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Post by Omni on Jan 9, 2010 1:41:59 GMT -5
Tabloid Town Hospital
Surprisingly, the figures didn't come toward Ethan. Instead, they met with an ominous-sounding dragon-lady on the roof. He tried to listen in on what they were saying. His implants helped filter and clarify the sound somewhat, but even then he had to climb part way up the building and focus, and the climbing part wasn't easy.
What they were talking about didn't sound good. Prisoners, messengers of the Underdeep, moving the city...
Then he thought he felt, and saw indications of something going on physically. He couldn't tell what exactly, but his infra red sensor was showing heightened levels of some kind of light - probably heat. There were other people gathering near the entrance. It was probably better to be closer to there at the moment.
He climbed back down. Again, he decided to watch and listen. It looked like the others couldn't get through the front door, judging by the fact that they someone with war paint when he touched it.
"I'm sure there's another entrance somewhere. At least to the emergency room if nothing else. We should probably see if we can find one before breaking down any doors."
Ethan paused, pondering the situation. On one hand, he didn't know these people. On another, that dragon girl sounded like she needed to be stopped and he didn't think he could do it on his own.
"Hey. Does anyone have bombs?"
Now that sounded like a bad thing - not necessarily evil, but dangerous at least. Who knew how stable the remains of the hospital were? He ran out toward the others. "WAIT!"
Too late.
One of them had already thrown lit bombs at the door. "I would suggest running."
As the stranger followed his own suggestion, so did Ethan, shouting at Siber to 'heel.' With help from his implants, he estimated when the bombs would go off.
"HIT THE DIRT! LAY DOWN!"
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Post by Amneiger on Jan 9, 2010 3:22:09 GMT -5
((The dropship))
That wouldn't work? Of course it would work. The hacker would have to access the dropship's computer systems in order to do something to it. Since the hacker wasn't in the dropship with Amneiger and the technicians, she was trying to work on it remotely. If she was an AI she could theoretically move her all of her core pattern onto the dropship's computers itself and hack them from there, but that lead to the problem of the system they were on suddenly being destroyed and taking her with it. If it was a copy of herself she was using, the copy might be captured, studied, and used against the original. Surely she couldn't be that suicidal.
And what could she possibly mean by the Fourth Wall? This was reality! There was no such thing as a fourth wall.
On the other hand, they weren't crashing. Which didn't mean that Amneiger trusted this hacker (she might just be using this as a cover to implant viruses), but maybe for the moment she might give them something useful.
"No, I suppose that's not very nice. But you haven't been doing anything very friendly yourself. You hacked our satellite systems. Why did you do it?"
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Post by Jina on Jan 9, 2010 5:53:17 GMT -5
Mage Manor "Hey, the rules are fine by me. Now do you want me to take you, or not?" Owen lifted his arms out sideways, then bent them up, creating two seats. "I am pretty much the quickest means you have right now."
Somewhere in Tabloid Town Jina didn't get a response from Strife. When the Blarf left, she followed it in the hovercar.
When Blarf was bumped into by Strife, and then Strife left, she drove up beside it to talk with the other pirates. "Hey, um. This dragon was attacking us- and winning, I might add- and now it's running away. Does anybody else get the feeling it's up to something and we should really just get back to the ship and get out of here as fast as we can, or is that just me?"
Tabloid Town Hospital "I believe there's something just as powerful as I am here. Take me, quickly!"
"Just follow me." He went to the main staircase, and ran all the way down to the basement. Then, he made his way to the supply room they had opened the hole in, and went into the Underdeep.
"Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to go take a look at this Brassport place."
The Rubble Surrounding Tabloid Town Hospital "Let's start over. Hello, gentlemen. Very pleased to meet you all. I'm the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse. Friends call me TMC, or atleast they would if I had any friends. Enemies usually call me 'oh please please please no aaargh'. Which group would you like to fall into tonight?"
Patri stepped forward, and smiled. Okay, I see that. He picked a name that isn't even one of the real Horsemen, so that we'd think that he must be telling the truth, because nobody is that stupid. Still, he might have at least some power in that gem. Always better to bluff with backup.
"Well, I have to say. I feel in the mood for a good Apocalypse right now."
She formed small amounts of magic on Corenu and Sandra's eyes, in the shape of a word. Now. Corenu raised magic shields, Patri tried to Grapple the gemstone and take it away, and Sandra started to turn into a troll.
