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  1. #4246
    She/Her Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cleric of Hell’s Brigade View Post
    Banespell pauses, then hammers an intricate pattern of runes into the heated blade via use of a floating etcher by his head.

    “True Magic? Pure Magic? Before it gets tainted by our own perceptions, causes, limitations, and ideas? Hmm, lofty goal indeed. It’s not something easily attainable. I’ve been crafting magic for millennia, and only run across it three times outside the Wish Dragons.”
    "An easy enough thing to obtain, when unshackled from the prison that is mortality... station. Fate." Inanna replied, calmly. "See I find myself in the untenable position of being tasked with the reclamation of a Universe- potentially a Multiverse- that has lain stagnant, and festering for millennia." She continued to explain. "The tools devised to broker a balance have failed, been tainted and repurposed for such fickle... mortal necessities."

    The golden-eyed woman eyed the runes curiously, before sighing.

    "To say nothing of those who seek the same. The shadows lengthen, what little daylight remains has begun to fade... and those who are left to usher in a new dawn need all the help they can get."
    Yeah, but if you... man, we're getting into weird analogy territory, like if you disintegrated Superman's arms he wouldn't be able to go "fool! Little did you know that my arms and I are one and can be remade from me!" and will his arms back into being from pure nothingness. - Pendaran

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  2. #4247
    Voice of the Authorities Cleric of Hell’s Brigade's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh View Post
    "An easy enough thing to obtain, when unshackled from the prison that is mortality... station. Fate." Inanna replied, calmly. "See I find myself in the untenable position of being tasked with the reclamation of a Universe- potentially a Multiverse- that has lain stagnant, and festering for millennia." She continued to explain. "The tools devised to broker a balance have failed, been tainted and repurposed for such fickle... mortal necessities."

    The golden-eyed woman eyed the runes curiously, before sighing.

    "To say nothing of those who seek the same. The shadows lengthen, what little daylight remains has begun to fade... and those who are left to usher in a new dawn need all the help they can get."
    He hammers some more before quenching the blade.

    “So you seek to restore. A noble goal. What seek you from me then? A source of it? An enchantment?”
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  3. #4248
    She/Her Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cleric of Hell’s Brigade View Post
    He hammers some more before quenching the blade.

    “So you seek to restore. A noble goal. What seek you from me then? A source of it? An enchantment?”
    "Insight." Inanna said, simply.

    "All roads magical paths, from True Magic flow; and Death Magic is older than most." Pausing, she smiled. "Besides that, you faced it and lived... alongside the other Palatines. Any information, however minute would certainly be useful~. Though an enchantment couldn't hurt provided I've the means to pay for it."
    Yeah, but if you... man, we're getting into weird analogy territory, like if you disintegrated Superman's arms he wouldn't be able to go "fool! Little did you know that my arms and I are one and can be remade from me!" and will his arms back into being from pure nothingness. - Pendaran

    Arx Inosaan

  4. #4249
    Astonishing Member KingofPie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by grampagen View Post
    A terse grunt left him as Ochazuke stepped within the Golem's stony frame.

    "The fight ahead may serve well to meet it," he said, "but be mindful. Appearances and deep-rooted impressions can be quite deceiving, especially for the desperate."

    Folding his arms, he leaned back.

    "We are moving in on the resistance against That Man. They will not go quietly, but perhaps, as you had proposed, they may be reasoned with."
    "If all goes well, I truly hope so," Blizzar agreed, nodding his head. "No matter the path we take, each must be treaded with caution."

    Damask pondered Blizzar's question. and placed his hand on the stone below them. The ground split and raised, and from crumbling earth was raised a crude facsimile of the hollow hill before them.

    "We are not a conventional standing army. They who would shed his blood for their comrades would be a brother in arms. Our intelligence is one in our common cause." Damask struggled with his words, until Jack pressed him.

    "There are two locations:"

    "The King's Grove in the Inner Sanctum. It was once my Creator's sanctuary, and the Leylines are most concentrated in this area."

    "The other is the Excavation Archive. The remains of Old Vermilion were forcibly pressed into the bedrock below this place, sunken into the black sea. For the sake of preserving what remains of my liege's memory, I cannot enter it directly. But if Colonel Rautt has found anything, the extracted artifacts may be there."
    Impressive, this geomorphing. Imagine if such an ability could be used for terraforming...another thought to place on the back burner for now. What the Golem had presented before them was more than intriguing. An ancient archive, salvaged from a sunken city. Filled with artifacts of an untold nature. It was almost too promising to be true.

    Once the mission was over, he was certain that the continued preservation of such a long lost part of human history would be paramount, BUT...there were no doubt countless treasures that would show planets the entire galaxy over that Earth wasn't simply a backwater blue planet with nothing of history or value.

    Truth be told, the thought behind that was as genuine as his desire to hock everything not nailed down (thoroughly) to the floor on the black market far beyond their actual value. There was truly something remarkable about this world. Although...singing Earth's praises in that manner may perhaps draw more attention to Earth...and not the pleasant kind.

    Ah, this mission has many variables to ponder over. No doubt that Nevadian is also thinking of the treasure in much the same vein. As much a rival as a friend, Held would have to get in line if he wanted to so much as take a glance at those artifacts.

