After going two cigars and relaxing on the first class chairs, Cesare made a disgruntle noise and sat up and says "I'll be at the bar" Fat Tony was dead asleep snoring loudly. Donney took out his headphones and says "Would you like for me to come with you?" Cesrae shook his head and said "I'll be fine...relax, we have business to do when we land" as he then walks out of the room and head towards the bar. He was really in his own head as he walks the halls of the Perrygold towards the bar. Even though in his own head, he ends up bumping into Wick's shoulder as he walks by him, not giving a rat ass really. Either he did on purpose or on accident no one would really know, but if Wick were to call him out, he would be only be met with a menacing glare as well as a glimpse of a desert eagle like pistol within his large coat since Cesare thought he was only a punk kid, before continuing onto the bar.
Once there, he sat himself up against the wall with no one able to get behind him and see who's at the bar or not and since the bartender knew who he was, he gave him is drink free of charge. With that, Cesare focused on his drink, keeping an ear out on any trouble that may come his way...unless someone was looking for trouble...
Once there, he sat himself up against the wall with no one able to get behind him and see who's at the bar or not and since the bartender knew who he was, he gave him is drink free of charge. With that, Cesare focused on his drink, keeping an ear out on any trouble that may come his way...unless someone was looking for trouble...
H M S Skadi
All was as it had been moments prior - from the airy silence of the great caverns to the occasional drip drip from above. The chamber was taller here, and more open - less places to hide, though with no shortage of icy spears both above and below to provide excellent ammunition for traps.
Yet there were no tiny lights - either they had been much better hidden, or there was some different trap in store for the wayward Intergalactic Traveler. The way from which he had come was blocked off now, only a coarse textured mound marking where the entryway to the cavern had been. It was dark, but a very basic illumination did filter through the thick, glacial ceiling of the place - not that it would do much good for anyone unaccustomed to such darkness.
But then, Rin's eyes were more than capable, and Sands had been wearing those goggles - did that mean they were on an equal playing field?
No - because the human was more familiar with the layout - he had and his team had programmed the pseudo-machinery that built this place. So was his advantage - and yet the fundamental differences in combat styling would surely keep things interesting.
There was no actual rock within the cavern walls - only ice, beneath which was more and denser ice - though some areas exhibited the signs indicating thinner walls separating hidden pathways or chambers rather than solid glacier. Would these be the perfect place to hide some nefarious trap that might come barreling out at any second, amidst a hail of glasslike ice shards and crumbling, powdery snow?
Or did the level of deception deepen? Were such spots merely decoys, to trick the hunted into assuming their use when something all the more dubious was waiting above, or below, or just behind one given icy spear?
The hunted Nyran was already building a rapport of synergy with his 'enemies'; his senses perceiving the concept of instinct in a manner alien to his human rivals.
The silence of the cavern might have been sufficient to lull one into a false calm - or perhaps the apprehension of another surprise attack would overpower the atmosphere and build electricity in the dry air?
One might have expected the wall to suddenly burst apart in a roaring explosion from some hidden bomb - but it was not so.
Actually, it was somewhat anticlimactic - and largely dependant on what the range of Rin's Nyran instincts actually was. A distant thump - a soaring projectile arcing through the spacious cavern - followed by a THUBOOM! as the equivalent of a forty-millimeter grenade exploded some ten meters from where Rin had been examining the wall. The frozen cave floor shuddered, and nearby stalactites of ice fell and shattered with the clattering sound of fragmenting glass.
There he was - having emerged at the far, opposite end of the open cavern. The bulky figure of Sands and the glowing goggles, hefting some kind of launcher in his arms. He was too far for a readable expression, but the dry air was not so misty as to obscure his stance. He was aiming the launcher in Rin's general direction - and there was a wide expanse of stalagmite-dotted cavern floor between them. Nowhere to hide that Sands would be unable to simply smash to bits with a well-placed round - so he was going to have to be fast...
But just how much more of these explosions could the cavern take before it gave out and collapsed completely? Maybe Sands had a limit to how much damage he could do...
Or maybe not.
The Perrygold
Cabin 76
No hat?
The realization took Ketin by surprise - his ears perked and he blinked uncomprehendingly as the information tried to process.
No hat.
So then who had he seen that was wearing a hat?
Clearly he had been so focused on the game, or on the Space Midget, or on something to realize that he was looking through the wrong pair of eyes - mixing and muddling the different inputs of copied visual data into an incorrect perception of what was in front of him.
He realized that he was thoroughly unaccustomed to having someone in front of him and not being able to see himself through their eyes. He had made the assumption that he was looking at his short friend, and his short friend was looking at him - when in reality it was one-way, and his mind had filled in the part of his friend's eyes with those of someone else to compensate. This realization came simultaneously with the understanding that Arnaldo must have been blind, and therefore was able to acutely detect those around him through other senses.
Then Ketin was delighted with the new sensory input - it was something else he could not recall having experienced in his three long centuries. Indeed - he too could sense the vibrations in the floor, now. He had, for so long as he was focusing on the mind of Arnaldo Kramer, obtained another sense!
He was standing now, having put the game away. Ketin stood too, trying to gather up his thoughts into something coherent. The whole ordeal was disorienting, and he was clearly distracted as he stepped closer to the little man...who was drawing a gun!
The sight of it made Ketin shift uneasily behind Kramer. "I, uh, I don't think you'll need that." he said uncertainly. Then, with a more cheerful inflection, he added "A sidekick is always better than a sidearm."
Then another question. Still slightly disoriented, it took Ketin a few seconds to answer. "...Oh, you mean with the video screens? Just a little prank. Swapped out the broadcast from the broom closet." He said, noncommittally - failing in his disorientation to wonder how this curious little man had made the assumption that it had, in fact, been he who had done the little prank in the first place.
Nevertheless, he was ready to, if nothing else, follow the little man around...
All was as it had been moments prior - from the airy silence of the great caverns to the occasional drip drip from above. The chamber was taller here, and more open - less places to hide, though with no shortage of icy spears both above and below to provide excellent ammunition for traps.
Yet there were no tiny lights - either they had been much better hidden, or there was some different trap in store for the wayward Intergalactic Traveler. The way from which he had come was blocked off now, only a coarse textured mound marking where the entryway to the cavern had been. It was dark, but a very basic illumination did filter through the thick, glacial ceiling of the place - not that it would do much good for anyone unaccustomed to such darkness.
But then, Rin's eyes were more than capable, and Sands had been wearing those goggles - did that mean they were on an equal playing field?
No - because the human was more familiar with the layout - he had and his team had programmed the pseudo-machinery that built this place. So was his advantage - and yet the fundamental differences in combat styling would surely keep things interesting.
There was no actual rock within the cavern walls - only ice, beneath which was more and denser ice - though some areas exhibited the signs indicating thinner walls separating hidden pathways or chambers rather than solid glacier. Would these be the perfect place to hide some nefarious trap that might come barreling out at any second, amidst a hail of glasslike ice shards and crumbling, powdery snow?
Or did the level of deception deepen? Were such spots merely decoys, to trick the hunted into assuming their use when something all the more dubious was waiting above, or below, or just behind one given icy spear?
The hunted Nyran was already building a rapport of synergy with his 'enemies'; his senses perceiving the concept of instinct in a manner alien to his human rivals.
The silence of the cavern might have been sufficient to lull one into a false calm - or perhaps the apprehension of another surprise attack would overpower the atmosphere and build electricity in the dry air?
One might have expected the wall to suddenly burst apart in a roaring explosion from some hidden bomb - but it was not so.
Actually, it was somewhat anticlimactic - and largely dependant on what the range of Rin's Nyran instincts actually was. A distant thump - a soaring projectile arcing through the spacious cavern - followed by a THUBOOM! as the equivalent of a forty-millimeter grenade exploded some ten meters from where Rin had been examining the wall. The frozen cave floor shuddered, and nearby stalactites of ice fell and shattered with the clattering sound of fragmenting glass.
There he was - having emerged at the far, opposite end of the open cavern. The bulky figure of Sands and the glowing goggles, hefting some kind of launcher in his arms. He was too far for a readable expression, but the dry air was not so misty as to obscure his stance. He was aiming the launcher in Rin's general direction - and there was a wide expanse of stalagmite-dotted cavern floor between them. Nowhere to hide that Sands would be unable to simply smash to bits with a well-placed round - so he was going to have to be fast...
But just how much more of these explosions could the cavern take before it gave out and collapsed completely? Maybe Sands had a limit to how much damage he could do...
Or maybe not.
The Perrygold
Cabin 76
No hat?
The realization took Ketin by surprise - his ears perked and he blinked uncomprehendingly as the information tried to process.
No hat.
So then who had he seen that was wearing a hat?
Clearly he had been so focused on the game, or on the Space Midget, or on something to realize that he was looking through the wrong pair of eyes - mixing and muddling the different inputs of copied visual data into an incorrect perception of what was in front of him.
He realized that he was thoroughly unaccustomed to having someone in front of him and not being able to see himself through their eyes. He had made the assumption that he was looking at his short friend, and his short friend was looking at him - when in reality it was one-way, and his mind had filled in the part of his friend's eyes with those of someone else to compensate. This realization came simultaneously with the understanding that Arnaldo must have been blind, and therefore was able to acutely detect those around him through other senses.
Then Ketin was delighted with the new sensory input - it was something else he could not recall having experienced in his three long centuries. Indeed - he too could sense the vibrations in the floor, now. He had, for so long as he was focusing on the mind of Arnaldo Kramer, obtained another sense!
He was standing now, having put the game away. Ketin stood too, trying to gather up his thoughts into something coherent. The whole ordeal was disorienting, and he was clearly distracted as he stepped closer to the little man...who was drawing a gun!
The sight of it made Ketin shift uneasily behind Kramer. "I, uh, I don't think you'll need that." he said uncertainly. Then, with a more cheerful inflection, he added "A sidekick is always better than a sidearm."
