[Nexus] Outside XXVIII

[Lost_Deep]

Let the plot LIVE!

Obsidian Forest

Fixing K'rax would be nice, yeah.

And the state of the place certainly doesn't lend itself to the idea that this would be at all simple. Or... maybe it would be? Really depends on what Iriel is capable of.

Regardless the eldritch critter will probably be able to tell that K'rax knows she's there. Opened the way forward after all. And should Iriel try to make things worse there will no doubt be rather dire consequences.

Like that smushing that was mentioned before.

Iriel looks around. How easy will it be?

Well... it could be very hard due to how complex Eldrtich abominations are...

...or it could be easy due to the natural healing of the abomination negating the need to mess with the finer details. The first priority is probably the main structures, and then continue to the secondary structures and so on until the whole thing is repaired or K'rax asks her to leave.

Where do the primary structures go? presumably, where they were before they were blown up. Iriel will focus, and flex her full power into trying to restore the primary structures. This is accomplished via reaching back through time, taking what the structures were, and re-creating them in the present. This should work... as long as Iriel's powers don't rub the wrong way with the ambient energies in K'rax. Arguments can be made both ways... the only way to tell is to watch and see what happens.

[Earl of Purple]

Hermitage of Dalachrech- Elezibethele

Spoiler

Show

Elezibethele is perfectly willing to wait for Terrowin to die. She's young; she'll live for hundreds of years. What's another sixty more or less? But yes, the system is quite anarchic. What's worse is that Dalachrech himself has plans and plots, and knows those of His underlings.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll leave you somewhere safe whilst I'm off campaigning. But I'll always come back; not even death could stop me." That's a worrying statement.

Hermitage of Dalachrech- Azurelle

Spoiler

Show

"Good point. You don't fear punishment, so I'll need the carrot rather than the stick. So. How would you bring somebody rich and important to a position in which they are completely beneath your heel?" I think Azurelle will consider the plan, and possibly even go through with it.

[Rebonack]

[Obsidian Forest]

Well...

It looks like some big sparkly things are beginning to crystallize like massive snowflakes drifting through the void. Iriel will probably notice that K'rax is doing what she can to aid in the process, but the abomination's attention is quite clearly focused elsewhere. The damage caused here seems to have really made it difficult for her to focus both on the material world as well as what lies beyond the veil.

That's...

Good.

Right?

Because K'rax doesn't seem to be squashing Iriel yet.

[Lost_Deep]

Obsidian Forest

It's... working.

More power. Iriel focuses her full power, and her full concentration, into the process. Great arcs of pastel-colored eldritch power should arch from Iriel and around the forming structure, becoming brighter and more common as more power is channeled.

Yes, pastel colored. You can ask if you want to, I guess...

Later, though. Right now Iriel is fully concentrating on the task at hand; anything else goes completely unnoticed.

[Rebonack]

[Obsidian Forest]

It certainly seems to be working!

Working quite well! Massive crystalline formations grow and expand and connect as far as the eye can see!

But then all of a sudden Iriel's power is being rejected! Rejected along with a very distinct message that it's time for Iriel to go away. Quickly. Seems something has changed. And in a hurry, too.

Better get out of there!

Otherwise there might be dire consequences in the near future.

Extremely dire consequences.

Consequences of the squishy kind.

[Lost_Deep]

Obsidian Forest

Saying that she comes to a screeching halt is misguiding, as it implies it takes a moment to slow down. She cuts off almost immediately, and flies out. There is no obvious method of flight, and she has no trouble going straight backwards and up.

She gains some height and distance, then stops. She waits, watches, and...

Hopes. Hopes that she did enough, hopes that K'rax isn't upset...

Hopes that they can be friends.

[Rebonack]

[Obsidian Forest]

Flee!

Various chimeras are watching the scene unfold with rapt attention. They aren't totally sure what's going on, but it must be something good, right? Mother is waking up!

...

Slowly.

It seems K'rax accepted just enough help to allow her to repair the rest of the damage herself in a relatively timely fashion. It'll take a while yet for the repairs to be done at the present rate, but still a lot faster than the several thousand years that would have been required otherwise.

Yay?

[Lost_Deep]

Obsidian Forest

Iriel waits a bit.

Uh...