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Post by Strife on Jan 9, 2010 7:01:30 GMT -5
((Tabloid Town Hospital))
For several seconds, a ring of shadowy silhouettes surrounded the area around Tabloid Town's Hospital. Anyone on the ground would have thought that an army of shadows had briefly appeared.
((Further East From The Hospital))
A straight line of silhouettes appeared in front of Hunty and the Blarf, stopping right in front of the creature. Since the pirate gang had been walking down a straight section of the street, Strife could spot them from a fair distance away. After what happened last time, he had learned to slow down a bit when turning corners.
Apparently, he had arrived right when another pirate riding a hovering vehicle was speaking to the captain.
"...away. Does anybody else get the feeling it's up to something and we should really just get back to the ship and get out of here as fast as we can, or is that just me?"
Strife couldn't help but fill the morning air with his deep and intimidating laughter.
"If you want to go home, little girl," he raised his weapon and pointed it at Jina, "No one is stopping you. In the meantime, my sword grows thirsty for dragon blood."
He lowered his blade and turned towards Huntress. "Our foe has descended upon the town's medical center, west of here. There are many other fighters there. Be prepared for blood."
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Post by Scar on Jan 9, 2010 10:40:23 GMT -5
- Brassport Assembly Hall -
Oscar, Gentleman Adventurer, was taken aback by Sarn's sudden change in attitude towards him. He remembered the angel-like man had shouted curses after him. He grinned and bowed with a flourish, intent on milking the Daring-Rescue for all it was worth.
"Ah but tis' nothing, good sir, fair maiden. I did what any Gentleman Adventurer would have done were he in my boots, though I must must apologize for the lack of finesse in this endeavour." At this he coughed, trying to stand tall and proud despite being dressed in nothing but a pair of boots and shorts from the waist down. "But! Evil has been vanquished, the fair maiden has been rescued and the day has been saved!"
He glanced at the wreckage of the assembly hall around him, a shard of broken glass tinkling to the floor behind him.
"Somewhat."
He followed Sarn and Sarinon to the fallen mage and helped to support Sarinon, with a gracious smile, as the angelic man bent down to tie the woman up. "What is this knave going on about?" he said finally after hearing the exchange. He pulled Sarinon closer, one hand moving to the handle of his whip. "Don't tell me you know this vile harridan?"
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Post by PFA on Jan 9, 2010 11:56:11 GMT -5
((Tabloid Town Hospital entrance))
"Hey. Does anyone have bombs?"
Jernath sighed inwardly. No one ever listened to him, did they?
A strange blond-haired guy was shouting at them to hit the dirt. Jernath wasn't sure who this guy was, but he certainly wasn't protesting. He promptly ran a fair distance away from the door, ducking behind a piece of rubble and bracing himself for the explosion.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2010 15:45:48 GMT -5
<<Brassport: Assembly Hall>> -Ro-
Ro watched the various exchanges quietly, trying to think over how she'd jump into the middle of this mess of complicated relationships. Alright...so Sarn and this woman definitely knew each other. Probably the 'dove' or whatever else he'd called her--'vixen'?--he'd mentioned before. The pantless man. She would hold judgment of him off until later, she decided. Asta, who was looking down at her belt...was that a bird?
"Conflict? What and where--" She looked up and saw Ro staring at her, and quickly looked away with a grimace. "Don't you have other things to be examining?" she said quickly.
Talking to an animal? That didn't sound as weird as it should have. But there was still the mage tied up on the floor. Ro had a bad feeling about her, which was only confirmed as she stepped closer.
“Rikku … did you …? How could you?”
Rikku grinned up at them, seeming to pour as much malice as she could into it. “Yes, go on, Sarn. Tell the girl how you dragged her here.”
Beside her, Asta looked over to Sarn. "You...wait, what? Dragged..." Her eyes narrowed. "Did you...did you do this to our city?! Why--"
"Oi!" Asta whipped around and glared at her, which didn't stop Ro from just brushing past and planting her foot firmly on Rikku's back. "Enough," she said to the mage, voice dipped low in irritation. "Callete." The knight grimaced and leaned more of her weight onto her foot. "You smell of death."
"I want an answer," Asta continued. "And this--"
"CALLETE." Ro glared, shifting her sword to the other hand and shoving the bone wand into her sword's sheath. "Ahora. We need to interrogate the mage."
<<Mage Manor>>
"Fine," Aly sighed, speaking to Kiddo. "But you had better tell us all that you find, if you go and insist on us staying behind. I won't say it's 100%, but I can almost always tell when someone's lying." The mage adjusted her quiver. "Sure, I'm up for fast transport," she said to Owen. "Meet at the front entrance."