Then another question. Still slightly disoriented, it took Ketin a few seconds to answer. "...Oh, you mean with the video screens? Just a little prank. Swapped out the broadcast from the broom closet." He said, noncommittally - failing in his disorientation to wonder how this curious little man had made the assumption that it had, in fact, been he who had done the little prank in the first place.
Nevertheless, he was ready to, if nothing else, follow the little man around...
HIS EARS BUZZED-
Rin spun around and flailed, arms outstretched desperately, legs straining to prevent his body from crashing unto the ground. He barely managed to regain his balance- slower than he liked.
He hissed. Faster, I need to be- He twisted out of a stalactite's way, shards of ice showering the floor and air. An icicle, grounded on the slippery floor, cracked, then crumbled- he spun around it, skidding on ice-
The only way out...
A bulky figure, with glowing goggles, hefting some kind of launcher in his hands.
Is...
He looked directly at him. The stance was sturdy. Tall. A firm foundation, a steady control, for the devastating explosiveness of his grenade shots.
He grinned behind the helmet.
You.
He shot forward, fast as a bullet, skating in random zigzags- but undeniably, unbelievably- straight towards Sands.
What was he... doing?
Here was his plan:
He would skate, as fast as he can, straight for Sands- stall. Until the time was right, and Sands aimed right-
Where he wanted.
He would aim to the left, where he inspected the thinnest wall that he saw- and just when Sands would prepare to pull the trigger- he would shoot sideways, right around, to his back, and jolt his hand with a dagger to-
BOOM
Another passageway? A way out of the caves? Perhaps- all he would know, is that the wall would be open to an exit. An escape.
That is... if things went according to plan.
Rin spun around and flailed, arms outstretched desperately, legs straining to prevent his body from crashing unto the ground. He barely managed to regain his balance- slower than he liked.
He hissed. Faster, I need to be- He twisted out of a stalactite's way, shards of ice showering the floor and air. An icicle, grounded on the slippery floor, cracked, then crumbled- he spun around it, skidding on ice-
The only way out...
A bulky figure, with glowing goggles, hefting some kind of launcher in his hands.
Is...
He looked directly at him. The stance was sturdy. Tall. A firm foundation, a steady control, for the devastating explosiveness of his grenade shots.
He grinned behind the helmet.
You.
He shot forward, fast as a bullet, skating in random zigzags- but undeniably, unbelievably- straight towards Sands.
What was he... doing?
Here was his plan:
He would skate, as fast as he can, straight for Sands- stall. Until the time was right, and Sands aimed right-
Where he wanted.
He would aim to the left, where he inspected the thinnest wall that he saw- and just when Sands would prepare to pull the trigger- he would shoot sideways, right around, to his back, and jolt his hand with a dagger to-
BOOM
Another passageway? A way out of the caves? Perhaps- all he would know, is that the wall would be open to an exit. An escape.
That is... if things went according to plan.
The little Nyran was coming straight at him in an aggressive direct charge. Not what Sands had expected - but there did not appear to be any immediate concern. One round, then another - each landing some feet away from the rapidly weaving target, but disturbing the fragile ice enough to give him that much more around which to dodge and weave.
Then, he was fidgeting with the bulky launcher - though not frantically, still working with haste. Reloading? No - he was changing the thing's shape.
The whole of it was a long, cylindrical black thing with the cyan and blue lights characteristic of the team's frost-augmented armaments. But upon closer inspection, the tube was a patchwork of different sized compartments which could be opened, or extended, or otherwise manipulated to alter the function. More than merely an adjustable stock or variable projectile modes - it was a whole demolitions arsenal packed into one hefty weapon.
The hasty tugging of an aperture here, flipping a sliding rail there, adjusting the magazine position by ninety degrees - all in a matter of seconds which, if he had waited an instant longer, would have left him open to imminent demise at The hands of his 'enemy'. But he was just in time.
Click - cla-clack - kerchunk
A rapid succession of thumps as a barrage of much smaller projectiles was hurled in a horizontal line across Rin's path. The resulting smog of powdery airborne ice created a virtual wall of obscurity between the two. He used the time to take a few steps back, intent on fleeing further down the cave from which he had come and continuing to barrage from afar.
But instead of a smoothly executed tactical retreat, Sands found himself stumbling backward as the armored figure came bounding around the side, seemingly from nowhere thanks to the frosty fog. It was purely chance that spared him from a solid strike to the back.
But Rin was much too close now; Sands knew it was over.
Unless...
In a last ditch effort to save himself, Sands took advantage of the only remaining asset he had in his side now that he was in a close-quarters combat situation. He was bigger than Rin by no small margin - and that heavy black launcher was at least as dangerous as a good sledgehammer. Grinning widely and with grunted curses under his breath, Sands lunged forward at Rin, holding the launcher low and thrusting it forward along with his body weight, making the thing act as a battering ram which might deliver a staggering blow to Rin's gut.
He was counting on their close proximity to work in his favor, just once; but it was still a long-shot.
Then, he was fidgeting with the bulky launcher - though not frantically, still working with haste. Reloading? No - he was changing the thing's shape.
The whole of it was a long, cylindrical black thing with the cyan and blue lights characteristic of the team's frost-augmented armaments. But upon closer inspection, the tube was a patchwork of different sized compartments which could be opened, or extended, or otherwise manipulated to alter the function. More than merely an adjustable stock or variable projectile modes - it was a whole demolitions arsenal packed into one hefty weapon.
The hasty tugging of an aperture here, flipping a sliding rail there, adjusting the magazine position by ninety degrees - all in a matter of seconds which, if he had waited an instant longer, would have left him open to imminent demise at The hands of his 'enemy'. But he was just in time.
Click - cla-clack - kerchunk
A rapid succession of thumps as a barrage of much smaller projectiles was hurled in a horizontal line across Rin's path. The resulting smog of powdery airborne ice created a virtual wall of obscurity between the two. He used the time to take a few steps back, intent on fleeing further down the cave from which he had come and continuing to barrage from afar.
But instead of a smoothly executed tactical retreat, Sands found himself stumbling backward as the armored figure came bounding around the side, seemingly from nowhere thanks to the frosty fog. It was purely chance that spared him from a solid strike to the back.
But Rin was much too close now; Sands knew it was over.
Unless...
In a last ditch effort to save himself, Sands took advantage of the only remaining asset he had in his side now that he was in a close-quarters combat situation. He was bigger than Rin by no small margin - and that heavy black launcher was at least as dangerous as a good sledgehammer. Grinning widely and with grunted curses under his breath, Sands lunged forward at Rin, holding the launcher low and thrusting it forward along with his body weight, making the thing act as a battering ram which might deliver a staggering blow to Rin's gut.
He was counting on their close proximity to work in his favor, just once; but it was still a long-shot.
Rin saw the charge.
Mother charged, sword straight and true, sun's rays gleaming off the sharp edges of the blade.
He took a panicked step back, trying to gain more time to assess, but it was too late-
"Dead," she said, monotone. He winced.
She sighed, backing away, sword pointing at the floor now instead of his gut. "You're better than this," she said, tapping the blade on the sand.
Rin frowned. "I just- how can I think so fast, what am I- I took a step back-"
"And that is where you were wrong," she cut in, voice hard- but her eyes were soft. "You would be scewed either way, whether you took a step back, or left or right."
He furrowed his eyebrows even more.
"Rin... you needed to step forward."
"What?"
"I will show you. Here." The brush of a sword, an exchange of advantage. Or was it...?
"Aim for my stomach."
"... I-"
"-Trust you."
Silence. Then...
A THRUST-
Thump-
"Do you see now?"
His eyes narrowed, he straightened-
And stepped only a little to the side, still charging straight at Sands, as fast as he possibly can, the length of the changed launcher barely a centimeter away from his body-
Dagger aimed for the throat.
For him to possibly, just maybe- speed behind Sands, a kick behind the knee bringing him down, enough to place the dull crackling blade to his throat.
For a surrender.
Mother charged, sword straight and true, sun's rays gleaming off the sharp edges of the blade.
He took a panicked step back, trying to gain more time to assess, but it was too late-
"Dead," she said, monotone. He winced.
She sighed, backing away, sword pointing at the floor now instead of his gut. "You're better than this," she said, tapping the blade on the sand.
Rin frowned. "I just- how can I think so fast, what am I- I took a step back-"
"And that is where you were wrong," she cut in, voice hard- but her eyes were soft. "You would be scewed either way, whether you took a step back, or left or right."
He furrowed his eyebrows even more.
"Rin... you needed to step forward."
"What?"
"I will show you. Here." The brush of a sword, an exchange of advantage. Or was it...?
"Aim for my stomach."
"... I-"
"-Trust you."
Silence. Then...
A THRUST-
Thump-
"Do you see now?"
His eyes narrowed, he straightened-
And stepped only a little to the side, still charging straight at Sands, as fast as he possibly can, the length of the changed launcher barely a centimeter away from his body-
Dagger aimed for the throat.
For him to possibly, just maybe- speed behind Sands, a kick behind the knee bringing him down, enough to place the dull crackling blade to his throat.
For a surrender.
Whoops.
If Sands had done more hand-to-hand combat training, he probably would have seen it coming. As it was however, he did not, and the lunge missed the mark by fractions of an inch.
The momentum carried him forward into what would have been a stumbling fall flat onto his face, if not for Rin's attack on the back of his leg. Now, he realized, instead of going forward and down, he was just going down.
By some trick of instinct however, he made sure to get one last attack in before conceding. It was merely a matter of shifting his weight mid-fall, recklessly swinging the launcher around the side and twisting his whole body in the process. Rin was much too close to dodge it now, though there was always the possibility of lessening the force of contact.
But whether Rin went skidding into the nearby wall or simply rolling and recovering, Sands made no move to scramble back to his feet and continue the fight. That much, he knew, was inevitable - that unless he had somehow managed to seriously knock the wind out of Rin, here was no way he would be able to make himself the first in position. He was done. Unless Rin felt the need to cement his victory and pounce atop the man, it was over.
