be able to hook this up without much hassle?" The lieutenant asked the young cyborg man.

by **Giovenith** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 1:45 am

Giovenith looked between the two older men as they spoke and considered her own words.

"I uh, I think everyone did a pretty good job, from what I can tell," she said sheepishly, offering a casual shrug despite the critical air about them. Like Sandy, she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of naming out people so they could get in trouble, even if she really didn't actually know anyone who did bad during the rush. Maybe it was appropriate to yell at people in public in a real military, but here among the Residents it could yield very mixed results. "I mean, I was inside the whole time, so I guess I really don't know for sure."

Following the two toward a well-earned meal, Giovenith's concerns were also on the Fiends. However, her concerns rested less on finding their source and more on how to deal with these attacks--like the Mayor said, the town had very little. They could always find the source anytime, but to her, saving people felt like it should have come first.

An idea struck her. "Are there any bodies from those creatures left over, from the fight? If there are, maybe someone could study them."

--

In spite of Nick's dismissal, Willow turned to take a look over at the non-sentient horse that wasn't too far off. It was surrounded by a few familiar faces, though it seemed to belong to the building it stood by. Not unlike the humanworld ponies he'd seen at the fair back in Bielefeld, it was a disturbing sight in how comparatively empty and uninterested it looked. Sighing, Willow stretched his head to give Nick a reassuring nudge.

"Don't worry about that," he said. "I'm fine. Yes, it's... creepy, but it is what it is. Same with you and other cats. We shouldn't worry about it, because we may not be human, but we are people. Everypony here knows that."

Everypony who mattered, anyway. The anti-EB crowd could suck it.

"A few seem to be gathering at that building..." Willow carried on, eyes moving up from the animal-horse and the crowd of Residents gathering near the church. Briefly he considered the appeal of the architecture, but upon moving upward toward the symbol that was being explained, began to grow a little antsy. He dismissed it as random willies, but still... it was an unpleasant electric feeling. "Oooo, and apples too! You don't eat apples though, do you?"

by **The Carlisle** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 10:36 am

Kale perked up and got on her feet on Marcus's command. She didn't know exactly what they were doing, but she could tell that they would need more help. She gulped, realizing what they might need her for. Her powers. Kale stood still for a bit, thinking of what to do. She couldn't use her magic, it was too dangerous. She could do anything that didn't require it, and she would help to the best of her ability. Plus, it wasn't like her powers were critical to the mission. They would seek her out beforehand if they did, right?

After reassuring herself, Kale ran over to the helicopter and got on. Sitting in one of the seats, Kale looked to Marcus. "What are we doing?" Kale said with eagerness. Despite the girl lacking any information on this operation, she showed a great determination to help.

by **Chedastan** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 2:52 pm

Romulus followed his newly acquainted companions to where apparently their transport was. He wasn't quite so sure of what to think of the people he was with, in fact he wasn't so sure about anyone else in whole dimension for that matter. It's a miracle they even somewhat speak the same language, Wilhelm's Speech could be a constant shared by most realities possibly, or at least the ones that were all here in this place. He still had to come to terms with the fact that he has to be the only one here that was from the Wilhelm Imperium, it's still very alien to him, it could take awhile before he actually does. At the very least, other concepts familiar to him seemed to be also shared among those here. Like the two cyborgs that were with them, he remember seeing folk like that in the San Máquina province, of course then again those people were just plain weird, maybe even too weird to compare. He still can't get over that incident with the cat while he was there during his Lieutenant years, those creepy bastards.

Hopefully nothing like that will happen that would involved the two cyborgs with them, whatever their names were, if they even had any real ones. When he shaken that one's normal hand, he looked very happy in him being there, like he was going to be the one to be their needed solution for this task. He seemed like he might have been putting a lot of faith in Romulus's helping them. Certainly The General must be that needed for that be the case, either way, all he wants after this was some damn tea finally, it's been awhile since he last drank from his brew, and it was splendid.