She turned to go up the stairs, calling behind her. "Oh, and don't insult the Manor. I've been itching for a good fight."
Lika sighed as she padded up the stairs and they navigated their way to Aly's room. [It's not a good idea to fight someone you know nothing about.]
"I've done it a bunch of times and I'm still alive, aren't I?"
[You came close some times. And I wouldn't say you're exactly unchanged.] The Felyr grimaced. [You also lack one of your best weapons.]
"I'm not lacking it. You said to leave my fire magic alone." She opened the door and tossed a few things into a separate bag, tucking the extra food in as well. Never know when you need good food. "Which I'm only obeying out of trust. What if my life depends on it?"
[Only when it's incredibly desperate.]
Aly frowned. "Lika..."
[...We haven't seen what happens when your dark magic overpowers your fire.]
The mage stared, frozen. "What?" she breathed. "I've...run that low? Impossible! That's...Lika, I'm not some second-rate magirillian struggling to light a campfire. I'm more powerful than most adult mages could hope to be!"
[I'm well aware.] The cat sighed. [I believe it's the Underdeep.]
"And what. You want me to stay out of danger?"
[Yes.]
The mage glared. "Then finding out how to seal off the Underdeep is more important than anything right now. I'm going with Kiddo."
[And will you help to actually seal it?]
Aly was silent for a moment, getting up and leaving the room. Lika followed as they went through the twisting halls. "Yeah," she said finally. "Yeah, I am. If I let fear keep me huddled up in my room like a little kid, isn't that just as bad?"
They stepped out of the Manor and waited.
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Post by Celestial on Jan 9, 2010 19:03:18 GMT -5
((Tabloid Town Hospital))
They reached the Underdeep. Celestial stepped in glady, happy to finally get rid of this pain. Several of the black tendrils connected with her wounds and began sealing them up while another reached into her mind and connected with the little bit posessing her.
We feel that things have gotten more dangerous. You need to act if you're to keep living.
There's nothing I can do!
Yes, there is. You still have their trust.
After you tried to kill them? They don't discriminate between you and me!
We'll see. If they kill you, it makes no difference to me. There are many more potential messengers.
She came out of the Underdeep fully healed and able to fight. But there was a time and place for everything. Those coming to the hospital who were expecting a great battle were going to be in for a surprise. If she judged them correctly, then even the most evil of one of them all will be oblidged not to attack her. Of course, Celestial was never good at chess. Thank goodness death was very cheap in these events.
First to find out what this disturbance in the hospital was. The dragon mage, guided by the Underdeep, followed the feeling of the presense like a dog follows a scent.
Eventually she came upon a very curious sight. The adventurers were there, fighting against the pirate. Except he wasn't the pirate she kidnapped. Celestial approached him carefully, like an Elder God approaches another. Which in a sense was what was happening.
"I must say I never expected you to recover so quickly, TMC" she said, speaking directly for the Underdeep itself.
((The Dropship))
Oh if only the guy knew that this wasn't reality, just a roleplay on a Forum for utterly awesome nerds. But The Author didn't want to demolish his view of the world so didn't comment on that.
"No, I suppose that's not very nice. But you haven't been doing anything very friendly yourself. You hacked our satellite systems. Why did you do it?" he asked. She just shrugged.
"I was bored. Somebody asked me to hack into Spacefleet and I thought 'why not?'. Besides, I wanted to test your security systems for a long time now and that just gave me an excuse. I was fairly impressed by the way," The Author replied, smiling a little. She knew it wasn't the best thing to say but it was better than lying. She hated lying.
"But the point is, if you're willing to give me a chance then I'll help you. If not, I'll just ask for one favour and leave,"
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Post by Amneiger on Jan 10, 2010 1:43:59 GMT -5
((The dropship))
"Right...I'll ask you about the security test and who asked you to hack us later. Right now I want to know what kind of help you - "
"Sir! We've found Strife and the Pirates." One of the technicians pointed out the windshield of the dropship. Amneiger looked outside.
"Land near them. You," he said, pointing at the technician sitting in the cabin. "What's your name?"
"It's Lavern, sir."
Amneiger turned away from the monitor and took a few steps away from it to make it harder for the hacker to hear him. "Lavern, when the dropship lands open the doors and wait for them. If they don't want to come in, tell me so that I can go out and talk to them about the dragon. Make sure that Strife gets the voice synthesizer."