So then, why was Sands grinning?
It was impossible to determine where exactly he was looking thanks to the glowing cyan goggles, but clearly he was amused by something.
"You're one Heckuva fighter, kid." he said, earnestly commending his opponent. "And workin' with you's gonna' be a lot more fun than workin' against ya'." Then, he rather weakly held one hand up, pointing toward the cavern ceiling, in the universal gesture for 'one'.
"One piece of advice for you though;"
There was someone behind him!
ClickClick.
"Don't expect the rest of us to play as fair as Sandy here." Finished Tsuan, holding his revolver to the back of Rin's head. "I'm sort of a technical guy. So out here in the arctic wastes all I can really do is be a sneaky little @#$%." He grinned wider, though neither of the others were looking at him - one could imagine it anyway. "Man, though - these cloaks are awesome!"
If Sands had done more hand-to-hand combat training, he probably would have seen it coming. As it was however, he did not, and the lunge missed the mark by fractions of an inch.
The momentum carried him forward into what would have been a stumbling fall flat onto his face, if not for Rin's attack on the back of his leg. Now, he realized, instead of going forward and down, he was just going down.
By some trick of instinct however, he made sure to get one last attack in before conceding. It was merely a matter of shifting his weight mid-fall, recklessly swinging the launcher around the side and twisting his whole body in the process. Rin was much too close to dodge it now, though there was always the possibility of lessening the force of contact.
But whether Rin went skidding into the nearby wall or simply rolling and recovering, Sands made no move to scramble back to his feet and continue the fight. That much, he knew, was inevitable - that unless he had somehow managed to seriously knock the wind out of Rin, here was no way he would be able to make himself the first in position. He was done. Unless Rin felt the need to cement his victory and pounce atop the man, it was over.
So then, why was Sands grinning?
It was impossible to determine where exactly he was looking thanks to the glowing cyan goggles, but clearly he was amused by something.
"You're one Heckuva fighter, kid." he said, earnestly commending his opponent. "And workin' with you's gonna' be a lot more fun than workin' against ya'." Then, he rather weakly held one hand up, pointing toward the cavern ceiling, in the universal gesture for 'one'.
"One piece of advice for you though;"
There was someone behind him!
ClickClick.
"Don't expect the rest of us to play as fair as Sandy here." Finished Tsuan, holding his revolver to the back of Rin's head. "I'm sort of a technical guy. So out here in the arctic wastes all I can really do is be a sneaky little @#$%." He grinned wider, though neither of the others were looking at him - one could imagine it anyway. "Man, though - these cloaks are awesome!"
Rin's head
The peripheral vision darkens, the forward view his extended out, making RIn seeing whatever he is seeing much further than it is as the his vision turns into a light purple hue. Red menacing eye appears in front and soon a womanly voice can be heard in his head as the red eyes stare back at him. " I KNOW WHO YOU ARE....." the voice says as his vision shakes a little. "I KNOW WHO YOU ARE...WHERE YOUR FROM...AND YOUR MOTHER..." the voice says as his vision shakes a little as the voice's tone hinted at some kind of excitement.
"LEAVE THIS PLACE...TAKE THE CAT AND GO TO KONIGSBERG....UNLESS YOU WISH TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR MOTHER'S POSSIBLE UNTIMELY DEMISE....MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" the voice to Rin began to laugh now but before the everything turned back to normal the red eyes came straight towards him! It was a black ghostly mass coming straight for him as it comes up from the ground in which everyone can see! He moaned and screamed at a very high pitch as it fly's quickly towards Rin as it waved its razor sharp arms as if clawing the air to move faster. It would move through Rin harmlessly and push whoever is around it down onto the ground as it slams into the ice wall behind into a big splash only leaving some black goo on the ground.
For Rin his vision would return and everything would be back to normal...for now
The peripheral vision darkens, the forward view his extended out, making RIn seeing whatever he is seeing much further than it is as the his vision turns into a light purple hue. Red menacing eye appears in front and soon a womanly voice can be heard in his head as the red eyes stare back at him. " I KNOW WHO YOU ARE....." the voice says as his vision shakes a little. "I KNOW WHO YOU ARE...WHERE YOUR FROM...AND YOUR MOTHER..." the voice says as his vision shakes a little as the voice's tone hinted at some kind of excitement.
"LEAVE THIS PLACE...TAKE THE CAT AND GO TO KONIGSBERG....UNLESS YOU WISH TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR MOTHER'S POSSIBLE UNTIMELY DEMISE....MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" the voice to Rin began to laugh now but before the everything turned back to normal the red eyes came straight towards him! It was a black ghostly mass coming straight for him as it comes up from the ground in which everyone can see! He moaned and screamed at a very high pitch as it fly's quickly towards Rin as it waved its razor sharp arms as if clawing the air to move faster. It would move through Rin harmlessly and push whoever is around it down onto the ground as it slams into the ice wall behind into a big splash only leaving some black goo on the ground.
For Rin his vision would return and everything would be back to normal...for now
On hindsight... maaaybe he shouldn't have kicked the back of his leg. Especially with that huge, rocket-launcher weapon. Rin knew he wasn't going to be able to dodge that launcher- much too close- but-
He brought his dagger up, leg already poised for a small jump to the side- in the same direction the launcher was swinging. He grunted a bit at the impact- ultimately not as bad as it could have been, with the dagger taking the remaining brunt of the hit- and rolled, coming up into a slightly crouched fighting position.
Sands wasn't getting up. He was...
Grinning.
Why-
He blinked. A feeling- somewhat familiar, but- not really. It was kind of like... Vaxur's-
Sharp spikes of nagging suggestion-
clickCLICK.
Right at his head.
Tsuan, he thought to himself, not able to keep himself from smiling- a tiny thing, full of fondness. Looks like I was wrong, Vaxur- I seem to have found someone that feels more annoying than you do. He let out a little, amused chuckle. How long has it been since he laughed?
"That cloak won't be so effective on me for long," he said, a slight lilt dancing through the words. "I can feel you. You feel very familiar." His helmet may have covered his mouth, but there was no mistaking the affection and the hint of longing. "My best friend is very annoying."
Vaxur was also the first friend he made (not to mention first crush- that is, until he opened his mouth)- and though they fought more often then not, it was playful, energizing. Fun. And they always had each other's back.
... Not that Tsuan wasn't at his back right now, but. In the other way.
Obviously.
He crouched suddenly, about to turn around and-
DARK
Wh-what-
A voice...
I KNOW WHO YOU ARE...
The voice is... amused.
I KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
WHERE YOU COME FROM.
Wh-where I come from- what-
AND YOUR MOTHER...
Wait, what would you want with-
LEAVE THIS PLACE
TAKE THE CAT AND GO TO KONIGSBERG
UNLESS YOU WISH TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR MOTHER'S POSSIBLE UNTIMELY DEMISE
MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-
No... no.. no, no no nononononNOO-
He shrieked, plasma blades burning bright as he slashed in front of him. He fell to his knees, shaking, eyes unseeing, trembling at the thought of-
No, no- not my mother- not my- He choked, clenching his fists as he forced himself to breathe- harsh breaths filled the air, the only thing he could hear was the pounding of his heart and the chokes that he-
He looked up, vision going from blurred to clear as he took in Sands, still... wait-
"Tsuan?!" he gasped, whirling from his place on the ground, hoping, praying that he was alright-
He brought his dagger up, leg already poised for a small jump to the side- in the same direction the launcher was swinging. He grunted a bit at the impact- ultimately not as bad as it could have been, with the dagger taking the remaining brunt of the hit- and rolled, coming up into a slightly crouched fighting position.
Sands wasn't getting up. He was...
Grinning.
Why-
He blinked. A feeling- somewhat familiar, but- not really. It was kind of like... Vaxur's-
Sharp spikes of nagging suggestion-
clickCLICK.
Right at his head.
Tsuan, he thought to himself, not able to keep himself from smiling- a tiny thing, full of fondness. Looks like I was wrong, Vaxur- I seem to have found someone that feels more annoying than you do. He let out a little, amused chuckle. How long has it been since he laughed?
"That cloak won't be so effective on me for long," he said, a slight lilt dancing through the words. "I can feel you. You feel very familiar." His helmet may have covered his mouth, but there was no mistaking the affection and the hint of longing. "My best friend is very annoying."
Vaxur was also the first friend he made (not to mention first crush- that is, until he opened his mouth)- and though they fought more often then not, it was playful, energizing. Fun. And they always had each other's back.
... Not that Tsuan wasn't at his back right now, but. In the other way.
Obviously.
He crouched suddenly, about to turn around and-
DARK
Wh-what-
A voice...
I KNOW WHO YOU ARE...
The voice is... amused.
I KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
WHERE YOU COME FROM.
Wh-where I come from- what-
AND YOUR MOTHER...
Wait, what would you want with-
LEAVE THIS PLACE
TAKE THE CAT AND GO TO KONIGSBERG
UNLESS YOU WISH TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR MOTHER'S POSSIBLE UNTIMELY DEMISE
MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-
No... no.. no, no no nononononNOO-
He shrieked, plasma blades burning bright as he slashed in front of him. He fell to his knees, shaking, eyes unseeing, trembling at the thought of-
No, no- not my mother- not my- He choked, clenching his fists as he forced himself to breathe- harsh breaths filled the air, the only thing he could hear was the pounding of his heart and the chokes that he-
He looked up, vision going from blurred to clear as he took in Sands, still... wait-
"Tsuan?!" he gasped, whirling from his place on the ground, hoping, praying that he was alright-
Q
Dimensional lords were by far the most confusing aspect of this galaxy to her. From the likes of what she's discovered from the computers aboard the Kampferian ships and the likes of Kilwen, they seemed to be more of an intergalactic group of wizards than leaders of space-races. But what did she know? She had only really seen Kilwen and heard about a few others.