When they reached the transport they'll be taking, Romulus saw that it look like someone welded parts of two helicopters together, and just went with it. This thing better actually work, because he remembered the Prevara people tried something similar against the Wilhelm Imperium. Mocking up military equipment that looked cool, but was completely nonfunctional. Outside their propaganda, they were wiped out and subjected in up to a week's time, even General Titus was embarrassed for them. At least from what he was hearing from everyone else, this craft must actually work then. It better, for all their sake, he didn't have time for another Prevara, but actually thinking about, what time did he had to even waste again?

He walked up to the craft, after some of the others had already boarded, including a newer person, an odd clumsy green girl. He breathe a sigh of reassurance to himself, after he remembered that he was wearing his grand power armor. So if the craft were to crash, he'll likely survive, while everyone else burns and chars, so he literally had little to lose here anyway. He took a step on the craft, his seer weight very slightly shifting it towards him. He then got himself fully onto the helicopter, and moved to get a seat somewhere near to the middle. He then worried that his weight might upset something, for all he knew of, but it looked like it'll hold just nicely without issue. That was good. His eyes scanned around the compartment he was in, and the other passengers. He never really asked where any of them were from even, or their names, he was too concerned about his own home to think about that. Perhaps he could remedy that?

He looked down at the odd plant girl, she looked very determined despite not knowing what they even doing from the looks of her question. He liked that actually, it reminded him a bit of the 3rd-5th stock soldiers he would be given time and time again, he always founded them endearing.

"We're embarking on the task of retrieving a living metal fighting machine to fight the Fiend menace that threatens you people. And allow me to introduce myself to you as General Romulus Aphrodisiac of Wilhelm XXIX, of the Wilhelm Imperium." He filled her in for the sake of the other cyborg, hopefully that was sufficient.

by **Fvaarniimar** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 3:56 pm

<Thank you. You're right.> He certainly felt lucky to have friends like that, such as Willow.
<Still...> Something like a sigh, and then sudden excitement as they swooped upwards.
<They are gathering there... apples? Nooo... I wonder if I could - some of them are around the color of my floor (Image of said) which is -

<Hey - does that symbol seem familiar to you? I think...> As Nick was unable to articulate just what he thought, it came through as something not unlike confused deja vu. Had it just been the cat, he would likely have been merely curious - familiar and strange - but Willow's willies were unnerving him. (As Nick was aware that his powers could do that, Willow might have a hunch that something along such lines was occurring.)

If on foot, Nick probably would have headed for the others clustered around the church despite that, but the ride was enjoyable - no risk of being stepped on, and they were flying, and he was already hanging out with a friend. <Apples...Let's go find those apples you mentioned. I wouldn't mind a mouse...huh. I'm not actually hungry enough to eat one. I do enjoy the flavor...> Willow would suddenly seem to have a taste in his mouth and aroma in his nostrils that he might find less than pleasant; however, it would be faint and brief. <Maybe I'll like apples. I never tried them.> They hadn't smelled like good food, but Willow likely had good taste.

While Nick hadn't had enough recent experience with this type of situation to accurately estimate the timing, the connection would probably start transmitting bits of sensory/imagined/remembered imagery covering all senses around the time of Willow's reply.

--

Soon after the last of the villagers had departed, Rmwtyliin arrived in the lobby, grabbing a brochure and sitting down with Duncan. After a polite request to translate to Fvaarniimarn, she started reading aloud from a random spot. "T-h-ee." A laugh? "Mmmahrkeet." A place with many vendors. "Diiistrriiict." An area...

The laugh place of many vendors area? She groaned.

by **Torsiedelle** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 6:21 pm

"What do I wanna do?", Torii asked. After all the night's work, she looked tired and strung out.

"Do you wanna just...hang out? I want to relax.", she said, giving a smile and brushing her hair aside. "I think I've had enough excitement for tonight, and I need to wrap my head around everything."

by **Northwest Slobovia** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 6:21 pm

The Burrows

Primordial Luxa wrote:"Ha!" Primordial said in a amused manner "Thank you. I don't mean to sound so much like a used cars salesman so my apologies. Unfortunately the reviews aren't very flatter come most of them come from mental patients and people run out of town with torches and pitchforks.

"Mental patients?" Amanda gave Primordial a suspicious sidelong glance. "No, that's not flattering at all." ...and in fact makes me wonder if he's a fraud or a con artist.

