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  1. - Top - End - #211
    Troll in the Playground
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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    It's 20s and 30s slang mostly. Elaine grew up in a Victorian sector of the city, and spent most of her life there, trying to avoid the inevitable cultural contamination.

    Billie has never had any ties until finding Gus, and so she just roams the streets, sticking to areas that aren't bit on moral policing. The Jazz Age is one that suits her well, and since her first hookup with Vinny, she's spent more time in that sector and picked up its slang. (Though it'd be fun to go back and edit in some to her former stories, because it's so fun. )
    My avatar! Isn't it just utterly diabolical? Ashen Lilies made it!

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  2. - Top - End - #212
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    Right, so I'm a little late to the party. In fact, I've been avoiding this thread because I tend to get carried away with proof-reading and such and I like having free time.

    Anyway, here's what's happening.

    Some of you may be familiar with my newest character, Mercutio. For those of you who aren't, let me attempt to sum him up in a way that doesn't make him sound like the biggest Gary Stu ever.
    Mercutio is a devil from RivalHappyturtle and Kid Kris' faction, the Hell of the Iron Queen. Specifically, he's from the sub-circle Pride over Life, which deals with sins committed in wilful ignorance or the quest for knowledge. For example, a witch hunter from medieval England and a Nazi scientist are quite likely to rub elbows there. Mercutio is also a Planeswalker, ala the card game Magic: The Gathering.

    Now, one of the challenges I set for myself at Mercutio's creation is that he's only allowed to summon creatures that he's acquired on-screen. This added a certain amount of randomness to the character, but also kept him from getting too powerful. I can't just say "oh he learned how to summon this 8/8 flying creature with First Strike and Trample in his backstory. =3" Nope. I've gotta earn his power.
    Except then I realized that this slows him down way too much and prevents him from having any sort of theme in his creatures. Also, it means that any time I want a specific creature I need to run a plot or beg someone else to run a plot for me.
    And that's just not fun.

    So in order to get around it, I decided on a loop-hole. I still have to show Mercutio learning or gaining access to a creature, but in addition to doing this in RP, I can write it out as a short story. The stronger/rarer the card, the more effort I need to put into it. The story I wrote up features a vanilla 1/1 Human Wizard, and it took me about an hour to write. But if I wanted him to get, say, Sphinx of Magosi, I'd have to spend quite some time on it.

    So without further ado:

    Fugitive Wizard

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    The City Guard had been hounding Maya Doss for three days. She'd taken shelter in an abandoned hovel in the Deepslum district It was cold, dark and rank. The young hedgemage sat in the corner of the one-room house. There were two doors: One behind her that lead to more crowded alleyways, and one in from that opened onto the street proper. If the Guards came around, it'd be through that door. She could run out the back and lose them in the alleys.

    Even so, she didn't dare light the tiny coal fire in the centre of the room.

    It had all started a year ago. Maya had been an apprentice to a wizard living in the City Popper. She'd studied alchemy under him, in hopes of one day making a decent living selling health potions. But then a man with sideways, orange eyes like a goat's started visiting. He and her master would retreat to her master's private quarters. Sometimes for a matter of minutes, sometimes for whole hours at a time. Around the same time, things had started changing. Her master's studies began to shift focus, and thus so did Maya's. Instead of learning how to cure illnesses, Maya started learning how to inflict them.

    Then one day, instead of the goat-eyed man, a squad of City Guard broke down the door. While Maya watched in terror, they stormed into her master's private quarters and were driven back by a massive stitched-together homunculous. Driven by her master's magic, the roaring husk threw the armour-clad guards about like toys.

    Maya didn't know what happened to her master. She just ran. They'd followed her, losing and gaining her trail almost by the hour. That's how she ended up here. Hopefully they'd leave her alone now. She was so very tired.

    "Miss Dross, was it? Maya Dross?"

    With a cry of terrified surprise, Maya twisted and drew back from the source of the voice. There, leaning ever so relaxed in the frame of the black door was the man with the goat eyes. How did he get there without her noticing!?

    "I'm sorry to break this to you this way, but you've been found guilty of Accessory to Necromancy. Do you know what the punishment for necromancy is?"

    Slowly, Maya nodded. It was death.

    A smile crept over his thin lips. "I can give you an escape."


    Mercutio has acquired Maya Doss, Fugitive Wizard
    "You tied your wings on tightly but they always come undone"
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  3. - Top - End - #213
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    OrchestraHc's Avatar

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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    Alright, Let's do this.

    Patient 413: Very good, but I'm unlikely to read more. Gaslighting and Dr. Strofflenburg bug me.

    Luke and Archer: I don't know why I skipped this, this was nice.

    Sue: Im glad you gave your character a happy end. There was a bit too much backstory for me too fully understand.

    Vita and Rugal: They were interesting stories. I like them, but I don't know near enough about the characters and their culture to fully get it.

    Green Knight: I'm curious as to how the green knight = Death. That's an interesting faction as well. I'd like to see a militant church try to sweep nexus in earnest.

    Bad dream: I hope this isn't foreshadowing something bad happening to Brinka.

    Rise: This is a well written war and I assume an excellent conclusion.

    Fugitive wizard: I don't know much about MtG, but where is she when she isn't being summoned?

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  4. - Top - End - #214
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    Something of a precedent has been set for multiple posts in this thread, mostly so the story isn't accidentally skipped by placing it in an edited post.

    Here is a story about my wizard and apprentice characters. For the OP index use the apprentices name: Romeo Firé

    Blue Robes

    Or

    Wherin I Try To Narratively Exposit My Character’s System of Magic: Part the First

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    “Look at the book, Romeo,” my instructor told me, sitting across from me at the low table of his study. He was an old man with the face of a doting old grandpa. His long beard was only a few shades lighter than his aged gray robes. With his wide brimmed conical hat, a traditional sign of his advanced training in mystic arts, set casually on the table, I could see his hairline had receded far past the crown of his head.

    “I am sir,” I tell him, staring at the book in question, floating a few feet above the table. I furrowed my brow and forced my eyelids as wide as I could get them.

    “Then do you see it?” he asked me with a knowing tone. The question may as well have been rhetorical. He knew what I was going to say. He just wanted to hear it out of my mouth.

    “No, sir,” I answered, dejected. I tried harder and harder but I still couldn’t see the spell.

    “Of course you can’t. How could you see the spell if you’re too busy trying to burn a hole through it?” he said as he reached out with his hand, and rubbed by forehead hard with his palm, pushing me back into my chair. “You can’t pierce through it. You have to let it in, which you can’t do if you get nervous and tense up.”

    “Yes sir. I’m sorry sir,” he says as I stare down at my hands. Elio Fabrizio was a master mage, of a station so very far above me, and deigning to teach me magic for a pittance to what he could earn teaching royalty, and I disrespected him by having to be told instructions more than once.

    “It’s fine, Romeo,” he assures me, “Just stop tensing up when you think you get it wrong. It’s okay to be wrong. That’s how we learn.”

    “Yes sir,” I answer. I bite back my true feelings, that I haven’t learned anything until I get it right.

    “Alright, we’ll try to relax you again. Close your eyes.” I follow his instructions. “Now breathe deeply. In… then out… In… then out. Now open your eyes.” Having been tentatively relaxed by the breathing, I opened my eyes as instructed.

    He had moved the book closer to me. Something about it seemed fundamentally different about it. This had happened before, many times, but I had always told myself I was looking for excuses and that I should look for something more obvious. My initial reaction was to stare harder at it, but trying to follow my teacher’s advice, I try to just wait for it to show itself to me. That’s when I noticed it. It seemed impossible that after a week of trying to see the allegedly simple spell that levitated the book, it would come to me so easily. I raised my hands to try and rub my eyes, to make sure I wasn’t seeing some defect of my eyes. The book smacked my hand before I could reach my eyes.

    “Don’t rub your eyes. Don’t doubt you see it or it will close your mind again. Tell me what you see,” Elio said, trying to keep my focus on the spell. I looked at the book again, but it was already gone.

    “Saw,” I mumbled, ashamed to have let it slip out of sight.

    “What was that?” my instructor asked.

    “Saw, sir. I had it but I let it slip away. I’m so sorry, sir.” I didn’t deserve these lessons. The court mage had wasted a precious month on my ridiculous notions of learning magic from him. I stared down at my lap, trying to prevent myself from running out the door.

    “You went tense again,” he surmised quite easily. “Me smacking you didn’t help any, I suppose. Here, let me try something different.” He put his old hand over my eyes. “Tell me exactly what you saw. I know you caught a glimpse of the spell.”

    “It was a hand, sir,” I began, “down to the wrist. It was clenched around the book.”

    “That’s good, Romeo. Describe the hand for me.”

    “It was large and blue and clenched over the book,” I said, trying to recall as much about the fist as I could. “It was spectral as well, sir. I could see the book through it.”

    “Was it blue like the ocean?” he asked.

    “No sir it was blue like the sky? Almost exactly.”

    “Alright Romeo,” he said in a calming voice, “Now breath like before. In and out. Slowly.” Without another word I began breathing again. I tried to open up, prevent myself from tensing, this was another chance. He slowly removed his hand from my eyes, and I opened my eyes. “What do you see, Romeo?”

    “Blue? Blue! Sir, your robes are blue!” His clothes had changed color. Or did they? It was the same color as the spell I saw on the book. Elio would often pull strange and random objects from his sleeves. His robes may have been enchanted all this time.

    “Are they now? What about the book?” He waved his hand and the book floated into my field of vision. Not only was the hand there, grasping the book, clear as day, but the same blue spectral light had surrounded the hand of my teacher.

    “I see it! I see it, sir, I see it!” I shouted with joy as I rose from my seat in excitement. “On the book and around your hand and on your robes!”