After a bit, she lands. Does K'rax want more help? Does K'rax want her to leave? Does K'rax not care as long as Iriel doesn't return to her head?

Iriel will wait, hovering, waiting for a sign, hoping that she isn't on a timer...

[Rebonack]

[Obsidian Forest]

No outward signs.

No impressions.

No feelings.

No nothing.

K'rax is focused on two things and only two things at the moment. Warding the Threshold and repairing herself.

In that order.

Nothing else is relevant. She simply doesn't have the energy to do anything else.

[Lost_Deep]

Obsidian Forest

Nothing?

Nothing.

Nooothing.

Zilch.

Nada.

...

Iriel has no idea what to do.

Her basic urges have been fighting over this situation ever since she first met K'rax... Run away, It can crush you, but it's hurt and needs help.

Uhh...

After a bit she will land in the forest. She will see if she can stay with the chimeras, take some time to get comfortable, and wait.

Wait and hope that K'rax wakes up soon.

[UncleWolf]

Empty Field

The dragon roars a challenge. It cannot flee on one wing, and could not harm the bug even before it had swelled in size, but the dragon will not back down. Faster than a wounded beast should be able, it gives a wing assisted leap forwards, aiming to crash down on Puddin's segmented body just below the bug's head section.

The dragon's jaws lash out, sinewy neck rippling as it tries to grab hold of, and then rip off, one of Puddin's mandibles.

Empty Field

Pat lets out a scream of agony from the neural feedback when the mandible is ripped off. The pain is immense before she shunts it elsewhere in the hive, growling before she raises her shoulder mounted bio-cannon. "Eat this!" She shouts before firing off a large dart shaped projectile at the Dragon's wing pinion. With any luck, the scales would be softer in the joint.

Puddin' on the other hand, writhes around a bit under the dragon before spitting out another gout of fluid at the dragon's face. Instead of an acid, this one is a sticky tar-like substance. If it gets in the dragon's eyes and nose, the wet tissue will start feeling like its burning as a paralytic toxin spreads.

Indeed, the last villager is well and truly bisected, falling to the ground in any number of bloody parts. That's two down, two near dead, both survivors fleeing. Speaking of survivors, there's a rather conspicuous smear of blood leading from where the teleported fell over to the most intact of the ruins, which also happens to be the best hiding place available.

Which isn't to say it's the only hiding place about. Heck no. There's so much wreckage strewn about, so many burnt of shells of dead homes that Javert has his choice of ambush spots. A few of the buildings even have still-standing second floors, so he can probably find a sniper's nest or high ground if he wants.

Meanwhile, the pistoleer is nearly out of sight, running back towards the center of town. If there's anyone left who's brave enough to wander into the ruins, his story should bring them out.

Riv's Hamlet

Javert marks all the hiding places in his head, setting up priorities before sheathing his two blades, appearing as only a mask once more. With sure movements, the assassin drifts silently closer to the better half of the Hamlet, but chooses to hide nearby whichever path appears to be the biggest road through the ruined section. He believes that the mob that was sure to arrive would choose to go down that. If possible, he'll hide in a ruined attic overlooking the road, but if that is unavailable, he'll clamber on top of whatever ruins are nearby and lay down, drawing a loop of wire from his waist before waiting.

[Gnrlshrimp]

Fessenoch - Defeated...

"Well, if you aren't gonna take anything, then I bet my wife would love somma these..." Adir draws a scary-looking bowie knife and hacks off the long pseudopod-esque structures protruding from the corpse's head. He bundles them up under one arm and waves his arm toward the forest courteously. "Shall we?"

And presumably they shall, trekking back through the forest on their way to Watch.

Sounds like a good idea. Back to Watch to find something to deal with those burns. Nasty things that they are.

Marcus raises an eyebrow at the knife, but presumably Adir has some use for those things. Better than just letting the whole thing go to waste, anyway.

"Yes, back to Watchtower sounds good. One fight like that is enough." And so, having passed his test, it would seem, Marcus follows Adir back.

[Murkus]

[At the Coast with Percival]

Eericka attributes fatherly qualities to Percy right now primarily due to the trust being developed between the two and the safety she has begun to feel while associating with him. At the same time, she fears Percy to a point, though that fear has diminished as a result of this little foray to the coast.