Swith Witherward wrote:"Oh, I haven't been here long," Klaus offered a good-humored smile to the pair. "About as long as you, and much longer, and not long at all."

Again with the mumbo-jumbo?? Amanda started to sigh, but checked herself. What had Marcus said? Klaus is a god? Mocking a god openly tended to end badly regardless of pantheon or situation, so perhaps discretion was the better part of valor now.

Swith Witherward wrote:"Ever notice the hidden Mickey's in the Building? That symbol is behind the front desk. It's on a button in the lifts. It's tucked into corners and under the stairs and in the tiles in the lobby washrooms. Demens. Chaotic Greater Being overly obsessed with Time and Space. I do believe he's brought us to his dimension. If so, it's for a good reason."

The avatar's eyes twinkled. "Or he got pissed off at Bielefeld and chose to give them the middle finger. That's most likely the main reason we're here. Help yourself to some apples from that tree over there. They're rather good."

Amanda nodded slowly at Klaus' explanation. "Demens brought us here. That's consistent with what Sandy started to say about the magic he Heard while the Building moved. But why is his symbol on a church? Does he want our worship?"

Primordial Luxa wrote:At the mention of food Primordial realized that his voracious surgery fueled appetite was waxing one again and he reached out manipulating his gravitational personnel field to float a pair of apples over to him and Amanda slightly absent minded.

Amanda couldn't help noticing Primordial's gesturing, and was pleasantly surprised when branches of the apple tree bobbed, snapped back, and released a pair of apples. As the apples drifted over, Amanda turned to Primordial. "That's more like it: product demonstrations are much more convincing than pitches." Amanda grabbed an apple out of the air, then took a bite. Oh, so sweet! So juicy! Amanda felt as though it had been days since she'd last eaten, and she savored the apple. She'd need to find something more substantial soon.

After taking a couple more bites, she turned to Primordial "Despite your previous claim, that didn't seem so strange. I've seen other supers with telekinesis, some much stronger."

Building

Giovenith wrote:An idea struck her. "Are there any bodies from those creatures left over, from the fight? If there are, maybe someone could study them."

Sandy nodded emphatically. "Yes, yes we should study them if we can find them. One of the Chaos cultists cast a firestorm that burned as far as I could see from the lobby windows, so we'll have to search widely for bodies. I would like to get a look at one: linked to the phases of the moon and apparently vanquished by the dawn suggests the Fiends are magical themselves, conjured, or summoned." Sandy got a far away look in his eyes, as he remembered the flowing mass of Fiends he saw from the roof. "But I'd rather think they appear by themselves. There were so many of them I rather hope they weren't conjured. That would imply our opponents have fantastic amounts of power to expend."

by **Primordial Luxa** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 7:51 pm

Northwest Slobovia wrote:Amanda couldn't help noticing Primordial's gesturing, and was pleasantly surprised when branches of the apple tree bobbed, snapped back, and released a pair of apples. As the apples drifted over, Amanda turned to Primordial. "That's more like it: product demonstrations are much more convincing than pitches." Amanda grabbed an apple out of the air, then took a bite. Oh, so sweet! So juicy! Amanda felt as though it had been days since she'd last eaten, and she savored the apple. She'd need to find something more substantial soon.

After taking a couple more bites, she turned to Primordial "Despite your previous claim, that didn't seem so strange. I've seen other supers with telekinesis, some much stronger.""

Primordial devoured the apple with a strange quickness which was brought on by his sudden and uncontrollable starvation cycle. Especially in the aftermath of such a large fight where his metabolism had burned through his very small reserves of energy in order to handle all of the adrenaline and in order to maintain the extreme cost of his powers.

"The strangeness occurs when you get down into the gritty details of what actually just happen. On paper its not that unusual, but do remember the average apartment dweller has fought off alien invasion, but when you look at it all under a microscope it can shatter your very basic understanding of nature and reality. The piecing together of disjointed facts and events can suddenly lead to revelations that cause such stress on the mind that it snaps like a twig. Luckily people in the modern age are slowly eased into crazy notions about things like this so its less damaging but if you jump in the deep end or meddle with the wrong things it can be very strange."