    “Congratulations!” the master mage said. Raising and opening his aura bathed hand, a stream of colorful strips of ribbon and paper flew out of his hand with the sound of festival noisemakers. “It took longer than expected, but congratulations, Romeo Firé. As your reward, the book is now yours. It shall be your first spell. Care to guess what it is?”

    “Levitation, sir?” I guessed. It fit with my mentor’s strange sense of humor, floating the secret of the flying object directly in front of me. Right on cue, he laughed softly, like he does when he’s the only one in the room who gets the joke.

    “Very astute. You’ll make a fine wizard yet,” he complimented me.

    “Thank you, sir,” I said gratefully, taking the book from the air as the spell faded away. This raised an interesting question. “Sir? Is it possible to turn the sight off?”

    He thought about that seriously for a moment. “It eventually becomes another form of sense, but I suppose with mental exercise one could open and close it at will. Why do you ask?”

    “It’s just that your robe looks blue now instead of gray like before, and I can’t make it change back.”

    “One spell at a time, my boy. Changing the color of clothing is fairly simple. I can teach it to you later.”

    “Sir?” I ask, unsure what he meant. He started laughing softly.

    Pirate Justin avatar by myself. Emmi avatar by Gulaghar, Much Thanks!

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  5. - Top - End - #215
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Morty's Avatar

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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    Just so this thread doesn't stay on second page too long, I'll post some comments. First of though, I'd like to say that no, Bad Dreams wasn't foreshadowing or anything like that. It's just that I wanted to present the mythic origin of the goblin race this way and Brinika was the most appropriate goblin to have such a dream.

    Now, comments time (not much of them this time):

    @ Fair is Fair: I like the way the Fae think. It seems like human thinking, but really isn't. Not sure about the use of French. I do know some French, if on a very basic level. I suppose it spices up the story and makes for a clearer division between mortals and Fae.

    @ Blue Robes: So, if I understand it right, the magic in that system requires mages to see the world in ways others can't. Sort of reminds me of Warhammer Fantasy wizards, who can see the eight Winds of Magic.

    @ Religion: I'd already know this before reading the story of course, having followed Riverside. It's good, because both Dio and Billie are pretty fun characters.
    My FFRP characters. Avatar by Ashen Lilies. Sigatars by Ashen Lilies, Gullara and Purple Eagle.
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  6. - Top - End - #216
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Devixer's Avatar

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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    Quote Originally Posted by OrchestraHc View Post
    Fair is Fair

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    *snip*
    I like the concept behind this story, and the fae 'mother' stands out to me as a character I love to hate.

    Quote Originally Posted by Morty View Post
    A Bad Dream

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    *snip*
    This was a dark story, and I liked it very much.

    Quote Originally Posted by happyturtle View Post
    Religion

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    *snip*
    I've been religiously (geddit?) following Billie for some time now, so I already know that this is great.

    Quote Originally Posted by Moon_Called View Post
    Fugitive Wizard

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    *snip*
    I like fluff, so I enjoyed reading this.

    Quote Originally Posted by Morty View Post
    Rise of the Prophet, Part 5

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    *snip*
    This was a great ending to this series.

    -----
    Boris Krestyanov
    Six Weeks in Novosibirsk: Day 1

    Spoiler
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    "Sniper Team Four? Krestyanov? Zhirov? Are you still on radio? Respond."

    Though he hadn’t been with the 43rd Frontline for long, Pvt. Boris Krestyanov could easily recognize the voice of his CO, Major Gavrilov. He took his eye from the scope of his SVU and reached for his radio. "Krestyanov here, sir. Chinese forces still pulling back."

    "Good. Do either of you need medical assistance?"

    "I am not wounded, sir. Zhirov…" Boris turned toward the body of his spotter. Three bullets were in his chest. Probably armor-piercing rounds. His eyes were half-closed and he had been bleeding from the mouth when he died. "Zhirov’s dead, sir." He’d been given a lecture or two about how best to deal with deaths in the squad, but those words had been proven useless here. When Zhirov was shot, Boris had frozen for a full minute. He almost froze to the spot again just thinking about the shot hissing past him, but the cracking of the radio kept that from happening.

    "Damn it. We’re not doing any better on the ground. Down to about forty men."

    Forty? The 43rd was numbered at 350 just four hours ago. Boris felt nauseous. Forty soldiers. How did that even happen? Did the Chinese outnumber them that badly? They wouldn’t last the rest of the day, and they certainly wouldn’t last the estimated four weeks until any sort of worthwhile ground support could arrive. "Do you need me on the ground, sir?" Maybe his position in this hotel’s 16th floor was less than ideal.

    "No, Krestyanov. In fact, head up to the roof, get set up. Until unmanned drones can come for support, you’re our eyes. The rest of us will stay on the ground. You alert us when the Chinese come back for another round."

    "Understood, sir. Krestyanov out." Boris clicked off his radio and stood up. He was shaking, for far too many reasons to count. But he couldn’t just sit here and dwell on things, now was the time to get moving. Boris checked the magazines he had left for his weapons. Not that it mattered, of course. The ammo he had, no matter how much it was, wouldn’t be enough. He took some extra clips for his sidearm off of Zhirov’s body, muttering an apology for no real reason.

    The elevator for the hotel was broken, so Boris had to ascend the remaining four floors via the stairs before reaching the roof. The trek itself wasn’t all too difficult. But the more time spent not staring through a scope, the more time thinking about the events of the last four hours. When he’d volunteered to join the Red Army, he hadn’t quite expected to be shipped right to a fight after training. And he definitely didn’t expect to be given an order that consisted almost entirely of 'hold the line, wait for support.' Hell of a first assignment.

    Boris eventually got to the roof. Door was a bit stuck, but that didn't mean much. A few voices managed to make their way up there from the ground, but he paid them no mind. Instead, he just headed to the southeast corner of the building and set his rifle up. At some point, the voice of Major Gavrilov came back on his radio. Boris didn't pay much attention to what was said, though. It vaguely sounded like an attempt at motivating the squad.

    Through his scope, Boris could barely see some of the Chinese soldiers heading back to their makeshift camp. There weren't any helicopters or other air support, just tanks and jeeps and a sea of troops. That meant one of two things. One was that China didn't consider Novosibirsk to be a threat, combat-wise. The more likely option was that they wanted the food and supplies of the city, so they weren't going to bomb it. Which meant this was going to be a siege.

    It seemed that the remains of the 43rd would be dug in for the long haul.

  7. - Top - End - #217
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    DoomITP's Avatar

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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    Grant Brandt

    The First, Part II

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    The two story house on the outskirts of Silver Flow village looked modest from the outside, painted in dull browns and off whites, it had nothing particularly bright or dark about it. On the inside it was warm, filled with comfortable furniture and soft light. The young man whom Juna had brought home and ordered left had just begun to wake up. His vision took a moment to come into focus.

    He looked down and went into his pockets looking for his orders or something else to tell him what he was doing here. All that was in them was his identification card which said Grant Brandt and showed him with his dark hair, eyes with a mild blue glow and slightly curious expression as it always did.

    Grant stretched and decided to venture out of his room and look around the house. The door turned out to be unlocked when he tested it, though he saw that the only person awake in the house was Juna. She was down answering the front door, talking to a man who spoke something rather quietly and then promptly turned around to lead. Once he was gone Juna shut the door tightly and shuddered. Whatever was bothering her was driven from her mind when she looked up to see Grant standing up in the doorway.

    Glad to see you've woken up. Now maybe we can answer some questions.

    Grant nodded.

    Maybe you can answer a couple of mine.

    With that Juna led him down to a seat in the living room where she instructed him to wait there while she found something for the both of them to eat. Grant did make an effort to relax, though he couldn't help but continue wondering about the man who had came earlier. While Juna was busy in the other room, Grant could have sworn that he felt like something was looking in at him through the windows. He turned to look but nothing was there. It was just the weird energy given off by the man, he reasoned.

    Yeah, sure it was.

    Grant thought to himself with more than a little sarcasm as he sat back in his chair.
    Last edited by DoomITP; 2012-09-07 at 01:49 PM.
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  8. - Top - End - #218
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Morty's Avatar

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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    I know it's only been a week since my last post, but this thread has fallen to the second page and generally been quiet.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rotting Baron View Post
    Boris Krestyanov
    Six Weeks in Novosibirsk: Day 1

    Spoiler
    Show
    "Sniper Team Four? Krestyanov? Zhirov? Are you still on radio? Respond."

    Though he hadn’t been with the 43rd Frontline for long, Pvt. Boris Krestyanov could easily recognize the voice of his CO, Major Gavrilov. He took his eye from the scope of his SVU and reached for his radio. "Krestyanov here, sir. Chinese forces still pulling back."

    "Good. Do either of you need medical assistance?"

    "I am not wounded, sir. Zhirov…" Boris turned toward the body of his spotter. Three bullets were in his chest. Probably armor-piercing rounds. His eyes were half-closed and he had been bleeding from the mouth when he died. "Zhirov’s dead, sir." He’d been given a lecture or two about how best to deal with deaths in the squad, but those words had been proven useless here. When Zhirov was shot, Boris had frozen for a full minute. He almost froze to the spot again just thinking about the shot hissing past him, but the cracking of the radio kept that from happening.

    "Damn it. We’re not doing any better on the ground. Down to about forty men."

    Forty? The 43rd was numbered at 350 just four hours ago. Boris felt nauseous. Forty soldiers. How did that even happen? Did the Chinese outnumber them that badly? They wouldn’t last the rest of the day, and they certainly wouldn’t last the estimated four weeks until any sort of worthwhile ground support could arrive. "Do you need me on the ground, sir?" Maybe his position in this hotel’s 16th floor was less than ideal.

    "No, Krestyanov. In fact, head up to the roof, get set up. Until unmanned drones can come for support, you’re our eyes. The rest of us will stay on the ground. You alert us when the Chinese come back for another round."