"If you insist that I don't need to worry, then I'll do my best not to." She said calmly. "Just don't do anything to make me worry, alright? I don't need more anxiety." She joked.
It felt surprisingly nice to step onto a new planet. The red-orange sands effortlessly caved in around her feet, leaving fine imprints in the ground. She analyzed the surroundings, hoping to perhaps identify the most likely place for ruins to be, how long it had been since anyone else was here, and numerous other factors that would possibly bring success to their mission.
Other than the prints left by Kilwen and her, there were no recent signs of activity that were visible to her. No treads, no scorch marks... it appeared that this sand had been untouched for quite some time, this planet forgotten by the civilized empires that now ruled the galaxy.
Quietly, Q queued a few probability tests and ran some math through her system. The most likely place to find ruins would be in one of the jungles off to the West from their location, and the possible age could be of around one to two million years old.
"That jungle, directly west! I estimate that is where we will find our first ruin. We need to get walking so we can arrive there by sunset. Shouldn't take us too long."
...
For a robot of her stature, a long walk was nothing but pleasant and enjoyable. The flat terrain and calming, silent atmosphere of the planet really seemed to help keep her anxiety down. She really enjoyed walking, it was a method of coping on that previous jungle planet when things got rough.
If Kilwen had decided that walking wasn't for him and devised some other way of travel, it was perfectly fine with her. Q was just really glad to have somebody alongside her for once, somebody who could actually understand her and speak to her on a level that didn't force her to translate into intelligent wordiness. More and more her confidence in the success of this mission grew. At this rate, not only would they be successful, they would probably even succeed in bragging to Kampfer about their discoveries! Hah! Take that, Egomaniac!
Q was so focused on what was ahead of her and the satisfaction of boasting to somebody so powerful as Kampfer that she clumsily forgot to pay attention to what was below her, dropped into a trench about half a mile deep, and fell flat on her face. With an ease not shown at any other time in their trek, the sand vehemently flew into the air around her, falling back to the ground in clumps.
She pulled herself back up, wiping sand off of her face. That was unexpected. Guess the surface of the planet wasn't as flat as she had thought it to be. Admonishing herself not to be so careless next time, she started to analyze the trench for any data she could, as this was the first deviation in the landscape that she had discovered.
Immediately all of her sound calculations she had been running were thrown into chaos. Not only was the trench half a mile deep... but it was about three miles wide. All of the sand had been overturned and pushed erratically to the side, and metal was littered everywhere. Q's anxiety soared as numbers and probabilities flashed before her eye.
"K-Kilwen are y-y-you seeing this?!" She whimpered to her friend, hopefully seeing the severity of the issue as well. "T-This is f-fresh! Fresh, Kilwen! Somebody was here! Somebody could be here right now! I... I..."
One particular piece of metal glimmered in the light. Even though it was rusting, there was no mistaking the bright orange color of it. It almost matched the sand, save it were that it was a mere shade brighter. Q was suddenly wracked with fear and anxiety. From all the data of all the empires she had collected, only one empire she knew ever used orange as a color. Not the Kampferian... not the Galactic... Not even the smaller, side empires used Orange.
"Oh no." She quietly whispered. She tried to hold herself back. She couldn't deal with what she might be looking at, yet she slowly moved closer. Each step feeling like it took a millennium, she slowly approached the chunk embedded in the sand.
Q's hand reached out to touch the chunk. As her fingers slid over the surface, she collected as much data as she could from it.
The chunk itself was millions of years old... It had been cut from the rest of itself in the past few days... and it showed signs of having been transported to this location through a rip in space.
"Oh no..." This couldn't be happening. She scrambled backwards from the chunk of metal like it was a bomb about to go off. No. Noo no no no. She looked around for something, anything that could prove her thesis wrong. The numbers on a new probability check kept rising and rising.
Her hand brushed against a massive chunk of wire embedded in the sand, and without even thinking, she pulled it up to identify any sort of information that would prove herself wrong. For once in her existence, she wanted her math to be wrong!
Engraved in the wire was a portion of a serial number. Trembling, she read the number quietly to herself.
-4300IRIB872-
She was silent for nearly two whole minutes as the numbers and her anxiety soared.
Without a word, she began running. Sprinting. Not even knowing why, she ran.
She ran towards where her calculations told her to go.
Dimensional lords were by far the most confusing aspect of this galaxy to her. From the likes of what she's discovered from the computers aboard the Kampferian ships and the likes of Kilwen, they seemed to be more of an intergalactic group of wizards than leaders of space-races. But what did she know? She had only really seen Kilwen and heard about a few others.
"If you insist that I don't need to worry, then I'll do my best not to." She said calmly. "Just don't do anything to make me worry, alright? I don't need more anxiety." She joked.
It felt surprisingly nice to step onto a new planet. The red-orange sands effortlessly caved in around her feet, leaving fine imprints in the ground. She analyzed the surroundings, hoping to perhaps identify the most likely place for ruins to be, how long it had been since anyone else was here, and numerous other factors that would possibly bring success to their mission.
Other than the prints left by Kilwen and her, there were no recent signs of activity that were visible to her. No treads, no scorch marks... it appeared that this sand had been untouched for quite some time, this planet forgotten by the civilized empires that now ruled the galaxy.
Quietly, Q queued a few probability tests and ran some math through her system. The most likely place to find ruins would be in one of the jungles off to the West from their location, and the possible age could be of around one to two million years old.
"That jungle, directly west! I estimate that is where we will find our first ruin. We need to get walking so we can arrive there by sunset. Shouldn't take us too long."
...
For a robot of her stature, a long walk was nothing but pleasant and enjoyable. The flat terrain and calming, silent atmosphere of the planet really seemed to help keep her anxiety down. She really enjoyed walking, it was a method of coping on that previous jungle planet when things got rough.
If Kilwen had decided that walking wasn't for him and devised some other way of travel, it was perfectly fine with her. Q was just really glad to have somebody alongside her for once, somebody who could actually understand her and speak to her on a level that didn't force her to translate into intelligent wordiness. More and more her confidence in the success of this mission grew. At this rate, not only would they be successful, they would probably even succeed in bragging to Kampfer about their discoveries! Hah! Take that, Egomaniac!
Q was so focused on what was ahead of her and the satisfaction of boasting to somebody so powerful as Kampfer that she clumsily forgot to pay attention to what was below her, dropped into a trench about half a mile deep, and fell flat on her face. With an ease not shown at any other time in their trek, the sand vehemently flew into the air around her, falling back to the ground in clumps.
She pulled herself back up, wiping sand off of her face. That was unexpected. Guess the surface of the planet wasn't as flat as she had thought it to be. Admonishing herself not to be so careless next time, she started to analyze the trench for any data she could, as this was the first deviation in the landscape that she had discovered.
Immediately all of her sound calculations she had been running were thrown into chaos. Not only was the trench half a mile deep... but it was about three miles wide. All of the sand had been overturned and pushed erratically to the side, and metal was littered everywhere. Q's anxiety soared as numbers and probabilities flashed before her eye.
"K-Kilwen are y-y-you seeing this?!" She whimpered to her friend, hopefully seeing the severity of the issue as well. "T-This is f-fresh! Fresh, Kilwen! Somebody was here! Somebody could be here right now! I... I..."
One particular piece of metal glimmered in the light. Even though it was rusting, there was no mistaking the bright orange color of it. It almost matched the sand, save it were that it was a mere shade brighter. Q was suddenly wracked with fear and anxiety. From all the data of all the empires she had collected, only one empire she knew ever used orange as a color. Not the Kampferian... not the Galactic... Not even the smaller, side empires used Orange.
"Oh no." She quietly whispered. She tried to hold herself back. She couldn't deal with what she might be looking at, yet she slowly moved closer. Each step feeling like it took a millennium, she slowly approached the chunk embedded in the sand.
Q's hand reached out to touch the chunk. As her fingers slid over the surface, she collected as much data as she could from it.
The chunk itself was millions of years old... It had been cut from the rest of itself in the past few days... and it showed signs of having been transported to this location through a rip in space.
"Oh no..." This couldn't be happening. She scrambled backwards from the chunk of metal like it was a bomb about to go off. No. Noo no no no. She looked around for something, anything that could prove her thesis wrong. The numbers on a new probability check kept rising and rising.
Her hand brushed against a massive chunk of wire embedded in the sand, and without even thinking, she pulled it up to identify any sort of information that would prove herself wrong. For once in her existence, she wanted her math to be wrong!
Engraved in the wire was a portion of a serial number. Trembling, she read the number quietly to herself.
-4300IRIB872-
She was silent for nearly two whole minutes as the numbers and her anxiety soared.
Without a word, she began running. Sprinting. Not even knowing why, she ran.
She ran towards where her calculations told her to go.
(I hate to do this but is this rp still open for me to just join?)
"Heads up, you and the girl stick out like wasps in an anthill, just saying" blurted Arnaldo as he made his way out of the room, "Do you know where we could find some fun around here, maybe you could pull the old "broom closet" trick again".
Arnaldo waited outside the door and spotted 3 people, 2 at the bar, and 1 coming in their direction. "the one coming closer to us shows signs of muscle use with small tenses of her biceps and decreasing breath amounts, she just finished doing some rigorous activity, fighting most likely, from the way her eyes dart around quicker than normal, meaning she has had to anticipate quick movements." thought Arnaldo as he analyzed the next person, "the one who just sat down at the bar seems to be in the same state as the approaching woman, but in much worse condition, yeah, he is going to need that drink after his injuries, they must have sparred because there seems to be no blood drawn from lacerations, only from blunt trauma, the lady must be one hell of a fighter", and finally he moved on to the dapper man drinking at the bar, "he has had his fill alright, a little too much if you ask me, but this guy has had major stress in his life, I can tell because his movements are ever natural with his, as if he has been living with it for quite a while. He must own a company or organization, he has stressed pockets, which have been used a lot. He has laugh lines and deep set crows feet, he probably works with large sums of cash or with validation claims. The final thing to pin this guy down is the large lines on his forehead. Hey at least he has some style and it seems like he enjoys a good ol' stogie from the ashes that have dropped onto his coat.", Arnaldo hadn't analyzed people like this in a while...and now he was getting a little excited, but just a little...