"You see i'm not super, just well informed, anyone or anything could do what I just did. Did you know that using arcanotech you can control your gravitational field the same way you can control you breathing? That's all I did a little bit of focus and a minor sacrifice and I shifted the small amount of gravity my body has into several different locations causing the apple to be stuck in a gravity well and float over her. Theoretically if I had enough resources I could do it on a larger scale and cause all sorts of crazy things to happen."

by **Swith Witherward** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 8:01 pm

The Burrows

The morning sunshine had made Klaus rather sleepy. The cobwebs collecting in his mind were beginning to clog up the works. A loud yawn couldn't be stifled with a hand. "There are shops and I suppose these people will settle themselves and begin the day's business shortly. Might be worth exploring them to determine if this village can replace our goods once we use them up."

Primordial's reference to Rue d'Auseil had him smiling. "Demens never asks. He tells. He tells us when people are arriving, and when things need fixing, and when to demand rent payment. But most of those demands come through the Building's Super. Ever deal with him? He's a pain in the ass."

Klaus pitched his voice an octave higher, adopting an accent that warbled between Parisian and Berliner. More effeminate, it was almost reminiscent of Joel Grey's edition of the Emcee in Cabaret. "Velcome, velcome, zo nice to zee you! Now take zis list, s'il vous plait, and do efferyzing on it now. NOW, NOW, NOW!"

A startled flock of birds burst from the apple tree and set Klaus to laughing. "I fly away, too. Can't stand that man. Our resident teen group encountered him last year. They were looking for a place to put their secret club house. Marcus reported that he was insufferable."

He watched the birds veer towards the woodland beyond the village before returning his attention to Primordial and Amanda.

"Demens isn't one to ask for worship," Klaus leaned his elbows on the top of the fence. "My guess is they do it anyway. Chaotic gods aren't like Creators. Fickle. Very fickle. I haven't been inside the church to see what it's about. For all we know, they embrace a philosophy or engage in meditation rather than praying to a deity. I prefer to worship the mighty coffee bean. There's a pub in the inn here, but I think I might skip in in favor of Minerva's special blend."

He pushed off the rail and neatened himself. "Beside, my beloved is due to die soon. Next verse, same as the first, and she sings that song twice a day. I hate being apart from her when she goes."

Guilt rolled around his chest but never manifested on his face or in his voice. It was a wistful sigh that perhaps betrayed anything of his feelings on the matter. "I must go. Don't forget. Residents meeting this afternoon. Find out as much as you can, if you can find anything out at all. Everyone's discoveries might prove useful. We're going this without a strong information network. My Men and the Lads are still trapped in the pipes and shadows."

The Building

"I'd like to hit the clubhouse," Myra scratched her sides as she stretched. "If we stick around here, they'll put us to work again. Maybe we can put on some music and just chill or something?"

Her stomach growled, so she added, "Plus there's still bags of chips. I'm starving."

by **Swith Witherward** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 9:04 pm

The Roof

Romulus had answered Kale's question, leaving Marcus to answer Varona's. The problem was that he didn't know exactly how much an exo weighed. The thing was larger than an elephant. How much did those weigh? Probably way more than he suspected.

"Mr. Bodkins is pretty tight lipped when it comes to his people's tech," he offered an apologetic shrug to the woman. "But Kale can probably use her magic to help make straps, and FUBAR's out there, and it can help."

Ho shit... FUBAR! He wasn't sure the new guy knew about him. Marcus slid onto the seat next to Romulus.

"Sir, the biomachine is with one of our Residents. He's a Drone. Big son of a bitch called FUBAR, although not as big as the exo. He looks primed for business - and he is, actually - but he's on our side."

I hope.

The Ash Field

FUBAR didn't have ears, otherwise they'd be ringing. The Drone stood quietly by, content to allow Nila to press against him as he scanned the environment around them. Latent smoke and steam rose from the fields, at times blanketing them. The air was sooty but tolerable. His superior optics allowed him to register the villagers' movement in the distance. The Building still stood. The Fiends had not won either over.