    That said....Leylines were an interesting prospect. Generally he had no interest in magic, save for how hard he could punch it back at whoever made the ill-conceived decision to launch any at him. But these leylines were something else. He could understand thw value in them. Rautt certainly ran an interesting operation. If not for the xenophobia, he could see her as quite the business partner. And as for the leylines, Blizzar could see very practical, lucrative, uses for them. What? Lucrativ€? No, that was...he meant profitable. He...

    There was mi$$ion at hand. AHEM...mission.

  5. #4250
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    Quote Originally Posted by KingofPie View Post
    "If all goes well, I truly hope so," Blizzar agreed, nodding his head. "No matter the path we take, each must be treaded with caution."



    Impressive, this geomorphing. Imagine if such an ability could be used for terraforming...another thought to place on the back burner for now. What the Golem had presented before them was more than intriguing. An ancient archive, salvaged from a sunken city. Filled with artifacts of an untold nature. It was almost too promising to be true.

    Once the mission was over, he was certain that the continued preservation of such a long lost part of human history would be paramount, BUT...there were no doubt countless treasures that would show planets the entire galaxy over that Earth wasn't simply a backwater blue planet with nothing of history or value.

    Truth be told, the thought behind that was as genuine as his desire to hock everything not nailed down (thoroughly) to the floor on the black market far beyond their actual value. There was truly something remarkable about this world. Although...singing Earth's praises in that manner may perhaps draw more attention to Earth...and not the pleasant kind.

    Ah, this mission has many variables to ponder over. No doubt that Nevadian is also thinking of the treasure in much the same vein. As much a rival as a friend, Held would have to get in line if he wanted to so much as take a glance at those artifacts.

    That said....Leylines were an interesting prospect. Generally he had no interest in magic, save for how hard he could punch it back at whoever made the ill-conceived decision to launch any at him. But these leylines were something else. He could understand thw value in them. Rautt certainly ran an interesting operation. If not for the xenophobia, he could see her as quite the business partner. And as for the leylines, Blizzar could see very practical, lucrative, uses for them. What? Lucrativ€? No, that was...he meant profitable. He...

    There was mi$$ion at hand. AHEM...mission.
    The Nevadian glanced at his ally. Despite himself, one question lingered in his mind: What would benefit himself the most, and Blizzar the least? Oh, to be certain, they had forged a friendship over the years, and Held wished nothing but prosperity for the Acrosian...Whatever leftovers that the Nevadian had inadvertently found himself unable to gorge himself upon.

    Normally, Held would not have to be so proactive in his pursuits. Very few were as motivated by gain, as adverse to loss, and indifferent to risk as the Nevadian was. Operating as he normally did, he had very few rivals. Jack, was certainly a gambler, and had no fear, but he was hardly animated in the pursuit of fortune. While he was cut from the same cloth, it felt somewhat different.

    Blizzar, however, had no such deficiencies. Since his time on Earth, he had met very few being as Avaracious as himself. Ishtar, perhaps--But she seemed to desire pretty much all things in equal measure, to the point that even Held found her appetites extreme.

    The Saiyans considered money, objects, as secondary to the art of combat and other carnal pleasures.

    The earthlings he fought alongside...Well, they didn't seem adverse to gain and loss, but they had other motivators as far as he could tell.

    Blizzar moved with a motivation---a hunger--that even Held found intimidating. Even among his people, famed for diplomacy and commerce, with Held himself being not unskilled in those areas, Blizzars pursuit had occasionally left the Nevadian feeling inadaquate. He had heard the tales of the Acrosian penchant for goods long ago, dismissing them as legend, something akin to a boogie man among his people. Dealmakers and swindlers as hardened and focused as the most mercenary of Nevadian Merchants.

    But he had slowly begun to realize that these legends were less tales, and more reports on the competition.

    Not that it was a reason to complain. Competition forces us to be better, does it not? Held likely might have been content to take a small portion of Incenios fortune, had Blizzar not been present. Held was on a mission, and there was no need to make things more complex than there would have been.

    But, Blizzar was there, and there was no doubt in the Nevadians mind, that had he faltered even for a moment, Blizzar would have taken that vast fortune and placed it into the ether of his bank account, as vast and endless as it no doubt was.

    And so, Held took everything that was not nailed down, motivated by increasing his own fortune, yes, but by increasing by outdoing his rival, as both a personal hobby, and a mark of pride for his people. It took some time for Held to determine which he enjoyed more during the casino raid: Outdoing Blizzar in their pursuit, or robbing Incenio blind.

    Robbing Incenio blind, of course. But, it was close enough for Held to reflect. The Nevadian had always made an effort to clear his mind of distractions, and as a member of the Unicorn Tribe, allowing ones mind to be swayed by material during a mission was impure....But, no one was perfect, and in the midst of such circumstances, the specter of greed blinded even the vision of the Shingan.

    Which brought him to his current decision.

    "I think we should investigate the Leylines first." Held replied, "Something about them....I can't place my finger on it."

    They had to choose one way or another, didn't they? There was no particular reason tactically to put one over the other, and so, personal preference won out. Blizzar was certainly quite skilled, but it was unlikely that he would be able to obtain an insight that Held lacked when it came to examining the leylines further. If anything, Blizzar would be at a disadvantage, the piercing insight of the Shingan revealing all before Held... And that look in the Acrosians eyes told the Nevadian that he also, had designs upon it.