Arnaldo waited outside the door and spotted 3 people, 2 at the bar, and 1 coming in their direction. "the one coming closer to us shows signs of muscle use with small tenses of her biceps and decreasing breath amounts, she just finished doing some rigorous activity, fighting most likely, from the way her eyes dart around quicker than normal, meaning she has had to anticipate quick movements." thought Arnaldo as he analyzed the next person, "the one who just sat down at the bar seems to be in the same state as the approaching woman, but in much worse condition, yeah, he is going to need that drink after his injuries, they must have sparred because there seems to be no blood drawn from lacerations, only from blunt trauma, the lady must be one hell of a fighter", and finally he moved on to the dapper man drinking at the bar, "he has had his fill alright, a little too much if you ask me, but this guy has had major stress in his life, I can tell because his movements are ever natural with his, as if he has been living with it for quite a while. He must own a company or organization, he has stressed pockets, which have been used a lot. He has laugh lines and deep set crows feet, he probably works with large sums of cash or with validation claims. The final thing to pin this guy down is the large lines on his forehead. Hey at least he has some style and it seems like he enjoys a good ol' stogie from the ashes that have dropped onto his coat.", Arnaldo hadn't analyzed people like this in a while...and now he was getting a little excited, but just a little...
Kilwen merely smiled in response to Q's answer in not worrying about him. For a little tease, he thought about pretending to choke, but decided against it. He rather deal with a calm Q than a panicking Q. As they walked, he really just followed the bot since it was obvious she knew where she was going than he did, even though he just did a quick scan of the nearby area back on the ship. He continue to follow her, looking around and taking in the martian like planet...so red with its orange sky, yet the sand was red, but the plants were green, he had a few questions in why these plants looked similar to Earth like plants since technically the original position of Earth is many light years away, nowhere near the mysterious planet full of ruins.
His though process was cut off seeing that Q fell into the deep trench as well as a slight disturbance...as if something or someone just met an untimely end...someone who felt close to him. Yet with that thought he quickly brushed it off and looked down to see that Q was okay and was blabbing about something she found. His eyes were good, but not that good to see about half a mile down though. He merely waved at her and then gave a concern look as she began to panic and then ran! "Shit" he said to himself as he got up from his kneeling position as he looked down into the trench. He began to jog in place slowly as if he was preparing to run. For Kilwen, he wasn't very tough but he was quiet fast and mobile and after a few seconds, he disappears.
Kilwen can't be seen, but plumes of sand and rock can be seen as his feet make contact on the ground. The plumes of sand and rock being poofed into the air with thundering booms with each foot making contact with the ground. Kilwen ran parallel with Q and then shifted to into the tench, his plumes of footwork trailing just behind him and as he runs on the wall of the trench as he gets to level ground with Q. Once on the ground, he came back into view and the plumes were severely reduced, showing that he reduced speed as he slowly catches up to Q. As he runs, he yells out "Q, stop! Where are you going!? Why are you running?!" as he goes to reach for Q trying to grab her before she can continue to run into god knows where.
His though process was cut off seeing that Q fell into the deep trench as well as a slight disturbance...as if something or someone just met an untimely end...someone who felt close to him. Yet with that thought he quickly brushed it off and looked down to see that Q was okay and was blabbing about something she found. His eyes were good, but not that good to see about half a mile down though. He merely waved at her and then gave a concern look as she began to panic and then ran! "Shit" he said to himself as he got up from his kneeling position as he looked down into the trench. He began to jog in place slowly as if he was preparing to run. For Kilwen, he wasn't very tough but he was quiet fast and mobile and after a few seconds, he disappears.
Kilwen can't be seen, but plumes of sand and rock can be seen as his feet make contact on the ground. The plumes of sand and rock being poofed into the air with thundering booms with each foot making contact with the ground. Kilwen ran parallel with Q and then shifted to into the tench, his plumes of footwork trailing just behind him and as he runs on the wall of the trench as he gets to level ground with Q. Once on the ground, he came back into view and the plumes were severely reduced, showing that he reduced speed as he slowly catches up to Q. As he runs, he yells out "Q, stop! Where are you going!? Why are you running?!" as he goes to reach for Q trying to grab her before she can continue to run into god knows where.
Q
How Kilwen managed to grab her, she had no idea how, but his grasp stopped her rapid, thoughtless sprint and sent her stumbling and sliding to a halt. Still on a number-induced panic, Q turned to face him, and seeing the nervous look on his face brought her back to her own senses. She was most certainly overreacting to the situation.
"Kilwen... The smashed metal, the giant trench... A hugely specific set of letters in a serial number! There's one here! One of... MY kind! An Iridiite robot! Call me crazy, but... whoever she is... SHE'S HUGE!!" All of this was babbled and spewed with an utmost assured dread and knowledge. It was taking Q every bit of her system to not break down in panic again. Her frame shuddered and her knees wobbled in place, screaming to get moving.
"And... she's probably heavily damaged, Kilwen. I-If she's big enough to make this b-b-big of a mark, then the number of stray chunks, pieces, and sh-shards in this trench is a bad sign. I... I..."
There was a moment of silence from Q as she regained herself. Doing her best to stay calm, focus, and not break loose from Kilwen's hold, she managed to regain the sanity necessary to continue.
"I know you told me not to worry as much. I know we're here to look at ruins, and I know that this is probably a bad idea and a confirmation of my fear of my sister Z... but... for some reason, I'm feeling like there's some discovery at the end of this trench that's for me specifically. Not for Kampfer, not for some crazed dimensional lord... er, no offense... but I feel that this is a step to uncovering a piece of my history. The worst part is, all my math proves it! The numbers don't like and the calculations are prime and optimal and... and..."
...
"...And it's mostly about Z. Honestly, I've been fretting about her for hundreds of thousands of years and this is could be the first bit of information that I get about her. I hope you understand, really."
She couldn't bear to face Kilwen for long, not after she had shamelessly spewed all of that nonsense about her sister and her mathematics. Rather than facing her head to the ground like she normally would, however, she focused her attention towards the end of the trench.
She could see her, just barely. Against the orange sands, she was nearly invisible... but there was no mistaking a massive cube from the boldly green plants that dotted the land behind her head.
"Kilwen, if you could do me a favor.
I know what I'm about to do is anything but what we were assigned to do by Kampfer...
But I need you to keep a firm grasp on me.
I am going to see her,
And you are the only person keeping me in my right mind right now."
Q steadied herself, focused her thoughts, and then looked back at Kilwen as she started to move forward and her mouth started to blab nervous banter. "If Kampfer gets mad at you, just blame it on me, alright? Blame Q, because at this rate, the only ruin we'll be searching today is the ruin of... who I assume to be... Series 1 B."
How Kilwen managed to grab her, she had no idea how, but his grasp stopped her rapid, thoughtless sprint and sent her stumbling and sliding to a halt. Still on a number-induced panic, Q turned to face him, and seeing the nervous look on his face brought her back to her own senses. She was most certainly overreacting to the situation.
"Kilwen... The smashed metal, the giant trench... A hugely specific set of letters in a serial number! There's one here! One of... MY kind! An Iridiite robot! Call me crazy, but... whoever she is... SHE'S HUGE!!" All of this was babbled and spewed with an utmost assured dread and knowledge. It was taking Q every bit of her system to not break down in panic again. Her frame shuddered and her knees wobbled in place, screaming to get moving.
"And... she's probably heavily damaged, Kilwen. I-If she's big enough to make this b-b-big of a mark, then the number of stray chunks, pieces, and sh-shards in this trench is a bad sign. I... I..."
There was a moment of silence from Q as she regained herself. Doing her best to stay calm, focus, and not break loose from Kilwen's hold, she managed to regain the sanity necessary to continue.
"I know you told me not to worry as much. I know we're here to look at ruins, and I know that this is probably a bad idea and a confirmation of my fear of my sister Z... but... for some reason, I'm feeling like there's some discovery at the end of this trench that's for me specifically. Not for Kampfer, not for some crazed dimensional lord... er, no offense... but I feel that this is a step to uncovering a piece of my history. The worst part is, all my math proves it! The numbers don't like and the calculations are prime and optimal and... and..."
...
"...And it's mostly about Z. Honestly, I've been fretting about her for hundreds of thousands of years and this is could be the first bit of information that I get about her. I hope you understand, really."
She couldn't bear to face Kilwen for long, not after she had shamelessly spewed all of that nonsense about her sister and her mathematics. Rather than facing her head to the ground like she normally would, however, she focused her attention towards the end of the trench.
She could see her, just barely. Against the orange sands, she was nearly invisible... but there was no mistaking a massive cube from the boldly green plants that dotted the land behind her head.
"Kilwen, if you could do me a favor.
I know what I'm about to do is anything but what we were assigned to do by Kampfer...
But I need you to keep a firm grasp on me.
I am going to see her,
And you are the only person keeping me in my right mind right now."
Q steadied herself, focused her thoughts, and then looked back at Kilwen as she started to move forward and her mouth started to blab nervous banter. "If Kampfer gets mad at you, just blame it on me, alright? Blame Q, because at this rate, the only ruin we'll be searching today is the ruin of... who I assume to be... Series 1 B."
Kilwen looked at Q as he thrown at all this information and pleading at him. After Q calm down and stopped waiting for his reply he balls his fist and gently taps her on the top of her head and opens his hand rubs the top of her head and with a smile on his split face saying "Don't worry about the Kraut, he's all bark and no bite and with me along, he won't hurt you I promise" as he continues to rub the top of her square head. "I was planning on ditching his little request anyway and sure we can do this, I am more than ready to help you in finding about your past" he retracts his head and faces the trench behind him and adds "Plus, it would be nice to get a refresher on Iridite history, but from what you are saying I am assuming that Z is the one cause the destruction of the poor bot in the trench?" He then raised his hand to his chin and thought about it. "Hmmm if the designation letters are going alphabetical, its safe to assume that Z was the last of the Iridite bots and let me guess...that the creators made her to be perfect and so that got into her head and now wishes for conquest of everything?" wondering if he was correct on his guess.