The waters of the ocean are likely warm so that they are more fitting for the occasion. Eericka giggles as she feels the sand under her feet. That is a new experience, certainly. The motions of the waves set her on edge initially, but she soon adjusts to them. She is rather happy and excited by now, gazing off over the horizon, pondering how great the distance is between where the water tapers off and the next land mass begins.

"You're a far better master than I ever hoped to get."

That's high praise considering Eericka's overall hatred of slavers and slave owners.

Percival... is not sure how to respond to that. He certainly didn't expect it. So he just sort of shuffles his feet and asks, "Do you know how to swim, Eericka?"

[Slii Arhem]

Empty Field

Pat lets out a scream of agony from the neural feedback when the mandible is ripped off. The pain is immense before she shunts it elsewhere in the hive, growling before she raises her shoulder mounted bio-cannon. "Eat this!" She shouts before firing off a large dart shaped projectile at the Dragon's wing pinion. With any luck, the scales would be softer in the joint.

Puddin' on the other hand, writhes around a bit under the dragon before spitting out another gout of fluid at the dragon's face. Instead of an acid, this one is a sticky tar-like substance. If it gets in the dragon's eyes and nose, the wet tissue will start feeling like its burning as a paralytic toxin spreads.

Empty Field

Both attacks collide full on with the dragon, and it drops the mandible as it rears back in blinding pain. The dart lodges deep into the wing's joint, rendering it inoperable.

The tar gets into the dragon's nose, but the eyes were closed instinctively when the dart slammed into it, so they are safe from the paralytic. To make matters worse, its nostrils flare as it tries to take in a deep breath for its next breath attack, aimed in Pat's direction. The gunk foils the attack by being sucked down into its lungs, spreading the toxin further.

The beast writhes in pain for now, trying to dislodge itself from Puddin and begin to run away. It's rather slow on foot, and will not get far.

[UncleWolf]

Empty Field

The dart explodes after a moment, probably knocking out a large chunk of the dragon's flesh around the wing's joint. As part of the explosive charge, several long needles of crystallized cyanide and arsenic are shot out, towards the dragon's core. If they dig deep enough, the body heat will melt the shards of poison.

[Slii Arhem]

Empty Field

The wing is all but sheared off by the blast, only the bone and tendon surviving. Not many of the splinters manage to make their way into the dragon's torso, but a few do. They begin to melt, spreading their poison slowly.

The still functional wing comes up and wipes the remaining gunk out of its eyes if possible. It should be enough for the dragon to see where Pat and her sisters are. It's having trouble breathing through the paralytic, but it manages to get enough air into its lungs for this.

It hacks up a massive ball of acid, thick and phlegmy, sending it hurtling through the air to Pat's position with the precision of a mortar shell.

It does this with its head turned back towards her, still trying to limp away from the field.

[UncleWolf]

Empty Field

Jette snorts when the acidball starts on its trajectory and stands defiantly. "Bring it o-" She's cut off with an breathless grunt as Lita tackles her to the ground, summoning up a defensive shield around them both. Unfortunately this leaves Pat wide open to be hit by the acid.

She's crushed to the ground by the impact, swallowed by the sphere, and the ground all around the three dissolves. Jette's normally cool and arrogant demeanor is gone, replaced by fear and helplessness as she clings to Lita, thankful for the shield protecting them.

The dragon might find itself being tackled by Puddin' once more as it lunges to try and latch onto the creature's side before attempting to latch its lamprey like maw onto the dragon's shoulder. If successful, it'll begin to chew with hundreds of sharp teeth, trying to get into the muscle and bone.

[Slii Arhem]

Empty Field

The dragon is slow and left breathless by its last ditch attack. Therefore, despite its best efforts to evade it only ends up throwing itself prone when Puddin latches on. Its neck has been almost completely paralyzed by the sludge at this point, but even still it moves weakly to bite at the monstrous centipede, its jaws not having the strength to even dent Puddin's carapace.

It will moan as the many teeth skin through its scaly hide and into the sensitive flesh beneath. Deep red blood spills out from the wound.

It lays there on its side, not quite dead yet very incapacitated. It's chest rises and falls more slowly each time as the poisons do their work.