    The artifacts would no doubt be interesting, but they had equal footing on that ground. Held was as uncanny an appraiser as could be found, and he expected Blizzar to be no less capable. And so, he would push his advantage, while it still persisted.
    Last edited by Miburo; 05-10-2020 at 04:19 PM.

  6. #4251
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yun Lao View Post
    Rex might have complimented her in a backhanded way if he were coherent. Then again, she might have been in trouble if "Charco" had actually focused his rage onto her instead of wildly lashing out.

    His flesh, boiled and blackened, was almost reminiscent to his final stand against the Doctor, but his injuries of self-infliction would heal, although not quickly enough to properly deal with the massive hands of stone and debris that seized him in Persephone's grasp. Silence soon followed and for just but a moment, one could imagine that she had succeeded in ending the creature's rampage. That was until a stream of golden light pierced through the constructed hands, moving effortlessly through as it made a complete revolution around. Cutting not through the material, but rather the magic the Queen bond the material together with, the rubble ceased to remain together, crumbling away from the creature called Charco.



    While Rex was unaware of its origin, he had acknowledged its presence within him, leaving him immune to both its affliction and its blessing, but this one, holding only the knowledge of a new babe, was "worthy" of its power. Perhaps his tantrum had been fueled by the frustration of being unable to comprehend his surroundings, as magic clung to this land like a death shroud. It could not be confirmed nor denied, but it seemed it mattered not to Lain's Fang.

    Reaching forth with his human hand, "Charco" once more began to gather energy, although this time it seemed much less destructive than his previous techniques.
    Persephone tilted her head, for the first time seemingly perplexed by the outcome. "Hmm....Whats that. I don't recognize that design.....interesting. I'll break into down and craft a better one once I'm done with you....." The Mage Queen brought her hand up and grasped the empty air, then...for lack of a better example.....unsheathed a weapon from it. Pulling her hand, the air ripped and parted....and from space came forth a massive blade. A 2 handed greatsword composed of refined oricalcum...the hilt along was three times bigger then the wielders hand, and yet she proceeded to test swing it one handed without so much as loosing her balance.

    "Not one of my best...but then my best would be wasted on you. Certainly no Caliburn....perhaps once I kill you with it it will be worthy enough for a name." The sword flashed a shade of purple as she sent a flash of her energy down it, then in the flash she was upon "Charco". Aiming her own sword swing at "Charcos" new weapon.

  7. #4252
    This Isn't Home Yun Lao's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MrSandman View Post
    Persephone tilted her head, for the first time seemingly perplexed by the outcome. "Hmm....Whats that. I don't recognize that design.....interesting. I'll break into down and craft a better one once I'm done with you....." The Mage Queen brought her hand up and grasped the empty air, then...for lack of a better example.....unsheathed a weapon from it. Pulling her hand, the air ripped and parted....and from space came forth a massive blade. A 2 handed greatsword composed of refined orichalcum...the hilt along was three times bigger then the wielders hand, and yet she proceeded to test swing it one handed without so much as loosing her balance.

    "Not one of my best...but then my best would be wasted on you. Certainly no Caliburn....perhaps once I kill you with it it will be worthy enough for a name." The sword flashed a shade of purple as she sent a flash of her energy down it, then in the flash she was upon "Charco". Aiming her own sword swing at "Charcos" new weapon.
    It had taken some time but the blank slate of mind that had befuddled "Charco" had begun to develop. Although lacking in personality and in "heart", the conflicting minds of man vs beast found a single point of clarity within the storm: combat. With eons of experience of battle between the two of them, it was understood that rage alone would not suffice. The child-like fury subsided, becoming a cold stoicism as he focused on Persephone; she had been the first he had encountered, and her actions had imprinted upon him with the need to destroy her. Her demise was the only thing he had ever known.
    The hand that collected energy clenched just a bit more tightly into a fist and the gathering power surged, creating smokey wisps that trailed from the mass. Green in hue around the edges, one would begin to notice its gradual darkening towards the very center where the coalescing ki was a pea-sized hole of pitch darkness.

    Lain's Fang, beholden to no master but itself, would accept the challenge of Persephone's nameless sword but her thirst for its destruction would not be quenched. Having long shed its physical shape, the transcended blade existed as a manifested concept, the crystallization of an unknown swordsmith's desire. It was not the flesh of man it had been forged to rend, a fact she would quickly discover as the refined orichalcum tore apart like wet tissue paper, severing the magical circuits that comprised it.

    Raising his fist before him, Persephone's decision to focus on the sword had allowed "Charco" to gather enough energy to satisfy his unknown criteria. Whipping that arm to his side, the back of his hand struck the air, creating a visible ripple whose intensity increased until reality gave way. A loud cracking filled the air as glass-like spider-web fractures split the air, each line tracing its way back to the sphere of energy that now acted like its nucleus. The ki orb collapsed into itself, creating a fist-sized hole. Whatever he had done, he had completed. Whatever he had planned, he was now ready.