    "Understood, sir. Krestyanov out." Boris clicked off his radio and stood up. He was shaking, for far too many reasons to count. But he couldn’t just sit here and dwell on things, now was the time to get moving. Boris checked the magazines he had left for his weapons. Not that it mattered, of course. The ammo he had, no matter how much it was, wouldn’t be enough. He took some extra clips for his sidearm off of Zhirov’s body, muttering an apology for no real reason.

    The elevator for the hotel was broken, so Boris had to ascend the remaining four floors via the stairs before reaching the roof. The trek itself wasn’t all too difficult. But the more time spent not staring through a scope, the more time thinking about the events of the last four hours. When he’d volunteered to join the Red Army, he hadn’t quite expected to be shipped right to a fight after training. And he definitely didn’t expect to be given an order that consisted almost entirely of 'hold the line, wait for support.' Hell of a first assignment.

    Boris eventually got to the roof. Door was a bit stuck, but that didn't mean much. A few voices managed to make their way up there from the ground, but he paid them no mind. Instead, he just headed to the southeast corner of the building and set his rifle up. At some point, the voice of Major Gavrilov came back on his radio. Boris didn't pay much attention to what was said, though. It vaguely sounded like an attempt at motivating the squad.

    Through his scope, Boris could barely see some of the Chinese soldiers heading back to their makeshift camp. There weren't any helicopters or other air support, just tanks and jeeps and a sea of troops. That meant one of two things. One was that China didn't consider Novosibirsk to be a threat, combat-wise. The more likely option was that they wanted the food and supplies of the city, so they weren't going to bomb it. Which meant this was going to be a siege.

    It seemed that the remains of the 43rd would be dug in for the long haul.
    I like a good war story as much as the next person, so I liked this one too. More context would be good, though.
    My FFRP characters. Avatar by Ashen Lilies. Sigatars by Ashen Lilies, Gullara and Purple Eagle.
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  9. - Top - End - #219
    Dwarf in the Playground
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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    A Bad Dream:
    This notion is rather terrifying, and at the same time something that could happen in a fantasy world. And it made me want to hug poor Brinka.

    Fugitive Wizard:
    Nice. A bit of characterization for a little side-character; a nice touch.

    Six Weeks in Novosibirsk: Day 1:
    Well written. A nice look at war as a horror.

    I might go back and read more, but for now I would like to leave this here:

    Psychology
    A Starting Look
    Spoiler
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    Dr. Endarlet sat down for a minute. That was a close one… for a little bit there, she thought that Hale was going to do something horrid, but Emil managed to front in time to stop him. She takes a deep breath and calms herself down…
    After a bit of ruffling through the papers on her desk, she gives in and looks at the new transfer. Signs of psychosis, amnesia, false memories… the list of things that could be horribly wrong is… very long. She has stated that she doesn’t want any medication… in fact she is highly opposed to it. She has had some- oh, that is not the right reaction. That is… yeah. No more medication.
    She gets to what has been said. Subject was brought in after… an increasingly odd story. Edarlet almost wonders if this girl is messing with psychologists… well, if that’s the case, we’ll get straight to the bottom of it.
    The name… Copi? That’s funny. Copi Kate. Obviously a misnomer, perhaps something she gave herself. Bet her original name was Kate someone. Well… we will get to the core of the matter. See what there is to see…

    The patient is 5 foot 6, light brown hair, clear blue eyes. She seems idly curious, almost like she takes in everything that’s going on, noticing all the minute details of the room. Her eyes fall upon Dr. Endarlet, and she sees a kind of madness in them.
    Endarlet rises from her seat to welcome the patient. “Miss… Kate, is it?”
    Copi smiles at the doctor, a sincere but not disarming smile. “Copi, please.”
    “Why not Kate?” the doctor asks. This isn’t usually what she does, but she finds deiations from the norm to be helpful on a regular basis.
    “I suppose it’s a simple enough name, but it has importance to me. Copi, please.”
    “Okay. I am Elizabeth Endarlet, but you can call me Liz.” The doctor and patient shake hands. No noticed qualms about physical contact, this is good.
    “Okay. However, I find “Endarlet” to be an interesting name. I may use it on occasion.”
    “Very well. Please, sit down.” Copi sits down in the chair in front of the desk, and Liz sits down in her chair. “Now, Copi, do you know why you’re here?”
    “Because I’m insane,” Copi replies matter-of-factly. Not “Because you think I’m insane,” the doctor notes.
    “We prefer the term ‘ill’,” Replies the doctor, “You think you are ill?”
    “No, not at all,” Copi shakes her head slightly. “Illness is a deviation from an internal norm, an implication that a status is abnormal for me. I am insane: a deviation from an external norm, mental instability as defined by the masses. Of course, by that definition everyone is insane, but what matters here is that I am a large enough deviation from the illusory ‘norm’ that I have been noted and given special treatment.”
    The doctor makes a quick note of this. How odd. “Do you know why you’re here, exactly? What happened so that people decided you were insane.”
    Copi shifts to look out the window. “I said a few things to the wrong, or perhaps right, person. This person took me to another person, who I was perfectly truthful to. Of course, when the truth is more fantastic than any lie could be, you get pegged as insane quite fast.”
    “Is the truth that fantastic?” The doctor asks.
    Copi turns back to the doctor and smiles. “It is,” She states simply. “The truth is that there is an infinite amount of alternate universes, and that I come from one of the craziest ones. Would you like to hear about it, Doctor? I suspect you might want to start with something a bit less unbelievable, something so that when I tell you about the Nexus, you can wrap your head around it.”
    “The Nexus? Is that what this fantastic place is called?”
    “It is. Not the most fitting name, but I suspect that no word within human understanding could really be accurate.” Copi leans forward a bit, and steeples her fingers. “It’s not really a nexus, you see. I think of it more… like an artist. Universes collide there, but they don’t really run into each other or blur. Rather, the way they come together forms a unique universe with a distinctive feel, I think. Many individual parts adding together to a whole, which is different from the sources but the influence is obvious if you know where to look. Like a writer forging his own world for his stories.”
    “You were in a story?” the doctor asks. This delusion wasn’t particularly uncommon…
    “Oh, dear,” Copi leans back and shakes her head. “No, doctor, wrong detail to grab. This is why I recommended we start small. You may need to do some reading before we can get anywhere…”

  10. - Top - End - #220
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
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    Psychology: First a nitpick, ignore at your leisure. [nitpickmode]
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    Since this is a slightly more realistic psychologist than Reinholdt's Copi wouldn't technically be in an asylum. You can't lock someone up for their beliefs, so she'd probably be released sooner rather than later since she's no real danger and not actually mentally ill.
    [/nitpickmode]

    For an actual review, I rather liked it. I especially like how Copi takes the reigns so damn easily. Would you say it's confidence in her state of mind?

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  11. - Top - End - #221
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    Wish You Were Hurt: A Series of Letters, From One Magtok To Another

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    Hi Magtok. It's you, from another dimension, and also the past. If you get this message, ****ing pay attention, me. This is the end of the world talking, and you'd do well to learn whatever you can from it, alright? I didn't spend my dying breaths sending this stuff to a parallel Nexus to you just so you could throw it all in a furnace. Two months from now, my brain is probably going to be torn out by a Mi-Go or something because I stopped to write these instead of doing something more constructive, like building new eldritch laser cannons. I'd really appreciate if my letters weren't all written in vain.

    Okay, so let's take a step back and start from the beginning. My name is Thomas Godlark, formerly Lord Magtok of AMEN and owner of MagCorp. After what happened to the world, I really don't feel like calling myself a Lord anymore, or even a Magtok. I did, at first, but around a day or two after the star were right, I realized just how stupid pride and ego were. Inside became New R'lyeh, Riverside is now under the jurisdiction of Father Dagon and his frog-faced hybrid children, and I'm still calling myself a supervillain? Mortal, please.

    That's beside the point, though. What I'm writing to you about, what I traded a few extra minutes of liberty from the monsters for, is a warning, a cautionary tale. My Nexus split off from yours at the height of Zee's desperate gambit to save the Nexus from the Far things. In your reality, everything went back to normal. In mine, we lost that battle. My Nexus is being terraformed as we speak by unknowable, unimaginable things, and even at the height of our power, we are still less than a speck to these things. Cthulhu is as infantile and irrelevant to them as his own Nexusian doomsday cults were to him. In the face of such cosmic insignificance, we're less than bacteria to these things. A harmless protozoa, whose great cities and satellites and people aren't enough to cause even the slightest hindrance to the most sickly, feeble, and miniscule of these foul things.

    It's not all doom and gloom, though. As you'll recall, that MagCave party was going on around the same time as these events hit, meaning that I already had a wide assortment of interesting people to lock up in my home with me, to trap in the MagCave for their own good. I mean, we've had our differences with some of those party guests, Moon and Saurous especially, but since we're all going to wither away and die in a miserable little hole in the ground now, you'd be surprised by how much better we're getting along. They all owe me their lives and they know it, so I'm basically dictator-for-life until fungoid creatures eat my brain.

    Anyways, that's all I have to say after the end of Week One. My plan is to have a system in place to mail all of these across our dimensions by next Thursday. Hopefully I get at least three over to you before the shoggoths and flying polyps and gods know what else get to us. Don't do what I did and ignore apocalypses just because they've never worked out before, okay? All it takes is one crucial person's apathy, and then you wind up with a splinter Nexus like mine. Good luck with your Zeus business (yep, I watched most of your life post-party on fast-forward. Not much else to do out here, honestly), and tell your Kirk that his iceberg experience went over so much better than our Kirk did. Gibbering, scabrous octo-crabs will do that to a guy.