[UncleWolf]

Empty Field

When the dragon passes on a short while later, Pat crawls out of the crater the acid made, mostly unscathed except for a broken leg and arm. She grunts when she and her sisters make it to the dragon's body. Sharing a small smile, she and her sisters begin to tear it apart, separating their claimed morsels.

When done, Pat has several million ants of her Hive begin tearing off chunks and take it back to the MagCave. She had much work to do.

[Reinholdt]

[Melody's Island]

Reinholdt led Ermine to where boats travel over the sea to the island of the group of islands in which Melody lives.

It's probably not nearly as rowdy as Ermine's used to.

[Lex-Kat]

{Melody's Island}

They will find Melody sitting on the beach, looking out to the sea.

Melody (A.K.A. Model Smurf)

Spoiler

Show

Race: Smurf
Class: Adoptive daughter of Turtle.
Alignment: Chaotic Good.
Age: 15
Height: 5'7" (Formally 3")
Eyes: Violet
Hair: Brunette
Affiliation: Good League of Good
Power Level: 3

Description: Melody is a tall, thin, very attractive human-sized Smurf. She has long brunette hair, and pretty violet eyes. Her skin is a light blue. She usually wears a t-shirt and jeans. She looks to be about 18, even though she's only 15.

Backstory: Melody was raised in Smurf Village by her great grandmother, Smurfette (yes, of teevee fame). While she was out picking flowers, a great shadow loomed overhead.

She looked up and saw what at first she thought was the horrible Gargamel come back from the past. The monster grabbed her, spoke in a strange language, then stuffed her in it's pocket.

For the next month the monster, now known as Lord Magtok, would remove her from his pocket, and do strange experiment to her. One day, while begging for release from his pocket, he reached in and handed her over to another strange being. This one also had no hair, but looked to be female.

The female fed, bathed, and gave Melody medical attention. She also started calling her Alyssa.

Alyssa was given to the care of Dr. Al Beit. A psychotherapist. He helped restore Melody's mind, and discovered Melody's true name. It wasn't long after that, that Judy, Melody's female rescuer, left GLoG. Melody was told that she had to stay, to finish her therapy.

Melody was doing fine, until the day that Dr. LaRoth and her gang started to invade GLoG again. A telepath named Alek has invaded Melody's mind, and made her life a living hell, once again.

Weapons/Magic:

1. Teleport Bracelet- Melody can teleport to anyplace that she's been to and knows the location of.
2. Amulet of Concealment- This Amulet makes mind-control nearly impossible. It was given to Melody by Turtle, after Nil left.
3. Mr. Huggles and Sparkles series- These are two drones sporked up by Turtle for Melody to protect her mind had reverted to a child-like state. They have been charged with protecting Melody and keeping her happy.
   
   1. Mr. Huggles- Mr. Huggles looks like a basic drone, with childish scribbles all over him.
   2. Sparkles series, I - III- The Sparkles series look like pseudo-dragons, and were created after child-Melody first saw Fanboy's Dragons. She wanted one, so Turtle created one for her.

Armor: None. She's not a fighter.

Common Knowledge:

1. Her best friend was Lindsay. Who was played by Haleyintraining.
2. Turtle adopted her after Melody's mind was reverted to a child-like state by the villain Alek.

Picture:
This is her, during child-like mindfrack.
Avatar by Happyturtle.
((Probably needs to be updated. ))

She watches as the boat carrying Reinholdt and Ermine comes toward the island.

When it gets closer, she stands up and waves to the couple. The fish are almost done!! Hope you like Cole Slaw!!

[Reinholdt]

[Melody's Island]

"Did I mention that she always knows when I'm coming. I still haven't figured out how..." Reinholdt says, adjusting the blue feather he's got pinned to his shirt pocket right now. He's always kept it.

He waves back.

[Chaotic Bob]

[The Great Water Bubble in the Sky]

A 60 foot diameter sphere of thick water-like substance has randomly decided to exist in the sky above a farm-field, it seems.
Well, not quite randomly.

Feia deliberately moved it.
But the location is somewhat random.

Presumably, a robot, Kirk, and Ghoul are also within it somewhere.
Ghoul and the robot may wish to make note of the sudden lack of ground.

[billtodamax]

[The Great Water Bubble in the Sky]

A 60 foot diameter sphere of thick water-like substance has randomly decided to exist in the sky above a farm-field, it seems.
Well, not quite randomly.