  8. #4253
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yun Lao View Post
    It had taken some time but the blank slate of mind that had befuddled "Charco" had begun to develop. Although lacking in personality and in "heart", the conflicting minds of man vs beast found a single point of clarity within the storm: combat. With eons of experience of battle between the two of them, it was understood that rage alone would not suffice. The child-like fury subsided, becoming a cold stoicism as he focused on Persephone; she had been the first he had encountered, and her actions had imprinted upon him with the need to destroy her. Her demise was the only thing he had ever known.
    The hand that collected energy clenched just a bit more tightly into a fist and the gathering power surged, creating smokey wisps that trailed from the mass. Green in hue around the edges, one would begin to notice its gradual darkening towards the very center where the coalescing ki was a pea-sized hole of pitch darkness.

    Lain's Fang, beholden to no master but itself, would accept the challenge of Persephone's nameless sword but her thirst for its destruction would not be quenched. Having long shed its physical shape, the transcended blade existed as a manifested concept, the crystallization of an unknown swordsmith's desire. It was not the flesh of man it had been forged to rend, a fact she would quickly discover as the refined orichalcum tore apart like wet tissue paper, severing the magical circuits that comprised it.

    Raising his fist before him, Persephone's decision to focus on the sword had allowed "Charco" to gather enough energy to satisfy his unknown criteria. Whipping that arm to his side, the back of his hand struck the air, creating a visible ripple whose intensity increased until reality gave way. A loud cracking filled the air as glass-like spider-web fractures split the air, each line tracing its way back to the sphere of energy that now acted like its nucleus. The ki orb collapsed into itself, creating a fist-sized hole. Whatever he had done, he had completed. Whatever he had planned, he was now ready.
    Twirling back into a reposed stance, Persephone lifted her now significantly lighter greatsword up into view....tracing a finger down the cut before smiling. "Pity, this one was a dud.....but no matter. I think I understand that weapon you have now, very interesting.....shall we try this again."

    Discarding the sword, she repeated her act from before. This time a greathammer was pulled from the ether....its entrance marked with an eruption of dark, thick miasma. "This one earned its name.....Scale Scourge, let me show you how."

    Keeping an eye on Charcos newly formed "crack", Persephone aimed the top of the great hammer at Charco and spun the weapon in her hands. The dark miasma flowed from its tip in a directed cyclone that flashed towards him...and while the effects were uncertain, it was likely not going to be pleasant.

  9. #4254
    This Isn't Home Yun Lao's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MrSandman View Post
    Twirling back into a reposed stance, Persephone lifted her now significantly lighter greatsword up into view....tracing a finger down the cut before smiling. "Pity, this one was a dud.....but no matter. I think I understand that weapon you have now, very interesting.....shall we try this again."

    Discarding the sword, she repeated her act from before. This time a greathammer was pulled from the ether....its entrance marked with an eruption of dark, thick miasma. "This one earned its name.....Scale Scourge, let me show you how."

    Keeping an eye on Charcos newly formed "crack", Persephone aimed the top of the great hammer at Charco and spun the weapon in her hands. The dark miasma flowed from its tip in a directed cyclone that flashed towards him...and while the effects were uncertain, it was likely not going to be pleasant.
    The hole in reality he wielded was not a solidified mass, it was a squishy, jiggling thing not unlike a water balloon, small bits of unreality sloshing off before dissipating. Grabbing hold of it, the pitch blackness seeping out between his fingers like tar, "Charco" hurled it at Persephone. Lazily it spun, twisted, and wiggled in flight, an absurdity compared to the cyclone of miasma it was headed for.

    As if giving up on his previous attacked, "Charco" charged up two more spheres of energy in a manner that was awfully familiar for Ochazuke and the others. Whether or not he understood what muscle memory was guiding him through, he did not hesitate through the motions as he fired as Tyranno Blast behind the hole in reality. Striking the hole, the sloshy thing was launched forth at an insane pace, punching a hole through the Scale Scourge's miasma, the cyclone distorting as if someone had pitched it and was tugging it aside, which was not too far off from the truth. Reminiscent of a tape measure dispenser being fully unreeled before letting go, the cyclone, the Tyranno Blast, the ambient, lingering magic in the air; all of it was quickly sucked up by the hole in reality.

    The calm in the storm, the moment the holy reached Persephone, it was a gentle, quiet little thing as it softly "booped" against her; and it became one with her. For the briefest of moments, Persephone sported a hole in her stomach, but she did not need worry long as, with another loud crackling, the cracks in reality began to mend, starting from the furthest outward before reaching the center, the hole vanishing from her being. Unfortunately, with the mending of reality, the energy collected by the errant reality break had to go somewhere and as the hole had last resided at Persephone's stomach, it is within her body that it would all be released.
    --------
    Locked Technique Revealed: "Star Wound" ~ Chicxulub Impactor

  10. #4255

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    Quote Originally Posted by Miburo View Post
    "The Kings Grove, huh?" He mused, "I don't know what to make of that one, really. I like a nice grove as much as the next guy, but I can't entirely see what would be so special about that, outside of the Leylines...."

    Leylines. He had learned more about them in five minutes, than he had in his entire life, only barely scratching the surface of the secrets they held. Whatever mystery was within them could just as easily be the key to understanding more of what Kenshiko and Willia sought.

    "....Damask, to be clear, the Leylines have more applications that transport, right?" He asked, turning to the Gollem, "I guess I can see why someone would want a transportation hub nearby, but it kinda defeats the purpose of a sanctuary, if everyone can come and go as they please.."

    Then again, the only thing I've ever seen manipulate them is Damask, so there's probably a low chance of that happening.