His instrumentation was state of the art, and several decades of dealing with not only Nifid but also Raptors, Chaos and Cthulhu had given him a deeper understanding of both natural and supernatural worlds. The Fiends gnawed at his logic. Something wasn't right here.

He began to analyze the Fiends' movements from the night before. Patterns emerged, although some of them were false leads. They appeared to move similarly to Drone and Nifid swarms however the similarity only extended to massive numbers and the manner by which they rolled along. Everything else seemed nonsensical. It didn't seem so much that they were targeting the villagers in the field. Rather, it was almost as if the villagers had been in their path - objects to cut down and consume for fuel instead of an enemy to punish.

Sensors took in the ashen ground. Organic material was difficult for the Drone to sort but some things were clear: the creatures had not veered much. They followed a course that matched up with oddly charred stumps still smouldering at their roots under the soil. They had not attacked him or Nila once they realized neither was edible. He had no knowledge of what transpired with Neste but she had clearly encountered more than the ratlike creatures and grass.

Nila shuddered. FUBAR shifted some of his focus to study her. They were not companions. His courtesy extended only for sake of his former roommate. She wasn't an Overseer. He was her equivalent, both of them once being controlled by a greater hive mind when engaged. His corrupted consciousness - something no Drone at his level should have to begin with - considered her plight. Empathy? Was that what he was experiencing? Possibly. Possibly not.

"We must attempt to return to the Building," he stated flatly. "I will support your mass but I can not carry you."

Nila said nothing. The doglike creature lifted a leg and set it down a few feet away. Her stance was wobbly but FUBAR maneuvered himself under her to support her torso. Perhaps they might move that way, if no one came? He suspected no one would. Neither creature was a friend of Humanity.

by **Cerillium** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 1:33 pm

The accusation stung. Neste's attitude was to be expected, however painful it was to Thaddeus, but that didn't lessen his guilt. He wouldn't deny it: he had poked, prodded, sampled, and generally abused the little biomachine for quite some time in his quest to reverse engineer her people's technology. His results had been marginal. He was only able to adapt one virus strain.

His head lifted as her voice broke his thoughts. "Whar mae ee'tum? Wootido ag ef?"

Where is my Itum? What did you do with him? It was another arrow to his heart. Thaddeus wasn't omniscient. Cut off from the main group and sequestered in the clinic, he was unaware of Septimus' leadership efforts. The old cyborg's eyes were his only information source. They told him, clearly, that Septimus wasn't here.

Dim byd. Dwi byth yn cyffwrdd ag ef, you daft lizard. The words never left his lips.

Of all the cockamamie bullshit! Ee'tum. Ee'tum! Fuck Itum. Where the fuck was Itum? Yeah, there he is, behind that ugly potted plant. Sure, he's here. Oh, but no, you want me to protect him? Him? Where was he when you needed protection most? Huh?

Rage clouded his pallid face, misguided self-loathing reassembled into contempt for the unwitting cyborg. The spent catheter cap in his hands cracked as his fingers curled into a fist. Thaddeus flung the broken plastic aside. He needed a walk to bleed off the emotions enthralling him.

Salvation came in the shapely form of Malaise. The daemonette bustled past the minotaurs flanking the clinic doors to deposit the surplus medical supplies on a treatment table nearby. Her eyes assessed Thaddeus' face but she didn't quell. "Go do something. You annoy me."

He wasn't one to quarrel with Ogoti's manifestation. He might have risen to the challenge had it been anyone else. Pound to a pulp or be pounded to a pulp -- either way, his anger would be abated. Malaise, however, wasn't one to trifle with. Bitch would strike him dead without compunction. Thaddeus' eyes closed as he grunted in agreement, but he'd see to one last thing before he departed.

The bed's mattress sagged as he squatted beside the bed to rest his elbows on it. Poor Neste. Her odd humanoid form and horns were reminiscent of a demon, but she looked angelic in her repose. Another arrow. More misguided self-loathing.

"Byddwch yn gwrando arnaf, Neste," he slipped her limp hand between cold, metallic palms, speaking as gently as his voice would allow. "Rydym yn mynd i gyfnewid geiriau ar ôl i chi yn cael eu gwella. Rydych yn haeddu rywun sy'n gwerthfawrogi chi. "

Heh. As if I could be that someone. Look at me: worthless, fucked up, adrift. No matter.