If he was correct he would reply with a light and chuckle and says "As the oldest Dimensional Lord around I have seen this kind of thing before especially from Lord Ova and her... creations. She creates the so called perfect solider or something and then it back fires and we, as in the Elder Council, would have to go in and get them terminated before real harm can be done. She did that at least a couple dozen times". If he was wrong he would merely shrug and say "Ah well it was worth a guess" he walks forward a little back into the trench, but he turns around and looks at Q with a smirk shows confidence and says "Come on, Q, lets make a discover together" as he gesture's her to take the lead. "I will always be by your side and I have you back so don't worry, if Z comes around I'll do my best to defend you" as he let out a confident chuckle and goes ahead follow's Q closely, to wherever she wants to look.
For Kilwen, he is by all accounts a wanderer after the fall of the Elder Council and helping beings what he does enjoy doing and so helping Q out was just fine for him.
If he was correct he would reply with a light and chuckle and says "As the oldest Dimensional Lord around I have seen this kind of thing before especially from Lord Ova and her... creations. She creates the so called perfect solider or something and then it back fires and we, as in the Elder Council, would have to go in and get them terminated before real harm can be done. She did that at least a couple dozen times". If he was wrong he would merely shrug and say "Ah well it was worth a guess" he walks forward a little back into the trench, but he turns around and looks at Q with a smirk shows confidence and says "Come on, Q, lets make a discover together" as he gesture's her to take the lead. "I will always be by your side and I have you back so don't worry, if Z comes around I'll do my best to defend you" as he let out a confident chuckle and goes ahead follow's Q closely, to wherever she wants to look.
For Kilwen, he is by all accounts a wanderer after the fall of the Elder Council and helping beings what he does enjoy doing and so helping Q out was just fine for him.
HMS Skadi
He was about to make some cheeky comment back at Rin - probably something about the audible note of affection in the Nyran's tone, or perhaps something snarky to make the kid blush.
Then, abruptly, things devolved into something very closely resembling a crisis situation.
Though E'tzu could not see the Nyran's expression from where he stood behind him, the sudden change in demeanor was instantaneously apparent. He had gone quiet, and was staring forward at something. The ex Hi'tzen marine looked in the same direction with some perplexed curiosity, and was just lowering his gun to re-holster it when -
Rin shrieked and went slashing madly with blades that flared like a sun. Habitually, Tsuan took a defensive support position, dodging slightly to one side and raising the sidearm to aim at whatever Rin might have been slashing at.
Some trick of Dal's or Ty's? No - there was nothing there.
Tsuan's heart sank then, and an icy claw gripped at his gut. Something was happening.
Too fast
An inky black figure, cloaked in shadow, rising from the ice and racing toward them, howling like some forsaken ghoul from the depths! He fired, instinctively thumbing the gun up to full-power as he did so - but the bullet flew harmlessly through the apparition and left a basketball-sized crater in the glacial wall behind it.
It was upon them now, there was no time!
He lunged at Rin-
The Perrygold
Common Room
He was standing beside his new pal now, looking almost awkwardly around the common area where, not so long ago, he had caused a commotion by annoying the pants off everyone with incessant outdated media.
Ketin found that he seemed to be overanalyzing people - particularly the unpleasant stereotype at the bar, and Nirix and her new friend - and this was unusual. After all, typically much of this came to him naturally, almost unconsciously. They were details that he inherently knew about someone before he even spoke with them, without needing to so much as glance in their direction.
He, who lived together in the hearts and minds and eyes of those around him - yet he who spent so little time actually thinking about them.
After all, if they were all simply extensions of himself...
But no - it was not he who was analyzing them. It was Arnaldo.
The half-breed's eyes widened imperceptibly. Was this guy a mind-reader too?
The burly little man had not once so much as opened his eyes - yet Kete was a part of this intense spacial awareness... And now he was analyzing people with the same sort of depth and certainty that, in his experience, only the Devil's Eye could allow for?
The possibility struck Ketin with the force of a sharp hammer blow to the head.
Was there another Devil's Eye?
Was it possible that there was some other device, similar to his own accursed relic, which could grant similar powers? Perhaps this man - this Arnaldo who was so heavily guarded against Ketin's own prying mind-eye - had learned to use his own Eye differently? Learned to close his eyes and live only through the eyes of others? If he was trying to stay hidden, it would be brilliant.
And that girl.
He hadn't thought about her in what seemed like decades, though it had only been a few mere weeks.
The girl with the short hair and long braid. The girl in the grey sweatshirt, who stood so close to the long-haired man in the trench coat with the terrifying black eyes.
Her eyes, more than his, had fascinated Ketin - though he only had a faint theory as to why.
Hadn't the black-eyed man been perfectly aware of everything the girl had been seeing, and vice-versa? What color had her eyes been? Grey and gold? Or were they lavender? He couldn't remember...
Presently, Nirix was approaching from down the hall, with that new guy - Wick - trailing some ways behind her.
Something was on her mind...
His first instinct was a flare of...What, anger? No - not that. Concern.
But it passed almost without having made itself noticed in the first place.
It would be preposterous to imagine that the guy had actually done any harm to Nirix. He knew that.
And Arnaldo was speaking, too;
"What's a 'wasp'?" he asked, curiously. Then, without waiting for an answer, he turned and waved enthusiastically at Nirix, smiling that broad, goofy smile of his. "Hey Ny'~!" he said, loud enough to be heard from their respective distance, but not shouting. "I was just about to challenge Arnaldo here to a game of 'Hyrubian Darts'!"
There was a dart board near the bar area, with a wide berth of space for players to stand. It was a large thing, oddly shaped, composed of multiple concentric targets aligned in a diamond shape and merging into one another, rather than a single circular panel. Beside it, a small, wall-mounted case could be seen, within which a dozen or so sets of sleek, pin-like darts could be seen lined neatly in their slots.
It was a game invented for the tight quarters aboard starships and stations. The concept was simple - hit as many of the 'bulls' eye' targets as possible with a single set of five darts. The practice was, however, much more challenging. Rather than relying on traditional methods of aerodynamics to control the darts, Hyrubian darts employed the electromagnetic field within spacefaring vessels to guide the darts - explaining why they lacked tailfins. In practice, it was not much different; most techniques were easily translatable - the main difference was the sensitivity of throwing. The user had much greater control if they were adept, or much less if they were new - and with much smaller and finer motions, a wide margin of throw techniques was achievable.
And, of course, Ketin was more than excellent at cheating at it without ever being caught.
...usually.
Cargo Hold
The figure was obviously small of stature and not much for weight, either; they were knocked clean to the floor with little effort. There was an effeminate yelp and, in the scuffle, a few glimpses of bright crimson-red hair and something approaching dark olive green.
But it all happened very fast. The scuffling of shoes, the movements of robots - and by the time all had gathered and oriented themselves, it was clear that their target had escaped. An open vent shaft and minute puff of dust surrounding it was more than evidence enough - the person had somehow managed to slip through the air duct and into the system. Clearly just big enough for them to scuttle through - but the bots were out of luck for now.
However, another interesting piece of evidence was left behind - something made of wood, which had clunked one or two of the bots on head during the low-light kerfuffle. It was long, with metal parts too - it was old and beaten, and there was blood on it!
It was an old-fashioned, bolt-action rifle. Well-worn cloth was wrapped around the stock and butt - and on the cloth was clearly the red-brown stains which only could have indicated that this was the weapon which had done so much damage to the man tied to the chair. Clearly he had been beaten with the butt of the rifle, and the criminal who had done it was now loose in the Perrygold's air ducts!
Darkness. A ringing in his ears. Blurred vision which hinted at the existence of icy-blue glacial caverns beyond the thick, hazy fog of hallucination. A glaring white as light began to return to focus.
There was Sands, lying on the frozen floor where he had been left, but rapidly and clumsily scrambling to his feet.
There was a weight on Rin's shoulder - something hanging there - something dark of flesh and hanging limp as dead weight.
It was Tsuan, and he was clearly dead.
Except - moving?
Raising his head, his quirky good looks and too-narrow eyes were face-to-face with the Nyran. It was surreal to see him without a grin on his lips - indeed he looked downright dead serious. He was haggard, breathing heavily and with some labor, as though he had just taken a severe punch to the gut.
"I'm okay kid. I'm okay. Just got the wind knocked out of me real bad. You alright? What the @#$% was that? You sure you're alright?" He seemed deeply concerned - clearly it was beyond obvious given Rin's expression that more had occurred than was immediately apparent.
Sands was on his feet now, looking as ready and alert as ever. His arm was hidden under the arctic-camo poncho, keying the hidden communicator there.
Being that they were essentially the co-founders of Cathorine's new, budding 'empire' - for after that incident in the ship where they barely all made it out alive, it was very doubtful that she would have been able to accomplish anything without their early help - the former ECDF and Hi'tzen Spec-Ops soldiers had special privileges and standing with the Queen. So when Sands spoke into the special emergency band that communicated between himself, the others in his 'platoon', the Queen herself, and other relevant higher-ups in the system, it mattered.
He was speaking rapidly but clearly, in the fashion of a well-seasoned soldier midst the aftermath of a terrorist bombing.
"Anomaly in Training Bay 4. Shipwide lockdown. Analysis team report immediately. Boss, we got some unexplained goin' on, better get your ass down here right away. Guys, cancel the sparring. Ty, Dal, home in on me. Don't revert the terrain, the eggheads need a sample of this black @#$% first."