    "I would be lying if I said I didn't want to get a closer look at them." He admitted, pursing his lips once more, "Although that might just be a detour for my own curiosity...But it seems weird to build a spot over where the highest concentration is, for the hell of it."

    He shrugged.

    "It doesn't help that I don't exactly know what I'd be looking for in the ruins, unless it's practically radiating power. I like to think I have an eye for things of value, but I can't exactly discern the entire cultural heritage of a people at a glance..." He turned to Ochazuke, "If anyone would have an idea what to look for, I imagine it would have to be your or Damask..."
    To Held's query, the Golem's stony frame seemed to stir from its stillness. One of Damask's great hands seized upon a patch of ground, his broad fingers effortlessly carving trenches into the rock.

    "The Leylines carry the soul of the world. They are more than a mere road, for they hold many whispers. Life, moving in flux through its passage, speaks through them, and carry an impression of its energy through it. Everything the Earth is, all that had risen and walked upon its surface before returning to it, is entrenched in its living memory."

    Ochazuke recognized this immediately.

    "The Genius Loci. A good portion of Zxu'ro's legacy arts draw from this power. Beyond these techniques, I hadn't realized the extent of the connection until now."

    It seems Zxu'ro was not the only one. Did you discover it as well, Arthur?

    "In the course of my training with Zaofan and Master Balon, we've found many memories of the ancient past. The Ten Schools of Zxu'ro are tied intrinsically with the history of this world. The Guardians of the Five Shrines were more than words on a page or a phantom echo, their spirits lingered on in a corporeal form, desperately waiting to be heard by-" he paused with some reticence, "the worthy."

    What that meant exactly seemed to become increasingly evasive. For now, they had a goal to accomplish.

    "What we're looking for is similar to what Zaofan...and Sasheem had found on the other side of the world. It may seem like something insignificant, at first. A relic, a wall, crudely engraved with Ten Animal Seals. This is to conceal a chamber door, behind which is part of the Master's living legacy. It's sensitive to a ki signature trained in the methods of the Ten."

    They'd gone silent shortly after he'd opened it, which meant there was something essential there. This counterpart in Charlie Base having been indicated by a chosen Guardian of the Ten Schools, however...

    "The last remnants of the Five Schools of the Hidden Hand are like the individual elements of the original art, and their strength is formidable. Imagine then, Five fingers combined to a completed Fist...even if turned against the World Government, I shudder to think what would happen to the planet."

    Quote Originally Posted by KingofPie View Post
    "If all goes well, I truly hope so," Blizzar agreed, nodding his head. "No matter the path we take, each must be treaded with caution."

    Impressive, this geomorphing. Imagine if such an ability could be used for terraforming...another thought to place on the back burner for now. What the Golem had presented before them was more than intriguing. An ancient archive, salvaged from a sunken city. Filled with artifacts of an untold nature. It was almost too promising to be true.

    Once the mission was over, he was certain that the continued preservation of such a long lost part of human history would be paramount, BUT...there were no doubt countless treasures that would show planets the entire galaxy over that Earth wasn't simply a backwater blue planet with nothing of history or value.

    Truth be told, the thought behind that was as genuine as his desire to hock everything not nailed down (thoroughly) to the floor on the black market far beyond their actual value. There was truly something remarkable about this world. Although...singing Earth's praises in that manner may perhaps draw more attention to Earth...and not the pleasant kind.

    Ah, this mission has many variables to ponder over. No doubt that Nevadian is also thinking of the treasure in much the same vein. As much a rival as a friend, Held would have to get in line if he wanted to so much as take a glance at those artifacts.

    That said....Leylines were an interesting prospect. Generally he had no interest in magic, save for how hard he could punch it back at whoever made the ill-conceived decision to launch any at him. But these leylines were something else. He could understand thw value in them. Rautt certainly ran an interesting operation. If not for the xenophobia, he could see her as quite the business partner. And as for the leylines, Blizzar could see very practical, lucrative, uses for them. What? Lucrativ€? No, that was...he meant profitable. He...

    There was mi$$ion at hand. AHEM...mission.
    Quote Originally Posted by Miburo View Post
    "I think we should investigate the Leylines first." Held replied, "Something about them....I can't place my finger on it."

    They had to choose one way or another, didn't they? There was no particular reason tactically to put one over the other, and so, personal preference won out. Blizzar was certainly quite skilled, but it was unlikely that he would be able to obtain an insight that Held lacked when it came to examining the leylines further. If anything, Blizzar would be at a disadvantage, the piercing insight of the Shingan revealing all before Held... And that look in the Acrosians eyes told the Nevadian that he also, had designs upon it.

    The artifacts would no doubt be interesting, but they had equal footing on that ground. Held was as uncanny an appraiser as could be found, and he expected Blizzar to be no less capable. And so, he would push his advantage, while it still persisted.
    BGM - Ruins Dungeon

    The decision was made, and the four concealed within Damask's sealed frame, their ki signatures muted by Jack's magic, moved to infiltrate the base. Upon finding their seat inside of the Golem, the sensation within was strange. Cloistered in this inner space they shared much of the Golem's sensory intake, but it was strangely distant and ethereal; a sort of remote numbness, sensation at a remove without feeling. Though they could not physically see what Damask did, fleeting sensation did come in the darkness, the flickering images that passed his ancient eyes like heady, phantom impressions split through a lens, and with it an acute, tactile awareness of what tread upon the ground like a strange sort of radar.