He freed one hand to gently brush feathery strands from her cheeks. "Rydych yn haeddu rhywun a fydd yn cofleidio chi pan fyddwch angen tosturi mwyaf."

His words were as close as he could get to her language. Construct pidgin, with its whistles and warbles and bastardized words, was too complex to emulate. He wasn't sure she understood him, or even if she had registered his voice. Again, no matter. It was best to get the thoughts out rather than bottle them up.

"I'll return shortly, once the other lizard has been brought in." This statement was for Malaise's benefit as well.

Thaddeus pushed himself to his feet and pulled his overcoat from the peg beside the door. Fresh air would do him good. The other Nifid was still out there.

The truck was exactly where Myra had left it. Thaddeus fumbled with the seat release to give himself room, then climbed aboard. Its engine rumbled to life moments later and soon it was rolling down the gravel road, following it until he was able to turn into the field where FUBAR and Nila were.

Ocho's bounding strides kicked up ash as he pressed onward. The morning light hampered his vision. Sharp clicks, emitted too low for human ears to detect, guided him over stone walls but he had his fair share of stumbles. He wasn't meant to be a distance runner, nor did his home world contain such wide clearings. It left him feeling exposed. FUBAR's sensors detected his approach long before the alien had located him. The Drone issued a soft blast and Ocho veered his course accordingly, drawing to a harsh stop a few feet from the pair.

Buttons still entombed her pilot, much to Ocho's relief. The exo remained on her feet and seemed loathe to surrender Nila. Not even the Thade could heft Buttons back to the Building, so he chose to croon to her as he tenderly stroked her flank. Given the circumstances, it was the best he could do. Surely others would come to assist?

by **The BranRiech** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 5:14 pm

"Then it can be a project for Rachelle and I." Bran responded to the idea that the helicopter would need to be modified. The boy wasn't wrong in the slightest, unless some fuel could be scrounged up from somewhere nearby. "Definitely possible, but now, we've got enough to go for a few hours yet." He nodded, lugging open the cargo door to reveal the space inside.

The space inside was quite spacious, with several jumpseats right down the middle with some rudimentary seatbelts spread between them. It certainly wasn't a comfortable arrangement, but it could carry around 10 fully loaded soldiers. On the walls opposite the benches in the middle, various pouches and boxes hung from the indoor side of the fuselage. They rustled and bounced against the walls as the chopper was rolled back to the landing pad.

"Everyone inside!" Bran shouted over the various questions being asked, trying to make eye contact with everyone, including Romulus. Bran's eyes widened, the burly brute of a man was intimidating enough, but would he even fit in the chopper, and what of Marcus?

"If you can't get the seatbelts on, just uh, hold onto stuff, I'll take it easy as we get over there."

Hopping off of the passenger-step up to the cargo bay, Bran's trench-coat fluttered as he ran over to the cockpit, clambering up a few foot-grooves in the side, up into the open window. As soon as he was in, the window was pulled shut, and a low hum started whirring up, some sputtering puking out of the engines.

by **Tiltjuice** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 5:38 pm

Monfrox wrote:(snip)

"Yeah?" She asked, her voice as filled with anxiety as her head.

Chrys spared a smile for Nick, before turning to Brit. Neither she nor Dora recognized the teenager, or anything that might have brought about the sudden uncertainty. The shorter woman glanced in the direction of the ever-polite desk cultist, as someone who might know a little about everyone, but he'd returned himself to his paper. Not wishing to disturb him - newspapers were Important Business - she settled for peering up into the young woman's face.

"Do we know you?"

by **Monfrox** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 6:38 pm

"No...not really..."

Brit lied to to them straight through her teeth, but didn't look them in the eyes while she did. She was mentally fatigued, and in need of some sort of confidence boost, but still she resolved to put up a front to everyone and not show just how badly she was exhausted. At least the day could not get any worse, or at least that's what she hoped.

"Do you need help with anything?" She asked, taking her dog tags off her neck and wrapping them around her hand.

Personification Life: EPIC (IC Thread XI) [CLOSED]

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