Tsuan was able to stand up on his own now, without needing to lean on Rin. He had failed entirely to get Rin out of the way when the thing came shrieking toward him, and still some kind of shockwave had pummeled him at just the wrong second. The result was Rin on the floor and Tsuan up against one wall - and as Rin stood and whirled to look for him, he had stumbled back into the Nyran to keep himself standing.
He seemed quite in control of himself - and the concern had not departed from the narrow slits of blue beneath hard brows.
"What happened, Rin?" he half-demanded, though not without a deep compassion evident in his words.
From some distance away, the faint sound of footsteps could be heard as Ty and Dal approached from somewhere above, navigating the caves...
He was about to make some cheeky comment back at Rin - probably something about the audible note of affection in the Nyran's tone, or perhaps something snarky to make the kid blush.
Then, abruptly, things devolved into something very closely resembling a crisis situation.
Though E'tzu could not see the Nyran's expression from where he stood behind him, the sudden change in demeanor was instantaneously apparent. He had gone quiet, and was staring forward at something. The ex Hi'tzen marine looked in the same direction with some perplexed curiosity, and was just lowering his gun to re-holster it when -
Rin shrieked and went slashing madly with blades that flared like a sun. Habitually, Tsuan took a defensive support position, dodging slightly to one side and raising the sidearm to aim at whatever Rin might have been slashing at.
Some trick of Dal's or Ty's? No - there was nothing there.
Tsuan's heart sank then, and an icy claw gripped at his gut. Something was happening.
Too fast
An inky black figure, cloaked in shadow, rising from the ice and racing toward them, howling like some forsaken ghoul from the depths! He fired, instinctively thumbing the gun up to full-power as he did so - but the bullet flew harmlessly through the apparition and left a basketball-sized crater in the glacial wall behind it.
It was upon them now, there was no time!
He lunged at Rin-
The Perrygold
Common Room
He was standing beside his new pal now, looking almost awkwardly around the common area where, not so long ago, he had caused a commotion by annoying the pants off everyone with incessant outdated media.
Ketin found that he seemed to be overanalyzing people - particularly the unpleasant stereotype at the bar, and Nirix and her new friend - and this was unusual. After all, typically much of this came to him naturally, almost unconsciously. They were details that he inherently knew about someone before he even spoke with them, without needing to so much as glance in their direction.
He, who lived together in the hearts and minds and eyes of those around him - yet he who spent so little time actually thinking about them.
After all, if they were all simply extensions of himself...
But no - it was not he who was analyzing them. It was Arnaldo.
The half-breed's eyes widened imperceptibly. Was this guy a mind-reader too?
The burly little man had not once so much as opened his eyes - yet Kete was a part of this intense spacial awareness... And now he was analyzing people with the same sort of depth and certainty that, in his experience, only the Devil's Eye could allow for?
The possibility struck Ketin with the force of a sharp hammer blow to the head.
Was there another Devil's Eye?
Was it possible that there was some other device, similar to his own accursed relic, which could grant similar powers? Perhaps this man - this Arnaldo who was so heavily guarded against Ketin's own prying mind-eye - had learned to use his own Eye differently? Learned to close his eyes and live only through the eyes of others? If he was trying to stay hidden, it would be brilliant.
And that girl.
He hadn't thought about her in what seemed like decades, though it had only been a few mere weeks.
The girl with the short hair and long braid. The girl in the grey sweatshirt, who stood so close to the long-haired man in the trench coat with the terrifying black eyes.
Her eyes, more than his, had fascinated Ketin - though he only had a faint theory as to why.
Hadn't the black-eyed man been perfectly aware of everything the girl had been seeing, and vice-versa? What color had her eyes been? Grey and gold? Or were they lavender? He couldn't remember...
Presently, Nirix was approaching from down the hall, with that new guy - Wick - trailing some ways behind her.
Something was on her mind...
His first instinct was a flare of...What, anger? No - not that. Concern.
But it passed almost without having made itself noticed in the first place.
It would be preposterous to imagine that the guy had actually done any harm to Nirix. He knew that.
And Arnaldo was speaking, too;
"What's a 'wasp'?" he asked, curiously. Then, without waiting for an answer, he turned and waved enthusiastically at Nirix, smiling that broad, goofy smile of his. "Hey Ny'~!" he said, loud enough to be heard from their respective distance, but not shouting. "I was just about to challenge Arnaldo here to a game of 'Hyrubian Darts'!"
There was a dart board near the bar area, with a wide berth of space for players to stand. It was a large thing, oddly shaped, composed of multiple concentric targets aligned in a diamond shape and merging into one another, rather than a single circular panel. Beside it, a small, wall-mounted case could be seen, within which a dozen or so sets of sleek, pin-like darts could be seen lined neatly in their slots.
It was a game invented for the tight quarters aboard starships and stations. The concept was simple - hit as many of the 'bulls' eye' targets as possible with a single set of five darts. The practice was, however, much more challenging. Rather than relying on traditional methods of aerodynamics to control the darts, Hyrubian darts employed the electromagnetic field within spacefaring vessels to guide the darts - explaining why they lacked tailfins. In practice, it was not much different; most techniques were easily translatable - the main difference was the sensitivity of throwing. The user had much greater control if they were adept, or much less if they were new - and with much smaller and finer motions, a wide margin of throw techniques was achievable.
And, of course, Ketin was more than excellent at cheating at it without ever being caught.
...usually.
Cargo Hold
The figure was obviously small of stature and not much for weight, either; they were knocked clean to the floor with little effort. There was an effeminate yelp and, in the scuffle, a few glimpses of bright crimson-red hair and something approaching dark olive green.
But it all happened very fast. The scuffling of shoes, the movements of robots - and by the time all had gathered and oriented themselves, it was clear that their target had escaped. An open vent shaft and minute puff of dust surrounding it was more than evidence enough - the person had somehow managed to slip through the air duct and into the system. Clearly just big enough for them to scuttle through - but the bots were out of luck for now.
However, another interesting piece of evidence was left behind - something made of wood, which had clunked one or two of the bots on head during the low-light kerfuffle. It was long, with metal parts too - it was old and beaten, and there was blood on it!
It was an old-fashioned, bolt-action rifle. Well-worn cloth was wrapped around the stock and butt - and on the cloth was clearly the red-brown stains which only could have indicated that this was the weapon which had done so much damage to the man tied to the chair. Clearly he had been beaten with the butt of the rifle, and the criminal who had done it was now loose in the Perrygold's air ducts!
Darkness. A ringing in his ears. Blurred vision which hinted at the existence of icy-blue glacial caverns beyond the thick, hazy fog of hallucination. A glaring white as light began to return to focus.
There was Sands, lying on the frozen floor where he had been left, but rapidly and clumsily scrambling to his feet.
There was a weight on Rin's shoulder - something hanging there - something dark of flesh and hanging limp as dead weight.
It was Tsuan, and he was clearly dead.
Except - moving?
Raising his head, his quirky good looks and too-narrow eyes were face-to-face with the Nyran. It was surreal to see him without a grin on his lips - indeed he looked downright dead serious. He was haggard, breathing heavily and with some labor, as though he had just taken a severe punch to the gut.
"I'm okay kid. I'm okay. Just got the wind knocked out of me real bad. You alright? What the @#$% was that? You sure you're alright?" He seemed deeply concerned - clearly it was beyond obvious given Rin's expression that more had occurred than was immediately apparent.
Sands was on his feet now, looking as ready and alert as ever. His arm was hidden under the arctic-camo poncho, keying the hidden communicator there.
Being that they were essentially the co-founders of Cathorine's new, budding 'empire' - for after that incident in the ship where they barely all made it out alive, it was very doubtful that she would have been able to accomplish anything without their early help - the former ECDF and Hi'tzen Spec-Ops soldiers had special privileges and standing with the Queen. So when Sands spoke into the special emergency band that communicated between himself, the others in his 'platoon', the Queen herself, and other relevant higher-ups in the system, it mattered.
He was speaking rapidly but clearly, in the fashion of a well-seasoned soldier midst the aftermath of a terrorist bombing.
"Anomaly in Training Bay 4. Shipwide lockdown. Analysis team report immediately. Boss, we got some unexplained goin' on, better get your ass down here right away. Guys, cancel the sparring. Ty, Dal, home in on me. Don't revert the terrain, the eggheads need a sample of this black @#$% first."
Tsuan was able to stand up on his own now, without needing to lean on Rin. He had failed entirely to get Rin out of the way when the thing came shrieking toward him, and still some kind of shockwave had pummeled him at just the wrong second. The result was Rin on the floor and Tsuan up against one wall - and as Rin stood and whirled to look for him, he had stumbled back into the Nyran to keep himself standing.
He seemed quite in control of himself - and the concern had not departed from the narrow slits of blue beneath hard brows.
"What happened, Rin?" he half-demanded, though not without a deep compassion evident in his words.
From some distance away, the faint sound of footsteps could be heard as Ty and Dal approached from somewhere above, navigating the caves...
Rin was still shaking. He stared at Tsuan for a minute, noting the lips mouthing words that he couldn't hear.
Breathe-
He felt more than heard the harsh gasp he let out before he closed the distance and placed his head on Tsuan's shoulder- or arm, whatever he could reach- and just breathe. He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to overcome his trembling.
No luck.
I need to answer... I need to tell- he opened his mouth, closed it, then just- buried his face deeper into Tsuan's side. He needed- something, to ground him, and right now Tsuan was the closest link to Vaxur and didn't that thought hurt nofocus.
"I-"
His voice cracked. He shuddered, then let out a shaky sigh. He moved his head just enough for the bottom half of his face to be exposed to the icy air. "Someone threatened my mother," he said lowly, almost a whisper... but it was clear, and settled in the space between them, like a warning. It was a warning.
And he had no idea what was going on.
Breathe-
He felt more than heard the harsh gasp he let out before he closed the distance and placed his head on Tsuan's shoulder- or arm, whatever he could reach- and just breathe. He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to overcome his trembling.
No luck.