    Author Note Thingy: As some of you might remember, this was a thing at one point. I was bored and feeling nostalgic, so I decided to write from that Maggy's perspective.
    Last edited by Lord Magtok; 2012-09-17 at 01:31 PM.
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  12. - Top - End - #222
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Letters From The Front - Trisha/Michicora/War

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    Dearly Beloved,

    I’m not sure I can say how much I miss you Martha. Just know that I dream of you every night. I wish you could have been here before the battle that rages on before me. This place used to be a beautiful honey-plum orchard that spanned for miles. When our forces had arrived, many of use couldn’t help but pluck baskets of the fruit to eat and I even saved many of the seeds for us to start our own when I’m finally capable of leaving the Service. Sadly, the Orchard was destroyed in the preparations we had to do when we began to dig in our defenses against the Verdant Order that was on the way. While I do not know how they broke through the Coggies who had assaulted their Home Plane, the General and our Champion seemed quite displeased about it. Personally, if I hadn’t seen the proof that they were still alive, I’d have thought it impossible for such a primitive people to be able to destroy the Coggie’s steam cannon and Cog-Men. As it is, I and the rest of my cannon battery are perched up on a ridgeline in the aforementioned orchard overlooking the ten thousand green and black soldiers. Even though we outnumber them by half again and have an obvious tech advantage, I can’t help but have a sense of dread about the battle that is to take place.

    I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve passed out your last few correspondences to my comrades who have no women like you waiting for them at home. Many others are doing similar since it lets everyone feel loved. Morale is the most important thing any army needs after all. I admit, several of them have begun to fancy you, I must admit. Thankfully they’ve agreed to let our engagement turn into marriage, but they’ve also mentioned that if you should ever find your heart unfilled by my amorous ways, they’ll be more than willing to take up the slack.

    In regards to the issues with your sister, I am apologetic that I do not have any personal advice for a woman of such scandalous natures as I am quite out of my depth about such subjects. Even so, several of the aforementioned comrades say that they would gladly put in time to try and redeem her of her ways. As silly and inappropriate as that sounds, I do know a couple of them (primarily Jack, who I’ve mentioned in previous letters) would be a good influence upon her, and even if they prove unable to change Candice’s ways, would be quite a good match for her to give her some stability in her life. I believe that if you broach the subject of such a liaison with her, she might be a bit more agreeable to the idea than if your parents did.

    Several hours later, the writing is continued in a different ink.

    Our Champion just dropped by to reassure us about the coming fight, as well as warn us. He said Hate is here herself and that she isn’t alone. He says that Hate has a companion just as fierce as she is, a spirit of shadow that is capable of drifting through the night to take out entire companies herself. I’m not sure how much of it might be exaggerated, but I feel that War is just trying to instill some precaution into us. We might be artillery, but sometimes the enemy gets in a lucky breach.

    My Battery has to get ready now, my Love, but there'll be a second letter following this one. Hopefully the Courier will reach you in a timely manner.


    War folded the letter with a sigh and looked at the artillery officer's body. Closing his eyes in reverence, he stands and removes his hat before looking at the scene of carnage. Hate and her lover "Shadow" had come through before the battle had even really started and tore the battery to shreds. The three-pounders were sliced in half and most of the men had crossbow bolts in their throats or hearts.

    He had warned them to be careful, but for all his experience he hadn't expected them to move so rapidly.

    Tucking the letter into his breast pocket, he turns to the Courier next to him. "Go and tell the other batteries to load with cannister but to fall back if they get pressed." The man nods and runs off as War turns back to the rest of the bodies to look for more letters.

    He'd deliver them personally when the time came.

  13. - Top - End - #223
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Hero's Fall Pt I- Hero-At-Wall Canon

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    Teller waited for the last of the new hatchlings to settle in around the campfire before opening his graying eyes. Their chirps of restlessness made his neck-feathers ruffle in amusement, but he knew he couldn’t keep them waiting too long. Reaching out from under his shawl, he held up a feathered hand to silence them. The crinkles around his nearly sightless eyes were the best smile he could accomplish with a beak, but it was enough of one to tell the hatchlings that he was finally ready. He took a moment to clear his throat before speaking in an ancient voice, one full of experience and wisdom.

    “Other Tellers might say that the Fallen-King came to our world in a ball of fire, and yet others say about how he climbed down a mighty pillar of heavenly light to join our fight against the treacherous SkyLord Clan, but I can say that both are untrue. I know, because I was there." Teller said with another smile around his eyes. “When our clan met the Skylords on the field of battle, a shimmering pool of light appeared in the air between us, looking for the entire world like the ocean to the west of us. The sudden appearance stalled the battle and as we watched, a bronze figure came through, a golden spear of light in his hand as he fought the most horrifying creature we’d ever seen…”

    Fourty Years Ago, A World Away
    Hero-At-Wall scowled in his armor as he crept through the sewers, phase-spear in his hand. He had been sent to stalk a mutant “Skitter” that had taken out a Peacekeeper squad hours before and he was finally learning to regret his unwillingness to use a gun. As unhonorable as it might have been, a shotgun would have made this hunt much easier. Skitters were ghoulish creatures with long rubbery limbs and a maw that could swallow a person whole, so a mutant of one could be quite the monster. Even in his Praetorian armor Hero couldn’t help but hope it would prove to be enough to protect him.

    With a reflexive twitch of his neck muscles, the Kzinti slid his helmet back, allowing his large ears to listen for any sound that may betray the location of his prey. He’d use his nose, but the sewage masked any trace of scent he might have found. It took only a moment for his keen ears to trace the source of the echoes made by claws on stone. To keep from revealing his position, Hero took a moment to activate the hoverboots integrated into his armor before continuing his stalking. It took a few minutes, but he came to the mutant soon enough. The monster stood half again Hero’s seven foot height, and that was while it was hunched over. Unlike the mostly human looking Skitters, this one had four heads, a massive belly, and nine taloned limbs. Mutant sighted. Hero sub-vocalized into his communicator only to be met with a wash of static instead of a reply from HQ. He cursed mentally, cringing at the sound and instead grabbed a location transmitter from his belt to slap onto the wall. The mutant’s heads rose at the sound of the beacon being set, making Hero curse again at his amateur mistake.

    The creature turned its eyeless faces to him just in time for a bright light to shine from behind the Kzinti, startling them both. Before Hero could react though, the Skitter regained its senses first and tackled him, shoving them both through the portal. Minutes later, it shuts behind them, leaving the beacon blinking alone in the dark.

    The Other Side
    Even though he knew his back was on the ground, Hero’s head spun from a sense of vertigo. He didn’t know where he was, just that the monster was on top of him and trying to stab through his armor with its mighty talons. It took just a moment for his helmet to redeploy, but it couldn’t have happened at a better time. The first of the four heads tried biting down on it, but the teeth couldn’t get through the heavy alloys. With a roar of anger, the Kzinti slipped his boot under the monster’s belly and turned on the flight system. A whump of concussive force blasted the creature back to land thirty feet away, screeching in fury as it scrambled to right itself. The creature’s limbs cracked and snapped as it finally got three of its legs under it only to have a shaft of golden energy pierce its body, pinning it to the ground as Hero leapt at it with his clawed gauntlets. The mutant’s rubbery flesh might have protected it against some weapons, but not against Hero’s enhanced strength and the razored blades that adorn his fists. Within moments great chunks of flesh were being torn away as the thing screamed in pain and agony. Hero-At-Wall grabbed one of the four heads and twisted, rending it from the body before holding it up into the air with a cry of triumph.

    Only then, with the creature struggling underneath him, did he catch a good glimpse of his surroundings. The light was muted by a canopy nearly a half-mile above him. Surrounding him seemed to be hundreds of bird-people wielding weapons and a similar number of them lying dead on the ground, obviously killed in battle. The sight distracted him long enough for the Mutant to finally collect itself enough to wrap three of its sharp limps around his right knee. Before he could react, the limbs sliced right through the weaker armor of the joint, cutting clean through his leg in a spray of blood. Hero collapsed roaring even as the powered armor he wore began pumping his system full of painkillers and stimulants. The creature’s struggle threw him to the ground and as his pain faded, Hero watched as it began to pull itself off of his spear. He didn’t know if it’d work, but he could only reach down to his belt and grab a pair of micro-grenades to hurl at the creature.


    1

    “When the Fallen-King hurled the twin orbs of what we had believed to be divine power, the Demon he had been facing blew apart, having been smote from this world or any other.” Teller tells the hatchlings before smiling with his eyes once more and taking a drink from the wineskin in his lap. “Even though the Fallen-King had been grievously wounded by the Demon, he was still more than merely mortal. It had been obvious to me, a mere Spear-Slinging at the time, but for the Skylords were arrogant and sought to take his power for themselves. Two of them let out a warcry before descending on the wounded warrior, but with a flick of his claws they were both on the ground, throats torn out even before Fallen-King had even regained his footing. Before our eyes, his bronze armor sealed his leg and his bleeding stemmed, proving once more that he was not from our world.” Teller stopped for another moment to put new wood onto the bonfire. At his pause, one of the hatchlings spoke up.

    “How did we get him on our side then?” The blue feathered female asked with her eyes wide with curiosity like all the others who haven’t heard this story. Teller smiled but didn’t reply until he was seated once more. “With the deaths of two of their highest warriors, the Skylords went berserk and wanted retribution. Fallen-King was weakened and it had been shown that he could be hurt.” He tells them before shaking his head and neck a bit as his feathers ruffled in amusement. “Our clan simply stepped in front of him.”


    1

    Even though the drugs kept him up and moving, Hero could feel the weakness in his body. Whoever the two bird-men at his feet might have been in life, it seemed that they had been important to the others wearing red. With another slow glance, he felt a little thankful that both sides were primitive and without firearms, but that didn’t mean he would be impervious to their spears, slings, bows, and knives. It just meant it’d take a little longer to crack open his armor. When the Reds began to form up in combat lines, Hero sighed and hopped a step over to grab his phase-spear, using it to balance himself. He no longer felt the absence of his leg, but he knew that if he forgot it, he’d end up sprawled on the ground and that would spell his death. Let these people fight it out. I need to get back. he told himself before turning around to look where the portal should have been. When he turned, all he saw was more forest and a group of feathered people wearing blue.