    "Impressive," Ochazuke noted, "Damask has some means for us to perceive the world outside as we travel within him."

    Passage.

    Just as they Leyline beneath the Golem's feet shifted the earth, the singular word shook through a collective reverb within his body, and fell through each of the travelers. Cold, mechanical, with a singular driven intention.

    "I thought the command," Jack remarked, "and he responded."

    The stony Ancient's thoughts were given over to his direct goal, and yet as they sunk beneath the Earth, the memory of the place swept through him in a similar manner. Fragmented images of a civilization long lost bled together with an ephemeral present, filled with stomping boots and war treads and engines.

    Ochazuke glanced upward as they passed into that slipstream once again, looking at something overhead. "That would be the base. Some sort of makeshift airfield in the hollow of a cave system, perhaps."

    With the speed at which they moved, it was difficult to ascertain just how well replenished the Raider Forces were. Whatever the case, they'd soon bypassed them entirely, and in an instant Damask arrived within the King's Grove.

    Deep in the heart of the stone hill, a prominent subterranean hollow lingered. A single shaft of light fell from far above, its illumination broadening by the silent fall of stalactite droplets. Hanging there, weathered by the erosion of eons they seemed to cluster themselves in a ragged line drawn down the body of the stone.

    It was as if something had split the mountain and left a jagged scar there that had festered.

    Home. A curious wash emotion fell over the Golem's thoughts as he tread over the terrain. The unblemished strata from where he had emerged gave way to something unexpected in a place like this. Blue-green lichens, and a small meadow fluorished by the scant light, fed from the vapours of the collected spring-pools that spread over ancient stone-masonry where they burrowed their roots.

    The remains of civilization shattered now blended into the envorons. Pillar-bases arranged in rows and semicircles slowly crumbled under the creep of some strange ivy. Nothing seemed to grow greater than a mossy furnishing or wild grasses, save for a single, withered black tree spreading its spidery limbs like a perpetual shadow.

  11. #4256
    Voice of the Authorities Cleric of Hell’s Brigade's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh View Post
    "Insight." Inanna said, simply.

    "All roads magical paths, from True Magic flow; and Death Magic is older than most." Pausing, she smiled. "Besides that, you faced it and lived... alongside the other Palatines. Any information, however minute would certainly be useful~. Though an enchantment couldn't hurt provided I've the means to pay for it."
    He finishes his blade and puts it aside, looking at her.

    He tells her a similar story as the other Palantine did so far, about their engagement with Eldfen and what they did.

    “Eventually, I worked magic to separate his dragonballs and keep each under lock and key. Death magic was worked into their defenses, meant to kill any who tried to gain them.”

    He sighs.

    “I’m not a sorcerer or magician in the same way people think of magic casters. I work magic into things, less slinging around. The use of this it’s....harder to counter and negate.”

    He nods to her.

    “The fact my works are failing isn’t entirely unreasonable, it was fast and dirty work. I first realized my works were failing a few years ago, when the dragonball on Darkle was....lost.”

    He sighs.

    “Part of the reason I’m out here was so I could start work on my newest work, meant to help curb Eldfen if he popped back up again.”

    He points to a trap door heading down below his workplace.

    “Follow me.”

    He opens it and drops down into the darkness.
    Black Knight of SO
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  12. #4257

    Default The Mountains of Madness

    Quote Originally Posted by Yun Lao View Post
    She knew Ochazuke would not like the answer, for as stoic and intimidating as he appeared, he was truly a man who cared about others, "If you are hoping that I will say that I watched each Ogatan through their trials and tribulations, then you will loathe me as much as you loathe the rest of the hierarchy of the heavens. I left the guidance of each soul to the old dragon, as per our agreement, and while I have no doubts as to his skills, only Charco has stirred my interest. Charco's path is built upon the backs of his elders, but just know, Ochazuke, that each one that has fallen prey to Rex has not remained silent. The fact that we witness this outburst from him proves that he has taken in those who have fallen as his strength and if he is successful in ending this tale, he will be much more than he was as he will represent the entirety of the Ogatan's will."

    A few moments of silence passed as they soaked in the current view of "Charco" fighting against Persephone before Islay spoke again, "As of now, this system of fate is cruel is hypocritical. In a perfect world, Charco would never need to endure such trials, but because he must, he will need the support of those like you... not that you need to be told such things."

    A would-be King reduced to a mindless one fought against a Queen that sold her soul. As the clash resumed and seemed to shatter the very space around them, the straits of this duel struck Ochazuke. Each combatant, seeking blood in service to a hidden power beyond common reckoning, had each claimed a measure of something to call for themselves...transcendence.

    If this is the arena of immortal things, what part have we mortals to play upon it?

    He would be fool to deny it. The rendered Void-heart of the Mountain spilled out into this realm, the undying grappling with the lingering spite of the undead. And by now, just how many times had this world been tread upon, its fate twisted under the whim of some aloof visitor?

    "As of now?" Islay referred fate as a mechanism, a systemic tangle of incidence. Even a Guardian's measures are blown asunder under the weight of cosmic forces. What did that make those who stood between, affixed in the interplay of these causal forces?

    Still the words lingered with him. As of now.