With his orders given out, Amneiger walked back to the monitor. "Okay, we were talking about what kind of help you were offering." Amneiger still didn't trust this hacker, but he still wanted to know what she was going to say on the off chance it might be useful.
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Post by Huntress on Jan 10, 2010 13:28:24 GMT -5
((Near the hospital))
The blarf, having decided that Strife wasn't edible, moved on again. Hunty bit her lip. The town's medical center, Strife had said. This was it, then. Another battle. Another stand. Sure, she'd known that there'd be more to come as long as Celestial was still possessed, but now that she knew where they were headed, the inevitability sunk in. How did they always manage to get themselves in those messes?
"Hey, um. This dragon was attacking us- and winning, I might add- and now it's running away. Does anybody else get the feeling it's up to something and we should really just get back to the ship and get out of here as fast as we can, or is that just me?"
"This is how they listen to their captain these days," Hunty said glumly. "Okay, so we run away. Then what? Where to? The Underdeep covers the entire planet. Sooner or later it'd catch up with us and plunge us into eternal torment. But Rane has the gem that can protect us, and the dragon has the Rane that has the gem that can protect us, so I'm afraid that the plan is really rather linear as far as plans go."
"Unless we assume that Rane will deal with Celestial himself and get away, and then we could track him down in peace," Bloody Mary pointed out.
"How?" Hunty stared ahead with grim determination. "With all this going on, we can't afford yet another mad goose chase. Right now we have a vague idea-"
The blarf strode through another alleyway. The hospital was straight ahead. And there, on the ground near the hospital...
Hunty stared.
"-where he is?"
***
Rane and TMC were nowhere near the definition of friends. Back when the TMC-gem belonged to Leraye, the demon had taken precautions to avoid getting possessed by a soul sealed in the gem. Rane hadn't received it with instructions, so a full week after he got the gem and had carried it on his person at all times, the Horseman broke cheerfully into his mind and put his proverbial feet on the proverbial table. However, the pirate lord, while lacking physical strength, had gotten to where he was by virtue of his bright thinking alone, so they soon struck a grudging deal of sorts. TMC needed Rane to move around but couldn't take him over completely because as the pirate explained, they'd both be in trouble if his crew was to suspect something. Rane couldn't get rid of TMC but as it so turned out, the Horseman was a quick - if limited - thinker with centuries of assorted knowledge under his (again proverbial) belt. So they'd both agreed that they'd benefit from listening to each other.
As of now, this was a battle, something TMC was infinitely better at. So he stayed in charge, cheery blue eyes sparkling, and raised an eyebrow at the charging ...person.
"Well, if you'd rather," he said, and the gem spat out a shockwave consisting of thousands of small sharp needles, that... turned into a simple powerful shockwave two inches from the gem that crashed into Patri. The pirate lord backed off a little with a confused scowl, but there wasn't much that could tamper with the gem.
Rane, what the hell! TMC fumed inside the seclusion of Rane's head.
I said don't kill them! Rane snapped back. Them being possessed is not their fault.
They're not possessed, TMC snarled. Free will, so free will to die. Anyway, it wouldn't have killed them. Probably.
Could you just protect us instead of trying to take them down?
TMC seemed to give it a moment's thought, then waved the gem in a lazy half-circle towards the attackers. It released a white-hot flame, roughly five feet in length, that blazed for a few brief seconds and then went out.
"More where this came from," he warned, and turned his head a little, sensing something coming.
"I must say I never expected you to recover so quickly, TMC." It was Celestial, or what was inside her, at least. The Horseman raised Rane's eyebrow.
"And I never expected you to be this stupid," he said. "You reek of Underdeep all over the place. I could see that as soon as you walked into that tavern. The human mind isn't meant to accommodate something like you. You don't even think. You're just using that girl's brain to think. Put you on your own and what're you worth? Nothing."
He stopped, sensing more humans coming. This was getting a little overwhelming. He usually stayed on the backseat because he had to keep a low profile.
"I call shotgun," he said abruptly and Rane's blue eyes faded into brown again. The pirate lord suddenly found himself in a situation he really didn't want to be in right now.
"Well..." he began desperately, clutching the gem, shot a look sideways and remained staring. Once you'd seen a blarf in your life, you always recognized him again when you saw him later.
The blarf's multipurpose battlecry rolled across the square.
"Fooooooooood."
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Post by Draco on Jan 10, 2010 17:01:37 GMT -5
<<Tabloid Town Hospital Entrance>>
When the smoke clears the door is gone, however the bars remain in place.