    The portal was gone, and with it, any hope of returning home.

    Before he could even growl, a swarm of the Blues swept past Hero, forming a defensive line of spears even as dozens of arrows shot over them and into the Reds. A small group of Blues still stood in front of him and the one that looked the oldest because of graying in his dark feathers tilted its head to try to tell him to follow them. Seeing that there wasn’t anything else he could do here, Hero took his remaining beacon from his belt and activated it. After dropping it to the ground and stepping on it to dig it into the earth, the lone Kzinti followed.


    I've mentioned the Kzinti in a couple posts for Remnant as one of the few Praetorians but have never really involved him in much. I dreamt this up about three in the morning when I was half-asleep and this might be four or five segments long with this the shortest piece. I hope you all enjoy it.
    Last edited by UncleWolf; 2012-09-23 at 08:25 PM.

  14. - Top - End - #224
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
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    Bad Dreams - That was a good little piece. Definitely had a foreshadowing feel to it, even though it was. Thumbs up.

    Psychology - Yeah...finding myself looking forward to how these little sessions will go. Explaining the Nexus to somebody who hasn't been there...that's gonna be interesting.

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  15. - Top - End - #225
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    Jyarl, Jefferies, Missy
    Part 7: Holding On

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    The night after the first meeting with Delisle, when he'd first learned that he might lose Jefferies, Missy stayed without him having to ask. Jefferies picked up on their worries and was irritable and clingy. Finally they got her to sleep in Jyarl's bed, and Jyarl pulled Missy close - her on one side of him, and Jefferies on the other.

    "Hey Halifax?" He kept his voice soft. Jefferies was snoring softly, and he didn't want her to overhear this.

    "Hmm?"

    "How do you feel about Jefferies?"

    "I love her, Jyarl. You should know that."

    "I know, but..." he tried to think how to put it into words. "...I mean, you have your own kid."

    He can feel her shaking her head. "It's not the same."

    "Yeah, I guess it wouldn't be," he said, trying to hide his disappointment.

    "My son... I love him, but I don't know him. I've never held him in my arms - not once. He's more of a dream than anything. Jefferies is real to me."

    Jyarl squeezed her as he let this sink in. "I want to ask them, if they don't approve me, because of my character, to consider you instead. But then if it goes bad... it would probably be the species thing. That they'd want an orc."

    Missy was silent for a few moments. Finally she said, "If that's how it happens, I want to go with you."

    It had only been a few hours, so he'd been able to do nothing more than sketch out plans in his head. But it didn't surprise him that Missy had guessed he'd run rather than let strangers take Jefferies.

    "You'd lose everything you have here," Jyarl warned. "Your job, the city. We'd be outlaws."

    "Please, Jyarl. Don't make me go through it again. I know she's not really mine, but if she were torn from my life, I'm not sure how I'd survive it."

    Jyarl pulled Missy close and kissed her roughly. "I won't let that happen."

    *****

    Jyarl remembered that night as he packed bags the night before the decision. He'd let Halifax get closer than he'd ever thought possible. Since his time in the Penal Legions in his home universe, he'd had nothing to offer but fury and death. That hadn't changed when he'd found himself in the Nexus and joined up with Mortal Coil.

    He tried to think what had happened to soften him, and it all came back to one day in the Rec Centre when a pug puppy had crawled onto him. Who was it who had brought the dogs in? Carl maybe? Geoff? He couldn't remember. Gorgutz was just as tough and ready for a fight as his owner, so he shouldn't have been able to change Jyarl.

    Except he did. When Jyarl was deeply hung over from combat drugs, he dragged himself out of bed for the dog when he wouldn't for himself. When Jyarl was mired in self-hatred, Gorgutz had shown him unlimited adoration. When Jyarl tried to despise everyone around him, Gorgutz had run up to them cheerfully and begged for attention.

    If the pug hadn't made a crack in his armour, he wouldn't have given Jefferies a second glance. He'd have just left her in the medical tent for others to deal with. Hells, she wouldn't have even been Jefferies. She would have been sent out to an orphanage or foster family, and they would have given her a different name. They would have treated her differently, raised her differently. Perhaps better?

    He deliberately calmed himself. Perhaps better then, but not now. Jefferies called him Daddy. It would hurt her to be taken away to strangers. She shouldn't lose a second set of parents so soon after losing her first. If he truly, honestly believed she would be better off without him, he thought he could try to let her go. But as long as she needed him, he'd be there for her.

    With his heart wide open for Jefferies, he supposed it was inevitable that Missy had slipped in too. It was her treatment of Jefferies that had done it. Her patience and her kindness with Jefferies. Her generosity with her time. Not just her time. She'd spent quite a bit of money buying clothes and toys for her. Then there was the day she had made Jefferies a beneficiary of her death benefits - equal benefits to her own son. All without asking anything in return. The only request she'd made of him was to take her if he had to flee with Jefferies.

    What did he have to offer a woman like that - Especially if they did have to go on the run?

    He heard Missy letting herself back in. "My things are in the car. How are you?"

    Jyarl gestures at one small duffle bag. "My things." Then at four more, much larger. "Jefferies' things. And I'm not sure the toys I packed are the right ones. I'd hate to leave behind her favourites."

    "I think as long as we have Master Chief and her boxing gloves, we'll be fine," Missy says. "Remember, we'll have money." She'd liquidated half of her savings into gold, and divided it into several stashes throughout their packed gear. "Did she ask any questions?"

    "Yes. I told her we might be going to stay at a new place, and I had to pack up some of her things. She said she hoped that you'd live with us in the new place instead of at a different house."

    He watched her closely as she turned away, watched her try not to show how much it affected her.

    "I put her to sleep in my bed so we could all be together tonight,"
    Jyarl said, as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple.

    Maybe it was enough that he could offer her a family.

    ****

    The next morning, it felt like he was putting his heart in the car when he packed up Missy and Jefferies and Gorgutz to send them to spend the day at GLoG. Jefferies nearly tantrumed because Daddy wasn't coming too, and she wanted to show him how fast she could swim now that she had a red swim suit. Gorgutz vomited in the travel kennel before the car had even started. It wasn't the best of goodbyes.

    I will see them again. I will see them again. he told himself as he rode along on the Riftline back to Social Welfare to meet with the Warp-damned ****s who wanted to take his daughter from him.

    ****

    When he reached Social Welfare, he found the place subdued, the people quiet. There were flowers in the lobby - several different arrangements, and a table nearby with cards on display. The receptionist asked him to wait, and then had to field a succession of phone calls. Jyarl tried not to growl as the clock ticked - 10 minutes, 20 minutes past the appointment time. Finally, he was shown in to Aliswyn's office. The goblin Kardo was there, his ears down.

    "We're sorry to keep you waiting, Mr Hellstomper. Things have been somewhat strained here. I dont know if you've heard about our tragedy?" The elf woman asked. When the expression on Jyarl's face showed that he hadn't, she went on. "Tauno Nurmi was murdered in his own home a few days ago."

    "Beheaded."
    Kardo added. "We're all still in shock."

    Jyarl remembered Magtok's son turning himself in for killing human supremacists. He'd taken their heads... It had only been two days ago that Jyarl had processed the young man into the Penal Company, going easy on him because Missy had asked it of him. Could it have been Cassius who had killed Tauno Nurmi? If he'd seen the name Nurmi on the victims list he would have recognized it. But no, the victims had not yet been identified. When Jyarl had signed the forms, the victims had just been so many John and Jane Does.

    "His report was strongly against your adoption, but when we went through his records... some documents that we found have led us to question his ability to be impartial as a child advocate, particularly where non-human children are concerned. We decided that our decision had to be made without reference to any of his recommendations. Kardo?"

    "Aliswyn and I both have concerns about your stability as a parent figure. Your efforts to rehabilitate yourself for Jefferies' sake are certainly to be commended, and we can only hope they continue. Aliswyn believes that Jefferies will miss out on a great part of her heritage by a cross-species adoption. I have no such concerns, as your case has shown that the Remnant base is multi-cultural and that she has regular contact with people of many species. Both of us agree that a strong parental bond is in place between you and Jefferies, and that despite our reservations, it is in the best interest of the child to confirm the adoption."

    When Kardo finished speaking and Jyarl had to turn over the words in his mind a few times before he could speak.

    "That's it? She's mine?"


    "She's yours," Kardo says, his ears showing amusement. "Congratulations! It's a girl."
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  16. - Top - End - #226
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    Billie/Elaine Part 9: Violation

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    "Henry?" Elaine mumbled. There was an arm over her as she woke.

    "Woah, that was wild, watching you change shape," a male voice said. A male voice that was not her husband. "Can you do a blonde next?"

    Elaine grabbed for a blanket and pulled it up to cover herself. "Don't touch me! You stay away!" Her eyes darted wildly around the room, and she saw Billie's clothes scattered around the bed.

    "Hey hey, what's the matter? We were having fun, weren't we?"


    "I'm not her! The woman you were having fun with is not me!" Elaine said. She got to her feet, pulling the blanket with her, even though it left the man exposed. She just had to avoid looking at him, that's all. "I'm going to get my clothes and leave."

    That time it was easy. The man only protested a bit, more in confusion than anything. Other times, she had to work harder to get away.

    ****

    "I paid for all night, you ****ing bitch!"


    Elaine grabbed a handful of money out of Billy's handbag, threw it, and ran while the man was trying to pick it up.

    ****

    "You're even prettier than your friend," he said, while stroking her face. "A pretty girl like you might get hurt out there on the streets. Just stay here tonight. I'll take care of you." He kissed her then, despite her protests, so she bit his tongue, hard, then spit the blood in his face. He went from soft words to rage, and gave her a few bruises before throwing her out on the street. She was still wearing Billie's dress, though it was hiked up around her waist and pushed off one shoulder.