    "You speak as if you had other intentions for him. Yet even though you claim some stake in Charco's soul, still you will not be moved to action?" The corner of his lip curled to a smirk, yet his eyes held no joy or spite in them, only a burdensome weight with this affirmation.

    "Bear your witness from one stagnant creature to another then, and grant Rex his audience!" Ochazuke seethed. "You laud the Saurian's capacity to adapt? The creature persists in this cycle because he is shackled to what he once was. He'd never known a need to become anything greater!"

    Once the apex predator, with every reincarnation he'd reemerged and his time had come anew. Why else would he return to the North but to stake his claim?

    "The whole time he had been with them, Charco and future of that entire family stood upon the precipice. Yet even given over to the knowledge of his mortal frailty, the boy defied his possession."

    Mere days ago, they'd seen firsthand how he'd lashed out at a stagnant fixture of Time itself.

    "Bring this to your Old Dragon: Even if the ragged breaths drawn into that body were snuffed out, his instinct to survive carries on." Turning from Islay, Ochazuke cast a sidelong glance at Shochu before returning his attention to a more immediate task. "For the will to live is not some trite thing to be manipulated, and it is beyond the realization of a fearful wish."

  13. #4258
    This Isn't Home Yun Lao's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by grampagen View Post
    A would-be King reduced to a mindless one fought against a Queen that sold her soul. As the clash resumed and seemed to shatter the very space around them, the straits of this duel struck Ochazuke. Each combatant, seeking blood in service to a hidden power beyond common reckoning, had each claimed a measure of something to call for themselves...transcendence.

    If this is the arena of immortal things, what part have we mortals to play upon it?

    He would be fool to deny it. The rendered Void-heart of the Mountain spilled out into this realm, the undying grappling with the lingering spite of the undead. And by now, just how many times had this world been tread upon, its fate twisted under the whim of some aloof visitor?

    "As of now?" Islay referred fate as a mechanism, a systemic tangle of incidence. Even a Guardian's measures are blown asunder under the weight of cosmic forces. What did that make those who stood between, affixed in the interplay of these causal forces?

    Still the words lingered with him. As of now.

    "You speak as if you had other intentions for him. Yet even though you claim some stake in Charco's soul, still you will not be moved to action?" The corner of his lip curled to a smirk, yet his eyes held no joy or spite in them, only a burdensome weight with this affirmation.

    "Bear your witness from one stagnant creature to another then, and grant Rex his audience!" Ochazuke seethed. "You laud the Saurian's capacity to adapt? The creature persists in this cycle because he is shackled to what he once was. He'd never known a need to become anything greater!"

    Once the apex predator, with every reincarnation he'd reemerged and his time had come anew. Why else would he return to the North but to stake his claim?

    "The whole time he had been with them, Charco and future of that entire family stood upon the precipice. Yet even given over to the knowledge of his mortal frailty, the boy defied his possession."

    Mere days ago, they'd seen firsthand how he'd lashed out at a stagnant fixture of Time itself.

    "Bring this to your Old Dragon: Even if the ragged breaths drawn into that body were snuffed out, his instinct to survive carries on." Turning from Islay, Ochazuke cast a sidelong glance at Shochu before returning his attention to a more immediate task. "For the will to live is not some trite thing to be manipulated, and it is beyond the realization of a fearful wish."
    "... and what would you prefer I do, Ochazuke?" Islay's voice cool in comparison to the heat of his passionate words, "Would you like me to simply pluck out Rex's spirit right now? Then you could have a heart-warming reunion with Charco's body as his barely mended soul shatters." Perhaps that was far too sarcastic? Mortals were always so emotional... then again, the said could be said of her kind as well.

    "You seem to be under the impression that I am here because of Rex; that I have some lingering attachment to the beast that ate my cute little student. I can understand your anger, because for you, Charco was the only time you've experienced this tale, but for the Old Dragon and I, this has been a sad, miserable song that has repeated until now. This scene you are witnessing is the first step off a well-trodden path and it is because of this that we are both here; to watch Charco take it."

  14. #4259

    Default The Mountains of Madness

    Quote Originally Posted by MrSandman View Post
    As the vision of things to come drew ever closer, and Ochazuke felt his very soul being pulled from his mortal shell....a voice whispered to him in the darkness. Not his captor, but something smaller....quieter....barely familiar enough to register in his mind.

    "You lament your fate...the pain, the loss, the inevitability of it all. I cannot understand, I am only an observer. To take her offer....to exist without fear of death, in perpetuity.....the lure is strong for your kind, I've bore witness to those who hunted immortality, those deluded into thinking they've achieved it. Only the void is eternal, unchanging......and......I envy you. I envy the pain you feel, because I have never felt it. I envy your loss because I have nothing I could ever lose. I envy your inevitability because I will never change. Is this the fate you wish? To forever exist as a still-life in the painting of a child who fears death even more then you?"

    "I offer you one last time.....a pact. Not as a pawn, not as a minion.....but, partner. Speak now. Are you a puppet of the gods, a puppet of the void....or are you Ochazuke, the man who would defy both?"
    Standing there, stranded before the darkness looming, the disembodied voice that called out only washed over him. If it offered counsel, he seemed deaf to it. The breadth of his awareness had found chthonic things, astral masters probing these prisons of the flesh. Frail limitation!