Draco lifts his head, "Well, that didn't work exactly like I wanted it to." He stands up and dusts himself off. "I'm really starting to think that no one is here."
Sitting up from being thrown back from the blast, Gil stares at the door. "But how can a hospital be empty when the town is still occupied?"
"Well, something drove them out, or forced them to hide inside." Draco points at the rubble and the barred entrance. "I'm guessing we don't really want to find out what caused a whole hospital to go missing, but we still need to get in there. Maybe crawl through a window? Force bars off? Let a giant sea monster of some sort crash into the building, creating a large enough hole for us to enter? I'm running out of ideas here."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2010 18:21:50 GMT -5
Brassport Assembly Hall
Sarinon tried to inch away from Oscar, Gentleman Adventurer, feeling slightly uncomfortable. The feeling was made worse when he tugged her closer ... away from Sarn. She resisted the urge to shove him away and instead resigned herself to his attention. He was annoying and had an ego too big to fit though a door, but he had saved her, and he may yet prove useful.
Sarn would have helped her, but he was too distracted. The mage was causing trouble, relishing the tension she had created, and it didn't help matters that a horde of distraught Brassport citizens were crowding around the Rikku.
There were groups of people all around and in the middle of it all, Sarn was trying to speak. The words wouldn't come ... he couldn't figure out what to say or how to say it. He knew he had to explain. Sarinon stepped up beside him and took his hand. The contact gave him the strength he needed to begin.
"People, please be calm and let me explain. My name is Sarn and I was once a citizen of Brassport. When I was a child, I fell through a rift and came to reside in the land of the Guilds. They accepted me and I became a Knight and a Mage."
"This woman, Rikku, is also a mage. She is another member of our guild and, though I do not know her well, I do know that she would not normally attack a city of innocent folk. My guess is that there is something wrong with her and I must help her."
"But I also owe you all these few words. When I left all those years ago, my dearest, my Sarinon ... I left her behind. I couldn't bear it, I had to have her with me. So I found another rift and started trying to bring her through. I never intended for the whole city to follow her and for that, I am truly sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen but if you'll let me, I will spend the rest of my days trying to make up for the damage I have caused."
He sank to his knees, leaned forwared and touched his head to the ground, spreading his wings to either side. It was the most respectful gesture any Feberi could make.
When he finally stood up, he took Sarinon into his arms again and waited for the city to answer him.
The tension grew.
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Post by Ikkin on Jan 11, 2010 1:32:43 GMT -5
Ikkin had been kind of worried about allowing the giant lizard to handle Sev - he didn't really look like he had the subtlety to hold Sev without hurting him, but he seemed to be doing at least as well as she herself had done. He also seemed unusually serious when he spoke.
"I will not be able to go at full speed myself," he said, looking directly at Ikkin's face, "but I will still move it - him to the Manor. That is my promise. Promises matter to me."
And with that, he started walking off in the direction of the Manor, being as careful as possible.
"I'm counting on you to keep him safe," she called after him as she leapt into the air and allowed the wind to hold her afloat. "But, I shouldn't be long."
She flew back towards the Ninja Dojo, figuring that, if anyone nearby would have water and bandages, the ninja would. She really should have thought of that earlier, honestly.
Just as the Dojo started to come back into sight, she saw something that made her do a double-take - some of the ninja seemed to have been going in the opposite direction, led by a tiger.
Well, she needed to ask the ninja whether she could borrow some supplies anyway, so she landed right in front of them. She was sort of curious as to what, exactly, was going on, too.
"Hey, do you guys have any bandages?" she asked, getting straight to the point. "And, is it just me, or is there a tiger following me?"
***
Sev had reached a point where consciousness and unconsciousness faded into each other until he wasn't sure what was real anymore.
Ikkin had left him alone with the ninja who had landed on him in the first place - that had to be some kind of weird nightmare, right?
Then again, it wasn't much of a nightmare compared to being a prisoner in his own body. And there was something about Ikkin going to get supplies to patch him up, at least temporarily, which made enough sense...
Plus, by some kind of contrived coincidence, he seemed to have been stuck with one of the few people around who didn't know too much about him. If the thing possessing him really was affected by what the others around it thought about phoenixes, this might actually be a really good opportunity to fix himself...
Of course, that depended on what, exactly, the large reptilian ninja thought he was. He still wasn't in any shape for a conversation, and probably wouldn't hear the entire answer, but... he had to try something.
"What's... fire... bird?" he asked, every near-silent word paining him due to his severe injuries. He hoped the ninja could hear him... or, that he was even really there. For all he knew, he could just be hallucinating.