    ****

    It wasn't always like that. Usually it was easier. Usually the change happened in better circumstances, where she at least had clothes on. And if she did find herself alone with a man, usually the man was willing to accept her apologies and let her go, even if he was clearly unhappy about it.

    ****

    But sometimes. Sometimes it was worse.

    ****

    He was swearing at her, saying filthy words she'd never heard directed at her before. He had her pinned down, sitting on her, and slapping her face over and over. Finally, through her tears, she promised she'd do anything he wanted, anything at all. But once she had her hands free, she grabbed him where he was most sensitive and pulled.

    She fled naked, leaving him curled up and howling in pain.

    ****

    ...This is why I hate you. I hate you for every bruise, for every fear, for every man who has seen the body that I promised only to my beloved husband. I hate you for exposing me to the immorality of your lifestyle. I hate you for my lost innocence. I hate you for the tears that Henry shed on my behalf.

    If we're going to swap more often, you have to stop this. I don't want to wake up with any more strange men. I can't bear it. It's dangerous and distressing.

    Find a way to make it stop, Billie. I beg you.


    She read over the letter again, folded it, and handed it to Vinny. It was good to have a go-between other than her son, for the stories she'd told in the letter were ones she'd never want Jacob to hear. "Please make sure she reads it. And tell her what happened when you walked me home. She needs to understand what this is doing."

    "Sure, ma'am." Vinny placed the letter in the inner pocket of his suit jacket.

    "Thank you."

    Elaine went back inside, back into her safe place, where she could break down and cry in safety.
    My avatar! Isn't it just utterly diabolical? Ashen Lilies made it!

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  17. - Top - End - #227
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    I continue to enjoy all of the nice work people put into their stories!

    Sober \/\/orld
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    The room is dim, and have several chairs are arranged in a circle, 6 of which have people in them. The seventh being filled as a young girl, only looking about 15, with short black hair, grey skin, and short, slicked back horns. Her body was covered in what looked like different colored dyes.
    "Hello..." she said a bit shyly.
    HELLO!
    Let's all welcome our new group member today! Tell us a bit about yourself, miss..?
    "My name's Ayakan Etanep."
    AYAKAN-FREAKING-ETANEP!
    "And I've been sober for...4 hours now."
    NOT LONG ENOUGH!

    She sighed, looking down at her feet.
    "It's not as...freaking easy as I thought it would be. I keep having these..."
    Ayakan...
    "Uh..."
    Please...
    A droplet of blue hit the ground, leaving a dye like substance.
    "But I think I've been figuring out exactly what freaking I'm supposed to be in the first place.
    WHAT I WAS MEANT FOR, ALL ALONG!
    "It's not so freaking bad, really."

    Ayakan, please
    "In fact..."
    Please don't hurt me, please!
    "It almost feels...LIKE IT WAS FREAKING MEANT TO BE!"
    "Now...no one will mess with me like they did with my freaking high self."
    KILL 'EM!

    More dye dripped onto the floor, this time much more than just blue.
    KILL 'EM!
    The girl got a nasty smile on her face as she stood. The lights flashed, showing that the people in the chairs weren't alive.
    They were dead.
    Deep gash wounds on all of them, their blood dripped slowly from the bodies. The multicolored blood mingled, becoming a dark black color.
    The girl stood up, walking towards the door. She opened it and looked back with a grin, eyes wild with an unfathomable emotion.
    "See all of you later!"



    [I]KILL 'EM!"[I]

    ((Borrowed things from some places. Considering what Ayakan is...it made sense to do so))
    Mindfreak by...I don't quite know who
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  18. - Top - End - #228
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    Quote Originally Posted by Mindfreak View Post
    I continue to enjoy all of the nice work people put into their stories!

    Sober \/\/orld
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    *HONK*

    ((Borrowed things from some places. Considering what Ayakan is...it made sense to do so))
    TC: Yo, SiS, yOu NeEd To KiCk BaCk, sLaM a BoTtLe Of FaYgO, aNd ChIlL sOmEtHiNg WiCkEd.
    TC: :o)
    TC: LeT's RaP aBoUt SoMe wIcKeD mIrAcLeS oVeR sOmE pIe. My TrEaT.
    TC: HoNk ;o)


    I get the reference, is what I'm trying to say. I've also seen that exact Octopimp video.

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  19. - Top - End - #229
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    SOBER \/\/ORLD: The Prequel

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    Meow
    Step
    Step
    Step
    Just keep running! I'll try to hold her off!
    Meow
    Ayakan...please...don't do this!
    Shink

    A splatter of blue-blood hit the wall, dripping down to the ground slowly...
    Please...don't...
    Shink

    Blue-blood began to collect in a pool on the floor.
    Meow
    Step
    Step
    Step
    Oh cod, she has Ayleria pinned agains the wall, dude!
    Ayakan please..."
    Meow
    Please don't hurt me, please!
    Shink
    Sluuuuuuuurt

    Dark red blood began dripping down from the wall.
    I thought...we were friends...
    Shink
    HUSH, LOW-BLOOD!

    The dark red blood became yet another pool on the floor.
    A toothy grin flashed in the dark along with piercing eyes.
    Step
    Step
    Step
    RUN.


    Meow
    Last edited by Mindfreak; 2012-10-07 at 09:41 PM.
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  20. - Top - End - #230
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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    Well, it's been quite here, hasn't it? Let's dust this thread off a little.

    @Psychology: I don't know all that much about Copi, but it looks interesting. I also have this feeling that a lot of the stories here are written from the perspective of psychiatrists interviewing the protagonists...

    @Jefferies: D'awwww. It's so good to see a happy ending to this story. It makes me warm and fuzzy inside. And on a personal note, I love the goblin social worker's expressive ears.

    @Elaine/Billie: Well. That was rather brutal. I wonder if Billie and Elaine can ever reach some sort of compromise.

    @Sober World: I can't comment on it, as I have no idea what's going on in it, I'm afraid.

    @Letters from the Front: That's a format we haven't seen here before.

    And I take it the complete lack of response to What is the Riddle of Steel means I shouldn't have written it in the first place. So it's removed now.
    Last edited by Morty; 2012-11-04 at 01:11 PM.
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  21. - Top - End - #231
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    OrchestraHc's Avatar

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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    Not exactly here for a Nexus story, but it's one I'd like to share. Hosted off site just because it's not Nexus, but the possiblity of these characters coming to the Nexus is entirely possible. It's much longer than my usual stories but it's organized like many stacked on top of each other.

    A Story About a Band

    So this isn't entirely wasted, here's some reviews I missed.

    Billie and Elaine: Still like them. Seeing Billie's reaction to this letter in the Nexus proper was also a good read.

    Boris: I liked it and unlike Morty I don'y normally dig war stories.

    Sober \/\/orld: I'm with Morty, I enjoy the reference, but you aren't really giving us the story. (that and it's a bit weird since I think I know what your referencing and green isn't that high on the hemospectrum)
    Last edited by OrchestraHc; 2012-11-03 at 10:51 PM.

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  22. - Top - End - #232
    Orc in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    I'm not sure when I'll get back to Mrs. Bloodplunder's story. I have been thinking occasionally about something else, though. Maybe an origin of Myrim and Mackerel's homeworld, as I know the rough order of everything even if I haven't actually finished the bestiary which it evolved from.

    But in the meantime: reviews!
    Morty: Candle Burning Bright is really creepy; does it follow on from the Rise of the Prophet? Inquisitions rarely seem to do good things, like buying groceries for old ladies or escorting children to school, and this one seems no different. But that's OK, as I'm not sure how I'd take an Inquisition that bought groceries for old ladies or escorted children to school. Regardless, I look forward to more.

    happyturtle: As always, I enjoyed your stories. Jefferies is a wonder to read, and I'm glad that Missy and Jyarl were able to adopt her. The Billie/Elaine stuff is good, too, and I enjoy reading it. Nothing very constructive or criticizing to say, really.

    Mindfreak: Sober \/\/orld... I have no idea what's going on. I don't recognise the sources or references, I'm afraid. Though I suspect it makes more sense to people familiar with them, I can't really say much. Sorry.
    Terrowin Avatar by HappyTurtle. Much thanks!

  23. - Top - End - #233
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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    Quote Originally Posted by Earl of Purple View Post
    Morty: Candle Burning Bright is really creepy; does it follow on from the Rise of the Prophet? Inquisitions rarely seem to do good things, like buying groceries for old ladies or escorting children to school, and this one seems no different. But that's OK, as I'm not sure how I'd take an Inquisition that bought groceries for old ladies or escorted children to school. Regardless, I look forward to more.
    Sort of. It takes place a few hundred years after the Rise of the Prophet and a few years before my characters arrived in the Nexus. The fall of the Empire the Inquisitors mention is the one described in Rise of the Prophet.
    My FFRP characters. Avatar by Ashen Lilies. Sigatars by Ashen Lilies, Gullara and Purple Eagle.
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  24. - Top - End - #234
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    OrchestraHc's Avatar

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    Weird inspiration timing forces me to post this now. A story for Justin Mine.

    Nina
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    Sitting in the dark manager’s office of Laneside Bowling, his new home, Justin Mine was in the mood for a memory. He looked in to his Pip-Boy screen and flipped to his notes section. There, stickied to the very top was a recording titled Nina.

    He could still remember the first time he heard it. So much happened that day, but so very much of it was a blur. When he first heard the message from his sister, broadcasted to him from the other side of the Vault door, he remembered crystal clear. It had played on repeat for three solid hours. Even after recording it, he still listened the entire time as he wandered up Five Points station, and began to search Underground Atlanta.