I need to answer... I need to tell- he opened his mouth, closed it, then just- buried his face deeper into Tsuan's side. He needed- something, to ground him, and right now Tsuan was the closest link to Vaxur and didn't that thought hurt nofocus.
"I-"
His voice cracked. He shuddered, then let out a shaky sigh. He moved his head just enough for the bottom half of his face to be exposed to the icy air. "Someone threatened my mother," he said lowly, almost a whisper... but it was clear, and settled in the space between them, like a warning. It was a warning.
And he had no idea what was going on.
What happened in the training room didn't go unnoticed by Cathorine's forces and the call from her special forces there only confirmed what they read on the scanners. Cathorine and the Veracon commander both made there way towards the training area and as soon as they arrive, Cathorine, if it didn't happen yet, would have reverted the room back to its original form. She see's the group around Rin and heard him mutter "Something threaten my mother". She then glances off to the side with her stoic face and see's the dark goo and Commander unit holding this long inky black thing in his hand and then looks at her, both knowing who it is. She then approaches and says "That something that threaten your mother is the Dimensional Lord of Darkness and Undead, Lord Ova. From how you are shaken up, you just experienced as physiological attack from her and the thing that produced the dreg in hand" as she points to the commander holding the same long black inky thing in hand, letting them knows its a dreg and continues "Is called a Lurkmen, manifestations of dregs, can appear at anytime, but generally harmless since the most they can do is knock you down really or go through you" as she continues to look at Rin.
She looks at the rest and says "Its not usually in her nature to do such a thing out of the blue and there was a reason for it...I doubt from looks or being a visitor from another galaxy would prompt such a response" she then looks at Rin and gets to his level and holds his face and asks in much relaxed tone...almost sweetly but definitely can tell has some urgency "Rin...Rin, listen to me, what else did she say to you? There must be more to it than a threat...why is she targeting you?" as she tries her best to get Rin to spit something out that can be used if any at all. As she focus's on Rin, the Commander Unit looks at the rest and says "Are any of you hurt? Tsun are you good, or do we need to bring the medical team down for you?" he asks him as a few beeps can be heard from the robot.
She looks at the rest and says "Its not usually in her nature to do such a thing out of the blue and there was a reason for it...I doubt from looks or being a visitor from another galaxy would prompt such a response" she then looks at Rin and gets to his level and holds his face and asks in much relaxed tone...almost sweetly but definitely can tell has some urgency "Rin...Rin, listen to me, what else did she say to you? There must be more to it than a threat...why is she targeting you?" as she tries her best to get Rin to spit something out that can be used if any at all. As she focus's on Rin, the Commander Unit looks at the rest and says "Are any of you hurt? Tsun are you good, or do we need to bring the medical team down for you?" he asks him as a few beeps can be heard from the robot.
"Hyrubian darts? If its anything like Szegabrian darts than I should have a blast" Arnaldo slipped this out before realizing that Szegabrian darts is 1. Played on a planet ; 2. Uses the curvature of a planet to speed up; and 3. Szegabrian darts takes place over a 900 mile field. Arnaldo then grabbed all five darts and analyzed their weight, their material (which he could not figure out) , and their aerodynamics (which he could also not figure out). He with all of his force whipped on out of his hand, and missed. He missed so badly in fact that he pierced the wall...next to the man at the bar. Without a second thought, Arnaldo, after analyzing his mistakes, preceded to whip every dart into the board with a deadly accuracy, robin-hooding two of the darts. "Your turn" exclaimed Arnaldo with a bit of pride thrown into his enunciation, he then slinked back to the bar. "Excuse me bartender, do you happen to have any hot water? Perhaps tea? I am as thirsty as Lingothian smooth-back, which get thirsty.". He looked over at Ketin, realizing that he had a certain tremble to him, as if he is faking most of what he says, Arnaldo brushed it off but what he took notice of was of one thing, there was some sort of wire sticking out of his head. Curiously, and without thinking, he left the bar and...tried to grab the wire, not realizing it was attached to Ketin.
"Breathe, kid. Just breathe." Tsuan was saying, voice a soothing, if slightly hoarse whisper. Though Rin was giving no indication that he was listening or even hearing, he was breathing. The two had been a stumbling mess for a moment there, but it had settled now - and Tsuan was a sturdy rock. Rin rested his head on the crook of Tsuan’s shoulder, and one hand reached out to give a few gentle, but meaningful pats on the back.
”Breeeeathe kid. You’re good, we got your back.” He went on - somehow managing not to sound condescending. All these Earth IV veterans seemed to have a way with words and people...one way or another. What had they seen?
Of course, he knew he was already out of his depth. Tsuan and the others had spoken with Cathorine on numerous occasions about the Dimensional Lords, and they were familiar with the concept - but many of the details had as of yet escaped them.
That was clearly going to have to change.
But for now, he was acutely aware that the best thing he could do for the situation was continue serving as Rin’s rock. He needed to know that there was someone behind him. All of them did.
He thanked Reltakov every day for showing them that.
”We got’chu.” he said again - and it was about that time that the cavalry came rolling in. Boss - here to take over the situation - everyone fitting into the system of operations exactly as they should.
Tsuan did not move as Cathorine and her units approached. If Rin wanted to continue leaning on him, he would be there. Nevertheless, he was alert and focused, narrow eyes bright as he listened to what the Queen had to say.
About halfway through her monologue, Ty and Dallen came trotting down the corridor, holstering their weapons only when they glanced from afar that they were not trotting into a combat situation or ridiculously improbable ambush.
”Ova.” Sand said to them as they came to a halt, looking around with the same alertness and readiness as Tsuan. They knew immediately the implications - though were short on details and specifics. ”Bitch got into Rin’s head. He says she threatened his mother. Then sent some kinda’ spook to drive the point home.”
That about covered it.
If Rin moved away from leaning on Tsuan, he would be sure to keep his hand on the Nyran’s shoulder all the while.
”You’ll give us a more detailed briefing on Ova later?” Ty said in his soft, but firm, accented voice. It was more a polite assumption than a question. They and Cathorine had operated on the same level ever since they had begun the endeavor of building an empire - he had no doubt that she would tell them everything they could possibly want to know...when there was time.
Sands moved over to take a closer look at the inky remnant, peering at the thing with confused revulsion. They had dealt with the minions of Dimensional Lords, but this one was new to them.
”Yeah, I’m fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me is all...Those things aren’t infectious or anything right?” Tsuan said, only half serious in the query.
”Rin’s okay?” Dallen asked, shooting a glance to Tsuan - who merely nodded.
”Breeeeathe kid. You’re good, we got your back.” He went on - somehow managing not to sound condescending. All these Earth IV veterans seemed to have a way with words and people...one way or another. What had they seen?
Of course, he knew he was already out of his depth. Tsuan and the others had spoken with Cathorine on numerous occasions about the Dimensional Lords, and they were familiar with the concept - but many of the details had as of yet escaped them.
That was clearly going to have to change.
But for now, he was acutely aware that the best thing he could do for the situation was continue serving as Rin’s rock. He needed to know that there was someone behind him. All of them did.
He thanked Reltakov every day for showing them that.
”We got’chu.” he said again - and it was about that time that the cavalry came rolling in. Boss - here to take over the situation - everyone fitting into the system of operations exactly as they should.
Tsuan did not move as Cathorine and her units approached. If Rin wanted to continue leaning on him, he would be there. Nevertheless, he was alert and focused, narrow eyes bright as he listened to what the Queen had to say.
About halfway through her monologue, Ty and Dallen came trotting down the corridor, holstering their weapons only when they glanced from afar that they were not trotting into a combat situation or ridiculously improbable ambush.
”Ova.” Sand said to them as they came to a halt, looking around with the same alertness and readiness as Tsuan. They knew immediately the implications - though were short on details and specifics. ”Bitch got into Rin’s head. He says she threatened his mother. Then sent some kinda’ spook to drive the point home.”
That about covered it.
If Rin moved away from leaning on Tsuan, he would be sure to keep his hand on the Nyran’s shoulder all the while.
”You’ll give us a more detailed briefing on Ova later?” Ty said in his soft, but firm, accented voice. It was more a polite assumption than a question. They and Cathorine had operated on the same level ever since they had begun the endeavor of building an empire - he had no doubt that she would tell them everything they could possibly want to know...when there was time.
Sands moved over to take a closer look at the inky remnant, peering at the thing with confused revulsion. They had dealt with the minions of Dimensional Lords, but this one was new to them.
”Yeah, I’m fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me is all...Those things aren’t infectious or anything right?” Tsuan said, only half serious in the query.
”Rin’s okay?” Dallen asked, shooting a glance to Tsuan - who merely nodded.
Rin was still leaning on Tsuan slightly as the Queen held his face in her hands, but shook his head, eyes furrowed in barely hidden frightened scared worried sick confusion, inadvertantly freeing his head from her gentle grip.
"I don't..." he curled a little bit into himself, leaning a little more at the reassuring hand on his shoulder- not Vaxur but- he was- okay, fine-
"Said... knew who... I am? I- I don't understand- what she wants with me," he stuttered, trying to think, reason, what was going on. "I'm- I'm just a nobody who got lucky with the military," he muttered, forcing himself to just breathe steadily, not panic-ridden, because panic doesn't do anything he had to figure outwhatwasgoingon.
"I don't know. I don't know. I don't- " He sounded like a broken piece of machinery. He felt like a piece of broken machinery. Just when everything was working fine- and it broke again.
"I don't..." he curled a little bit into himself, leaning a little more at the reassuring hand on his shoulder- not Vaxur but- he was- okay, fine-
"Said... knew who... I am? I- I don't understand- what she wants with me," he stuttered, trying to think, reason, what was going on. "I'm- I'm just a nobody who got lucky with the military," he muttered, forcing himself to just breathe steadily, not panic-ridden, because panic doesn't do anything he had to figure outwhatwasgoingon.
"I don't know. I don't know. I don't- " He sounded like a broken piece of machinery. He felt like a piece of broken machinery. Just when everything was working fine- and it broke again.
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