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Post by Nasuella on Jan 11, 2010 5:54:00 GMT -5
Wherever the heck Kovaran is
Kovaran hadn't walked far - passing some trees, and approaching the sound of running water, perhaps a creek. He had managed to increase his pace, but not by much; he still had to be concerned for the firebird's safety. This firebird, which he now held in his hands, seemed to be in worse condition than it--he had been before.
...why?
Briefly he hesitated. It was then that he heard, very faintly, a voice - a voice which he quickly realised was coming from the creature in his grip.
"What's... fire... bird?"
The big lizard was silent. He resumed walking, and soon discovered that there was indeed a creek nearby. Clear water flowed across wet rocks and boulders, carving a path through the ground and trees. Through the gap in the foliage above him, Kovaran could see a beautiful sky with stars.
Seating himself on the bank, he lifted one of his hands to look at Sev.
"A firebird," he stated, once again in an unusually soft voice. He took a breath in.
"I... am not of this world. My family--born of draconic heritage centuries back, were born and lived on another world. Folklore declared them as noble and strong, but they had become what people called firebirds. It was an insult - one they deserved.
"Our stories told that firebirds were once champions of the sun mother. But they enjoyed power too much, growing hateful and self-centered. Even after the sun mother removed their power..." He sighed.
"I never saw firebirds before I came to this world. I only knew what I had been taught. Firebirds were almost immortal; only the flame of another bird could kill it... perhaps that is a fit metaphor. My family was lost in a similar way. I was one of the few to escape."
Was he truly answering its question?
Was this even a firebird?
"You... returned from the dead? Are you truly a firebird? When a firebird dies, like most living things, they remain dead forever."
--
Tabloid Town (Near hospital)
Nasue had remained clinging to the Blarf's fur during the crew's trip towards what turned out to be the hospital. Somehow, her headache was, for lack of a better word, fluctuating in how strong it was; one moment it would be weak, then it would be darn-near overwhelming.
The fact that her eyes had started glowing once again probably did not help in this matter.
Witnessing what was going on, and hearing (and feeling) the Blarf's cry of, "Fooooooooood", drove her to an impulsive decision. That was to curl up and crouch, making herself as small as possible while still holding on. It would have worked in making herself completely inconspicuous, except--
"We should g-g-g-get off s-soon, right?"
--her voice had changed.
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Post by Strife on Jan 11, 2010 7:16:58 GMT -5
((Tabloid Town - Hospital))
Strife walked alongside Hunty and the Blarf. The hospital awaited them nearby. When they had gotten within viewing distance of the front entrance, Hunty paused and stared.
"-where he is?"
Indeed, there he was - the man they were looking for, standing just outside the hospital entrance. He was dressed in an elaborate outfit that made him fairly easy to spot from this distance. The demon girl was also standing beside him, and the two of them appeared to be conversing.
Suddenly, Strife felt his sword vibrate in his hand. It let out a deep hissing noise that sounded vaguely similar to a rattlesnake tail. He looked down at his weapon and into the eyes of the head encased in the socket. It didn't move.
Shrugging it off as a simple reaction to the Underdeep, Strife looked back up and noticed another group of people near the hospital entrance. Judging by the faint traces of smoke in the air and the ruined condition of the front door, he guessed that they were trying to get inside. He teleport-dashed closer to their location, eavesdropping on their conversation.
"...guessing we don't really want to find out what caused a whole hospital to go missing, but we still need to get in there. Maybe crawl through a window? Force bars off? Let a giant sea monster of some sort crash into the building, creating a large enough hole for us to enter? I'm running out of ideas here."
The whole hospital missing? Did this person mean to imply that there was an Underdeep opening inside? Only one way to find out, Strife thought to himself.
Immediately after the person finished their question, a trail of silhouettes snaked around him and stopped at the bars covering the hospital entrance. Strife rested his sword on his shoulder with one hand, and raised the other hand towards the bars, using his psionic energy to push into them from all directions. There was a bursting noise, and the bars broke away from the ceiling and floor and began to bend and crumble into knots. Once they had been reduced to clumps of twisted metal, Strife turned around and hurled them into the sky. They would land somewhere else in the city.
Strife stood tall in front of the hospital entrance, which was now open. "Go ahead," he said to the people below him. "Your nightmares are waiting for you."
With those words, he marched inside the hospital, disappearing into the dark corridors. If there was an Underdeep opening in here, he'd find it.
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