    He pressed play, and a woman’s voice floated out of the poor quality speaker. She sounded like she had done a lot of crying that day. “You really did it this time, huh? I told you not to do anything Justin, to wait for me, but like always you refused to listen to Big Sis.” A half hearted attempt at a chuckle, but she sighed. “I’ve decided to take the job. I’m Overseer now. They have me doing paperwork from the maternity ward. I’m the most powerful person in the Vault and I still can’t get you back.” For a moment, her voice broke into a sob, but it quickly returned to a teetering composure. “Once that door shut, you were literally beyond us. Even if you could somehow communicate with us, I don’t think I could let you back in. When you killed Alastair, you broke the one real rule we had. The others, as much as they understand, as much as I want you back, they wouldn’t let me. ‘Even one killer sets a precedent.’” There was the sound of a hand slamming into a table followed by her angrily yelling into the microphone. “I am so SICK of feeling helpless today!” At that point, she gives up, no longer trying to act strong and crying into the mic. “I’m so sorry, Justin. I really am. I need you to be strong out there. I need you to survive for me.” With a hard sniff, she tries to return to a stronger voice, but still sobs. “They brought her back to me Justin. It’s all thanks to you. I wish you could see her. She’s a Mine alright. Blonde and Beautiful. And I swear, Justin, she’s going to know who you are. That you saved her. I’m even going to give her the name you came up with. You were right, Layla Mine has a ring to it. I love you Justin. I love you so much. Good bye.” Nina cried for a few more seconds before she made the command. “Put this on repeat, Alan. He HAS to hear this.”

    With his hand over his eyes, Justin cried over the memory. It hurt, but it was important. He had to remember. It had been two years since he left the Vault. He didn't think he could trust his memory of her face, so he kept this recording, his big sister’s last message and the last thing he had of her, and used it to remember her. Her voice was almost as good.


    Also, Candle is really interesting, and I'm looking forward to more.

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  25. - Top - End - #235
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    Black Friday

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    "Bill, just because your father tried to eat you, does that mean we all have to be unhappy? Forever?" -Mrs. Robinson, Fido (2006)

    Man, it's been a long year. A long, wild, crazy year. Did you know they have some sort of Christmas analogue here in the Nexus? They do, and it's as stupid as the real thing. It's just...it's all so hypocritical, isn't it? These cadavers giving other cadavers presents, people pretending to care about each other. I mean, five days ago, you just stabbed an old lady in the throat for the last Magstation 3D-Lux, and you've got the nerve to tell me this is the season of giving and good will to others? Do you really think your nephew Jimmy's not gonna notice those elf blood stains all over his new console?

    ****, life was so much easier before I got dumped here. I was master of the universe, ruler of the world, god and king and badass survivor incarnate. When the zombies came to Crystal City, when everyone else was running around in circles, refusing to use the z-word, and holing up in shopping malls, do you know what I was doing? When everyone was being eaten, robbed, shot, or some combination of the three, what was I doing to stop myself from meeting the same fate?

    My friend, I was winning. So many cadavers trying to find their daughters, save their wives, hold onto this car or that photo album. Trying to pretend the world still made sense, that if you just denied it all as hard as you could, you could go back to living things like before brain-eating ghouls showed up. Fleeing on yachts off the island, as if the rest of the world wasn't as choked up with the ****ing cannibal plague as we were.

    I still remember my mom's face in her last moments. She was smashing at the windshield with her fists, screaming something about love, ingratitude, and hellfire. The usual sort of mom rant, though this one seemed a bit more frantic than the ones before. Might have had something to do with all the walking dead around. Like hell I was letting her in, though. Firewood and ammo was going to be a commodity in the new world, and I could always get a new mother.

    Life was pretty much the best for the next few months, before I got ripped off and dumped in the Nexus. Raiding abandoned stores, sleeping in five-star hotels every night, watching every pre-z movie I could find. Setting people on fire, zombies on fire, buildings on fire...it was great. I mean sure, you could always just shoot a guy, but I always got more satisfaction from the ol' Promethean contraband. Watching those flames lick every inch of them, dancing and exploding and smoking...I never thought I'd turn out to be a pyromaniac, but man...

    You have to understand, though. I'm not a bad person. I didn't go out of my way to be cruel to others. I was...I'm just a realist, is all. The end of the world came, and it was every man for itself out there. It was Black Friday, every day. Monsters took over the world, and there was only so much ammunition and fire to go around. That doesn't make me bad, right? Just better than everyone else at not dying. They'd do the same in my shoes, after all. Just look at what happens every year, the second day of Thanksmas.


    A little something for the holiday season from the Nexus's own James Dalton, a human supremacist and arsonist.
    Last edited by Lord Magtok; 2013-05-06 at 11:13 AM.
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  26. - Top - End - #236
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    Hattish Thing's Avatar

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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    Morty: I second Earl here, something about holy warriors using demon blood as a weapon is just really creepy. The Inquisition just strikes me as a group with wrong intentions. Or a group of twisted, corrupt priests and warriors. I look forward to a third installment.

    Magtok: Wow...Just...wow. I first thought James seems like a sad, lonely, bitter character. Then I realized he shut his own parent outside a car in a zombie apocalypse. Depressing and disturbing. Scary dude. Thumbs up.

    The Last Entrance In The Inspector's Log
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    Forgive me, humanity. I have done terrible things. I have lived my life pure, as a humble warrior of faith, faith in The Undying Mistress, our harsh goddess. She gave me light when there was none. For this, I gave her my life, my soul, and my blade to her service. I've lived my life helping people, and fighting against those I perceived as evil. My judgement has been swift, unwavering, final. It was I who brought Aceford to justice, It was I that defended Sleet against the escaped slave Shada, It was I who defended that fallen drow against the halfling Marciano. I have done great things in the name of righteousness. For this, I was guaranteed an afterlife of happiness.

    Now...I fear I will never be rewarded. I slipped under the control of a foul force, a demon. It told me to do terrible things....in the name of Her Greatness. I...kidnapped a child and her companion, Hoffy. I...Stabbed her. I stabbed a child! In the false name of Her Mistress. I enjoyed hurting her, because I believed her to be a force of evil. I had unwillingly served a great evil, wounding an innocent girl. Tobias punished me, all was right. I spent many years inside a soul gem, imprisoned in an endless desert, barely alive. I was freed, my punishment was severe...but my sins were forgiven, for I had taken the punishment.

    However, yesterday evening I committed a crime so terrible. I....made the same mistake, but I killed him. I shot a human I perceived as evil. I killed an innocent man. Shot him in the back...cowardly. I killed him with glee, for I thought he was a sinful creature. I realize now, I was wrong. He was loved...He was cared for I'm sure. I killed Reinholdt, he is dead. I must punish myself. The only punishment worthy of killing an innocent man, is death. I must end myself, for The Mistress. By the time you have read this record, I will be off the cliff, my body broken on the rocks. A worthy punishment to die at Sea, my body cracked on rock and shattered. Rest In Peace Reinholdt. Goodbye, I am doing what is right.
    Clegg Thenadier, Inspector

  27. - Top - End - #237
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    @ Inspector's log: Not bad. The formatting is a bit off, but I suppose it's appropriate for a journal log by a disturbed person. Quite good, all in all, althought I have to note that I don't really know much about the character.
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  28. - Top - End - #238
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    THE END OF THE ROAD
    (How Felandia Got to the Nexus)

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    Pathetic.

    Felandria had run down the stairs in a panic, she had just taken 20 Magic Missiles and was badly hurt, she needed to flee and take a minute to allow her minor regeneration to heal her.

    Ever since the black cloud struck her amulet and turned her into the vampire, she had to be careful, being in the Abyss, far away from wherever her coffin was, if she fell, there would be no resurrection.

    She knew she couldn't wait too long, she still had the book, Orcus was at the top of the stairs, slumbering, mouth open, waiting for the book to be thrown in.

    She had a mission, her father was counting on her, her friends were counting on her, the world was counting on her.

    She turned to see who called her pathetic, she looked up to meet his gaze, rare for her these days, a huge storm giant stood before her, sneering.

    You call yourself one of us?

    Felandria hadn't had much of a chance to talk with her father, but he imparted enough knowledge to her for her to know who this was.

    This was one of the many siblings she never knew she had, Zeus had gotten around, but this was the son of Zeus and Hera.

    Ares, the god of war.

    Time for me to do everyone a favor and put you out of your misery.

    Ares raised his weapon in the air and brought it down upon her, she knew she could not take this hit, but there was nowhere to run.

    For reasons she didn't understand, a powerful instinct overtook her and she brought her hand to the amulet around her neck.

    The weapon came down with a great force, but hit nothing but air.

    Felandria stood there with her eyes closed, waiting for the fatal blow, it didn't come, she opened one eye and saw Ares was no longer there.

    Welcome back, Felandria.

    She spun around and immediately knew where she was.

    This was the underdark, and standing in front of her was the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes upon.

    Chance.

    They had met a month before, when the party found themselves in the underdark, seeking proof to bring to the king that the dangers they had warned him of was real, there was a massive, glowing purple crystal on a pedestal roughly thirty yards away, a bat flew towards it and as it flew away, she had noticed the bat was now several times larger than before, she was awestruck by this and hadn't noticed her party had gone ahead of her.

    Chance saw her there and introduced himself, they had each felt an immediate connection to one another, he offered to take her to her party, but she soon found herself in a beautiful meadow where Chance proposed marriage.

    She found the offer nearly irresistible, which tends to happen when a vampire has you in his thrall.

    But her mission overrode her base desires and she insisted Chance take her back to her party, he agreed, but as they flew back, they were struck by a bolt of lightning.

    Felandria soon found herself seperated from her body, it was being used by an evil, bloodsucking, perverted old wizard to convince the party to destroy his greatest enemy.

    Chance.

    The wizard used her powers to take the life of her dear friend Sarah, the party bard, but Vladimir, the dwarven fighter managed to break the gem her soul was trapped in and she drove the wizard out of her body, after which they destroyed his coffin before he could regain his form, destroying him.

    Chance was grateful to the party for defeating the wizard, and still wanted Felandria to be his bride, she told him that she couldn't give him an answer yet, but vowed to return to him and give him a decision.