Feia deliberately moved it.
But the location is somewhat random.

Presumably, a robot, Kirk, and Ghoul are also within it somewhere.
Ghoul and the robot may wish to make note of the sudden lack of ground.

The robot, very quickly, begins to drop out of the sky.

Offensive capabilities utilised. Lethal force approved. It says as it drops, smashing into the ground.

A cloud of dirt billows up into the air around the crater, but just visible is a spherical shield of blue light that flickers off.

Acquiring lock. comes a voice from the ground.

[Gullara]

[The Great Water Bubble in the Sky]

Pull up. Pull up! Kirk pulls up and out of the top of the water bubble again. He's lucky that the bike was actually able to do that. Anyway, looks like he's getting the hang of this thing. A shame his guns are a tad too big for using when Ghoul is so close to Feia. Instead he fiddles with flying one handed before producing his tommy gun to send some laser Feia's way.

[Terumitsu]

[The Great Water Bubble in the Sky]

Being suspended near the center of the fluid would mean that there was plenty of time to worry about falling. Well, that and the fact that it would be easy to keep in one area for the time being due to it being quite similar to water. In addition, while the witch was apparently immune to cold attacks directly, it also allowed for other tactics that had not been available before. While Ghoul wasn't able to keep strangling the dragon-witch, at least that burning chain wouldn't be a problem anymore.

Taking three more disks in hand, Ghoul fired up her cybernetics for a short but very powerful burst and hurled them through the fluid. Given their shape and the way they were flung, they would fly more like a group of frisbees rather than tumbling end over end and scattering randomly. Each of these grenades were the same type as before.. But upon explosion, they would likely turn the surrounding area into large chunks of ice, possibly inhibiting or imprisoning Feia in the process.

[Mr. Moon]

Spoiler

Show

[Field]

Somewhere after this roaring business is done, Feia considers glaring at Kax.
He's being a pest, with this stubborn sticking-around-ness and slashing up her arm.

But instead, she has a more perturbed look to her eye, squinching them shut a bit.
And then her body twitches, an event that will require the orc to retain quite a good grip for, even moreso for the following:

Massive dragon coughing fit.

The vial was thrown in while she was roaring, at which time her esophagus was closed to allow air to flow through her trachea.
Which, unfortunately, means that's where the vial ended up flying.
Muscles within didn't like that, resulting in a coughing fit, which sounds a bit like boulders being ground against a cliff face and exploding grenades at the same time.

Very unpleasant, loud noise.
It's also accompanied by more wracking of Feia's body, something that is very likely to simply fling Kax off into the distance.

She also suspects her neck is going a bit numb.

Well, it's certainly a good thing Tel-Zaff Kax can no longer hear. If he still could, Feia's cacophonous coughs would certainly have done the job. But the orc has bigger concerns for the moment. Hanging on for dear life being foremost.

Clinging to her bloodied arm, Tel-Zaff Kax holds his axe in one hand, grabs onto a spike with his other, and digs his hips into the side of her arm like he was breaking a horse. Growing up doing odd-jobs, Tel-Zaff Kax had more than his fair experience with stable work. He'd broken in plenty of stallions in his time. This is ten times the worst of them. Adrenaline can do amazing things, but Tel-Zaff Kax is badly injured and every thrash of Feia's arm sends a jolt of fire through his chest where his ribs are broken. His cries of pain are drowned out by Feia's wheezing, but he can't hear them anyway. Worse, Feia's arm is slick and wet with blood. For all his efforts to hang on, Tel-Zaff Kax's grip slips with every flail.

Finally, he can no longer keep his grip. His final efforts to hold on slip away, and Tel-Zaff Kax is launched up into the air. For a few moments he soars upwards, arms limp in front of him. To the orc it is as if he is hanging, suspended in mid-air as he watches Feia shrink before him. And then the earth reaches up and pulls him to her breast. The crash is sudden, short and loud.

Now Tel-Zaff Kax lays in the mud. His left arm and right leg are splayed at angles that no limb should ever take. His dragon-bone armour lays shattered below him and digs in through leather padding and woollen clothes, cutting into his skin and letting dark blood flow from him to mix with the mud and turn black. His axe lays with its blade embedded in the mud twenty feet away from him. Pain flows, white hot, through every fibre of his being. For several long moments, he can see only a bright white nothingness. But then his vision clears, slowly, Feia's large purple form coming into view.