    The cursed knowledge his perceptions wrought brought him to a harrowing awareness. Lancing at his consciousness, the indescribable essence of the thing which lurked withing the Queen stoked lingering phantom sensations embedded in the pit of Ochazuke's deep memory. Incomprehensible truth had triggered the suppressed fear within him, and in this astral space it lashed against him with a greater force, painfully dragging his cognition to the rhythm of familiar, merciless tides.

    Crashing, like rolling waves in the darkness. Black, cold, and pitiless. A thing fixed in perpetuity, unchanging. Balanced before the maw of an eternal thing, he was all too aware of that which fell to the mercy of forces unseen.

    The harrowing truth, as the sea will strike the shore. Our lot is only to linger for a time, no more.

    The waking death. Let this pass

    Each time Rex and Persephone's energies clashed against one another, the wild energies broke through the darkness over Amdapor like thunderclaps: Fleeting illumination, followed by a swift retreat into the violent shadows. As the piecemeal Lookout platform continued to ascend to the thinning air, his physical body, facing the howling air, addressed that disembodied voice aloud with two words.

    "...be...silent..."

    His fingers curled inwards. Gradually, between each parting blow, the glimmers of light lingered a moment longer, slowly pooling to a faint glow in the air...

    OOC: [3]

  15. #4260

    Default The Mountains of Madness

    Quote Originally Posted by MrSandman View Post
    As the Martial Cook reaching the apex of the mural mountain, so focused on his ascent, only the beginning of a warning from Morgan reached his ears before he foot failed to land on solid rock. The top of the mountain had opened right where Zaofan foot intended to land..the rock of the mural opening as an unnatural mouth...and from the other side a delicate hand reached forward and grabbing the wayward cook by his ankle and pulled.

    Persephone ripped Zaofan from Morgans grasp, pulling him through the gap and throwing him hard against the mural behind it....one depicting the symbols of the void lords. The cook landed at their center, and the rock melded like liquid...spashing up and around his arms and legs before hardening. Struggle as he wish, they would not bulge.

    The murals rotation ceased with but a casual gesture from Persephone hand, and the mage queen flew over him with a exasperated expression. "Your spoiling the mood you know... maybe if I pulled your arms and legs off you'd stop fluttering about and watch as your told....I'll fix them later....if you behave." A blob of animated material, both transparent and seeming forming from the ether, formed behind the queen....and a tendril of it expanded outwards....taking on color and shape until it was a soilid metallic point ah the end of an almost fluid tentacle. It shot forward with lightning speed, attempting to pierce Zaofan where he lay......

    A shadow flew between them, and an equally dense disk of the same material spread out and solidified into a shield. The spear like tentacle slammed into, and through the shield buckled and the mural underneth them cracked from the force....the shield held.

    "Zaofan....You ok..." Morgan stood over him, braced against the mural while she held her shield aloof. At this range, Zaofan could make out the magic she used....having already been familiar with it as the very same magic that she had weaved her centuries long repair work. Rather then fixing something however, this time she had crafted something entirely new from nothing.

    ".......Conjuration. Oh you are my little familiar after all." Persephone mused with what seemed a little too much like legitimate praise. "But its a bit on the weak side.....see..." Her spear pulled back.....and then split into a dozen more, each expanding to the size o the original before plummeting towards them.

    "Hold on!" Morgan let on of her hands fall and placed it against the mural Zaofan had been sealed against. The material became fluid, and then parted...freeing Zaofan and allowing the both of them to fall to the rear side of the mural before Morgan re solidified it and then channeled her magic into the mural itself. The exact result wasn't immediately obvious, until the dozen spear tips embedded themselves into the mural and it held. More then held in fact...it fused with the spear tips.

    "Zaofan.....Sorry, I need you to hold on a moment longer." She smiled, pulled Zaofan towards her and then pushed his hand against the mural. "Use it for cover.....I'll distract her."

    With a forceful gesture, Morgan flung the Mural aside, pulling the embedded tendrils with it....and Zaofan if he managed to hold on. Then, summoning two giant arms armed with sword and shield at her sides, she flew forward to meet her faux mother in combat.
    With a timely application of The Bear's Strength Zaofan had indeed been able to entrench his fingers into the masonwork. Albeit, having fallen flat and face-down on the thing, his arms splayed wide like a flattened spider.

    Having fought for hours at this point against all manners of infernal denizens and twisted wizards, fatigue had set in so readily that his concentration had lapsed for a moment.

    I'll give Zxu'ro this, practice never fails.

    Holding on for dear life, the muscles in his back swelled and he felt the seams of his shirt give way.

    The mural was made of something that had quite dense. Magically polished it served impeccably as a medium for the crafting spell, But where Zaofan dug his hands against it, clinging like some bug behind the great shield Morgan conjurred against the Queen's onslaught, he had more pressing concerns to mind.

    I'm not about to let Morgan do this on her own!

    Channeling the Dragon's Fire through his hands, the ancient castle wall began to grow deceptively hot as he put concentrated heat into it.

    Come on... Pressed between his chest and the wall was his katchin staff, still glowing blue. This was a hare-brained maneuver, but he'd already seen its properties shift once. Come on-!!

    If it became liquid with the use of magic, then Zaofan reasoned that using ki might be able to do something to that effect. As he poured on the sweltering heat, he continued to pull inward in an attempt to soften and bend the slab.

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