    Chance gave her an amulet to remind her of him, and told her he loved her.

    Now here she was, standing in front of him, he seemed thoroughly unsurprised to see her.

    I knew you would return.

    You.....have changed.

    You are like me now.


    She looked at the vampire who had proposed marriage to her, now standing in front of her, coming up roughly to her pelvis.

    Not exactly.

    I see that, I'm glad you've discovered just how special you are.

    The moment I saw you I knew what you were, I knew eventually you would discover your true power.


    Felandria stared at Chance, slowly putting the pieces together.

    You did this.

    You made me a vampire.

    It wasn't the book, it was the amulet, you wanted to turn me so I would return to you.


    I wanted you to see what it was like, the feeling of eternity, even considering your bloodline, one such as you would not live forever, I want us to be together for eternity, I want our love to last through the ages.

    I also wanted you to be equipped for what was to come, I know of the abyss and what is required to survive, I didn't want to lose you so soon.


    Felandria continued to stare at him until she collapsed to her knees, sobbing.

    Chance considered putting a hand on her shoulder, but thought better of it.

    I was so close.

    I was so close to fulfilling my destiny, finally doing the right thing for the right reasons, thinking of others, defending the world from evil, I was going to prove I wasn't just a self centered, overgrown brat.

    Do you know what you've done to me?


    I wanted you to be safe.

    It's too late for that, you took my life away from me.

    I told you I would come back, I told you you'd see me again, but you used me, you turned me into this....thing.


    Careful, just because I'm a vampire doesn't make me a "thing"

    Don't you get it?

    I have to destroy the book, but I'm here instead while Ares is probably killing my friends as we speak.

    Send me back now, if you really loved me, you'd let me go.


    Chance slumped against a nearby wall.

    I....

    Maybe you're right.

    What the hell have I become?

    I never should have interfered, I should have trusted that you'd return.

    I promise to make this up to you.


    Chance reaches around and removes the amulet from around Felandria's neck.

    This should be your decision.

    Chance takes the amulet and clutches it in his fist as he smashes it against the wall.

    Felandria exhales and a black cloud comes out of her mouth, her coloring returns to her skin as the curse is lifted and she returns to normal.

    You're right, you have to go back, you have to destroy the book.

    But how do I get back?

    And how do I defeat Ares now?

    My vampire strength is gone, maybe you should have waited to do that.


    You don't need it, you're more powerful than you know.

    But I know what you need to defeat Ares.


    Chance runs over to a cabinet, he pulls out a metallic spear, when he hands it to her, it grows.

    This is a Titan Slayer.

    You know what to do with it, I believe.

    And here's a scroll of teleport so you can get back and help your friends and do what you need to do.


    Thank you.

    If you never want to see me again, I understand.

    I would love nothing more that for us to be together for eternity, but the last thing I want is for you to spend eternity resenting me.


    Look, I......

    I don't know.

    I don't know if I can ever truly forgive you, I do feel a tremendous connection with you, vampire or not, but I need time.

    Time I won't have if I don't go back.

    Goodbye, Chance.


    Felandria opens the scroll and casts the spell, disappearing.

    Chance sighs and slumps against a wall, sliding down to the floor.

    Goodbye.

    I'll miss you.




    Vladimir swings his hammer, knocking one of the small demons into the one next to him, taking both of them out, Morgan and T'elth stand back to back, taking out the demons one by one.

    Ares appears in front of them, chuckling to himself.

    This is what he sent to do his dirty work?

    Old man's slipping.

    Nothing will distract me from my Great War.


    Ares swings at Morgan and T'elth, but is stopped short as a spear runs straight through his back and pokes out of his chest.

    Vladimir peeks around Ares to see Felandria, no longer undead, holding the spear.

    Deus Ex Felandria


    To be continued.


    Part Two

    Spoiler
    Show
    Felandria pulls the spear from Ares's chest.

    He turns to her, still solidly on his feet, the wound not affecting him nearly as much as one would think.

    He snarls and backhands her, knocking her to the ground.

    You dare strike me?

    I am his true son, you're just a bastard.

    Consorting with these mortals, you really think you can stop the inevitable?

    You're almost out of time, Orcus will awaken shortly, and then you will have failed.

    To think Father entrusted you with this mission, a selfish, weak, vain trollop.

    It will be the last mistake he ever makes.

    And as for you....


    Ares kicks the spear away and steps on her chest.

    I want you to watch, watch as I kill your friends one by one.

    Starting wi


    Ares is silenced by a hammer striking him square in the temple, Vladimir's throw dead on it's mark.

    Ares staggers and falls to his knees, Felandria gets to her feet and makes a beeline for Orcus, book in hand, Ares regains his bearings and spots Felandria headed towards the demon, Ares grabs a nearby stone and hurls it at her, striking her in the back and sending her sprawling.

    The book flies out of her hand as he stands and walks towards her, twirling his sword in his hand.

    On second thought, I'm just going to kill you now.

    He raises his sword and stabs her in the gut, as he does, a bolt of lightning strikes the ground between him and the rest of the party, Ares pulls his sword out of Felandria.

    Stay out of this, Father.

    Two more flashes and there are now three Titan Slayers stuck in the ground in front of Vladimir, Morgan and T'elth.

    Vladimir pokes one with a finger, then pulls it out of the ground.

    It'll do.

    Ares reaches down and grabs Felandria by the throat, picking her up off the ground and dangling her in midair.

    One more move and I snap her neck.

    Felandria coughs and a trickle of blood runs down her mouth as she struggles to breathe.

    b..buh.....

    What's that?

    Brother?

    I am not your brother, you are nothing but an insect.


    She shakes her head frantically and Ares loosens the grip on her throat just enough for her to gasp in some air.

    Oh, I'm terribly sorry, that's not what you meant?

    Go ahead, amuse me, what is it you were trying to say?


    burning hands.

    Felandria raises her hands and aims a cone of flames at Ares's face, he screams and drops her to clutch his hands to his eyes, she collapses in a heap.

    Now.

    Morgan and T'elth each grab one of the other Titan Slayers and they join Vladimir in charging in and stabbing Ares simultaneously, Morgan in the chest, T'elth in the side and Vladimir in the stomach.

    Ares stops screaming and falls to the ground, Felandria slowly crawls towards Orcus and picks up the book, she drags herself to the mouth and tosses the book in as she falls unconscious.

    The others rush to her side and roll her over, T'elth checks her wound and her pulse.

    She's still alive, barely.

    The elven Druid casts a heal spell and the wound seals itself, but Felandria remains unconscious.

    Morgan looks to Vladimir.

    How are we supposed to get her out of here?

    She weighs double all of us put together.


    I don't know, but I don't want to be here when the demon wakes up.

    Perhaps I can assist with that.

    The trio turn at once and see Zeus standing there, looming over them.

    He bends down and scoops Felandria into his arms.

    Follow me.

    A swirling portal materializes on the wall, Zeus carries Felandria through and the others follow.

    To be continued.



    Part Three

    Spoiler
    Show
    Felandria wakes up in a soft and fluffy bed, she starts to sit up but a gentle hand on her shoulder eases her back onto the bed.

    Easy, Felandria.

    You've been through a lot.

    You've been asleep for two days.


    Did we win?

    Yes, daughter, the book is destroyed, we are safe.

    Your friends are fine, I have asked them to return to their village.

    But I wish to speak with you on an important matter.


    What is it, father?

    Felandria, I have failed so many of my children, to be certain, I have sired some fine offspring, and I love every single one of them, but most of them are not terribly fond of me, I still have a few whom still hold a degree of affection for me, but the majority have denounced me.

    I wish to be a better father, and it's time I started.

    So I ask you to remain on Olympus, allow me to be a father to you now, guide you on the path to glory.

    I can see you one day achieving your destiny, you have within you the potential one of us, of entering the pantheon.

    What say you, my dear?


    Felandria smiles as a tear runs down her cheek.

    Father, you have no idea how long I have dreamed of finding you and hearing you tell me you waned me to live with you.

    There is nothing in this world I would love more than to live here with you.

    But I can't.

    You say I have the potential to become a god like you.

    But I don't deserve to be, not yet, anyway.

    You wish to prove yourself to me, but I'm the one who must prove myself.

    I must prove to you and the other gods that I am worthy of ascension, but more importantly, I have to prove it to myself.

    I want to earn it.

    I would like the chance to earn such a blessing.


    Zeus sighs and shakes his head, chuckling softly.

    You really must be my daughter, stubborn as a mule.

    Very well, I know just the realm for you to do so.

    A world where someone like you will fit in just fine, you will be on more equal footing among its residents.

    Once you have fully recovered, you may journey there and prove yourself.

    I wish you the best of luck.


    You won't regret it, father.

    I swear you will be proud of me.


    I already am.

    End.
    Last edited by Felandria; 2013-10-25 at 09:55 PM. Reason: UPDATED

    Pony Felandria by Dirtytabs, OOTS Avvie by Purple Eagle, Doll by Recaiden
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  29. - Top - End - #239
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Morty's Avatar

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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    First off, please put the story in a spoiler. As I'm sure you've noticed, every other story is in one, since otherwise they'd really stretch the page.

    Now, for the story itself - it's not particularily original, and I think the descriptions could use to be a bit more vivid. Still, it's not bad.
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  30. - Top - End - #240
    Orc in the Playground
     
    Felandria's Avatar

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    Default Re: [Nexus] Stories etc

    Quote Originally Posted by Morty View Post
    First off, please put the story in a spoiler. As I'm sure you've noticed, every other story is in one, since otherwise they'd really stretch the page.

    Now, for the story itself - it's not particularily original, and I think the descriptions could use to be a bit more vivid. Still, it's not bad.
    Done and updated.

    Pony Felandria by Dirtytabs, OOTS Avvie by Purple Eagle, Doll by Recaiden
    FelandriaDeadra Blackfyre

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