No.
Not yet.
Crying out in agony, Tel-Zaff Kax forces himself to sit up.

[happyturtle]

{Melody's Island}

They will find Melody sitting on the beach, looking out to the sea.

Melody (A.K.A. Model Smurf)

Spoiler

Show

Race: Smurf
Class: Adoptive daughter of Turtle.
Alignment: Chaotic Good.
Age: 15
Height: 5'7" (Formally 3")
Eyes: Violet
Hair: Brunette
Affiliation: Good League of Good
Power Level: 3

Description: Melody is a tall, thin, very attractive human-sized Smurf. She has long brunette hair, and pretty violet eyes. Her skin is a light blue. She usually wears a t-shirt and jeans. She looks to be about 18, even though she's only 15.

Backstory: Melody was raised in Smurf Village by her great grandmother, Smurfette (yes, of teevee fame). While she was out picking flowers, a great shadow loomed overhead.

She looked up and saw what at first she thought was the horrible Gargamel come back from the past. The monster grabbed her, spoke in a strange language, then stuffed her in it's pocket.

For the next month the monster, now known as Lord Magtok, would remove her from his pocket, and do strange experiment to her. One day, while begging for release from his pocket, he reached in and handed her over to another strange being. This one also had no hair, but looked to be female.

The female fed, bathed, and gave Melody medical attention. She also started calling her Alyssa.

Alyssa was given to the care of Dr. Al Beit. A psychotherapist. He helped restore Melody's mind, and discovered Melody's true name. It wasn't long after that, that Judy, Melody's female rescuer, left GLoG. Melody was told that she had to stay, to finish her therapy.

Melody was doing fine, until the day that Dr. LaRoth and her gang started to invade GLoG again. A telepath named Alek has invaded Melody's mind, and made her life a living hell, once again.

Weapons/Magic:

1. Teleport Bracelet- Melody can teleport to anyplace that she's been to and knows the location of.
2. Amulet of Concealment- This Amulet makes mind-control nearly impossible. It was given to Melody by Turtle, after Nil left.
3. Mr. Huggles and Sparkles series- These are two drones sporked up by Turtle for Melody to protect her mind had reverted to a child-like state. They have been charged with protecting Melody and keeping her happy.
   
   1. Mr. Huggles- Mr. Huggles looks like a basic drone, with childish scribbles all over him.
   2. Sparkles series, I - III- The Sparkles series look like pseudo-dragons, and were created after child-Melody first saw Fanboy's Dragons. She wanted one, so Turtle created one for her.

Armor: None. She's not a fighter.

Common Knowledge:

1. Her best friend was Lindsay. Who was played by Haleyintraining.
2. Turtle adopted her after Melody's mind was reverted to a child-like state by the villain Alek.

Picture:
This is her, during child-like mindfrack.
Avatar by Happyturtle.
((Probably needs to be updated. ))

She watches as the boat carrying Reinholdt and Ermine comes toward the island.

When it gets closer, she stands up and waves to the couple. The fish are almost done!! Hope you like Cole Slaw!!

(Do either of these work? Feel free to edit if neither matches your mental picture of grownup Melody. )

Also somewhere on the island is Melody's adoptive mother Happy, but she's staying out of the way for now to give Reinholdt and Melody some time together without any of the awkwardness of the Reinholdt/Happy relationship.



Happy is starting to look older, with some graying to her hair that tektek won't allow unless it's gone completely gray. The bastards.

[VampireRot]

[Melody's Island]

"Probably some sort o' magic."

Ermine flicks her ears and waves at Melody, then glances at Reinholdt thoughtfully.

"What be coleslaw?"

She'll disembark from the boat once it reaches the island itself, looking around curiously.

[Lex-Kat]

{Melody's Island}

Unable to contain her excitement, Melody will shift her arms into wings and fly over to the boat, landing in a hug for Reinholdt. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten me.

She breaks the hug, and looks at Ermine. And is this your girlfriend? She's cute. she leans toward Ermine a little. I like the whiskers. she whispers.

((Thanks for the new Tek Teks, Happy. I really like the second one. That's what she looks like, at the moment, since it is a bit chilly out.. ))