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Rebuilding a life; Merged w/ A Different Patrol
Topic Started: May 28 2006, 09:57 PM (5,548 Views)
Alain
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Shale shrugged lightly, then as she asked, he decided to answer.

"I would repair your relationship with the Priestess first and foremost. After all, none awaited your return with greater anticipation than she. You can worry about getting her and the human to get along later."

He smiled just a little bit. She had taken a liking to him too, he thought. Why was beyond him, but at least the feeling seemed mutual. Too many had become infatuated with the queen over the years, many of them human, and too many had only had... certain of her qualities in mind. This human at least seemed to value intelligence... though his confrontation with Victoria spoke otherwise...

"I will go with you if you desire, but otherwise I am going to have to ensure there are no traitors among the prison guards, it is the one place that has yet to be scoured. However, if you would like me to be there, I will follow you to speak with the Priestess. My suboordinates are more than capable of handling the job."
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Alain
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"I assume you were responsible for that bloody business?"

He laughed a little bit, then he was about to say something when Norban growled, and his motion tracker projected a tiny screen an inch from his face. A red dot moved away, then faded. The screen vanished, and Alain shook his head.

"Off towards the city, like he said. Odd that it isnt one of the traitor guards though, I wonder what her game is... perhaps a sorceress that was working with the man you killed?"

He kicked the dead body lightly, then shook his head to her question and followed her out.

"No, somehow I think she has more than enough to deal with without the statistical improbability dropping by to say hello. Besides, if the Priestess is with her I don't want to create any more of a rift there than I already have. Considering they've been best friends for who know how many millenia I'd rather not put any more strain there..."

Referring, of course, to himself. After alll the chances of what happened to him actually happening had to be in the trillions to one. Very very odd...

"And anyways, I need to find a place to stow this suit and shut it down. Shale mentioned an empty room down by the Armory, I'm going to head down and take this thing off before the condenser dies. Only got a few hours left even at low power. Quite apart from all that I haven't slept proper in going on a month now. I think I might finally be able to get some decent rest. Anyways... 'night you two."

He waved to Norban and Sabre, then he stopped.

"I mean four. Sorry Althea, Virote. G'night. Oh, and I'll come around sometime tomorrow, Sabre, maybe I can get osme of those lessons you mentioned."

See you around

Suchara chimed in, then Alain turned and walked off down the corridor. After a while he found the room Shale had mentioned - it had a rune on it that he recognised, and he pushed the door open, then shut it once he came in. There wasn't much there, some old suits of ornate armor, probably for parades and the like...

"You saying my armor is all show, General...?"

Alain chuckled slightly, then he walked over to an empty place in the corner, and turned to face the rest of the room before he closed his eyes, and the armor split apart. Panels slid back, and he stepped out from it, pulling his bag from the compartment in the beck before he sealed the armor back up again and unzipped the bag. He pulled out a coat and a pair of pants, which he pulled over the skintight suit, then he pulled a pair of boots on that were also there, and sat back. What an odd day... Ah well. He stood again and walked around behind his armor, pulling the card-sized computer from his pocket. He flicked it once, and two thin sort of frame devices extended, and a holographic screen about twelve inches wide and eight tall appeared between them, along with a keyboard. He tapped part of the armor, then a few keys, and with a hiss, several slits opened on the back of his armor, glowing dimly with an blue-white light. He tapped at a few more keys, then put his hand on the back of the armor and it closed with a hiss and a click. Suchara seemed confused.

What was that about?

Just checking some readings.

Why?

To make sure it was charging right.

Why wouldn't it... charge right?

Because I've been running it at standard power for about six weeks straight. That's way longer than the average, and while it's within the safe level, I'd rather not take the chance that it might overload and destroy the whole system.


After a moment's thought, he added:

And a good chunk of the castle too.

Oh...


Alain laughed just a little as he pulled a bedroll out from the pack and inflated it by touching a pad on the side, then he lay down. Power Cell systems like the one in the armor were actually extremely stable, but they were also not designed to run at full power for so long. In cities, they were built in massive arrays of three or four massive Alpha class cells, in which some of the cells would operate at full power while one ran at a lowered rate to put the ion exchanges back into balance. Even aircraft and tanks held two cells, but for the sake of size, A-13 Advent powered armor only carried one power cell, and a device called a condenser, which was essentially an extremely high density capacitor capable of storing vast amounts of power relative to its size. The power cell ran only until the condenser was full, then dropped off, meaning that the power cell could remain nearly inactive for long periods of time, especially while the suit was not in use. Alain, however, had not been able to really let his armor charge in such a long time that the possibility of the system destabilizing was starting to increase - meaning about a one in one billion chance of it going off sometime in the next week, but still. And he hadn't been serious with Suchara either - a destabilized power cell would simply shut off for a few hours while the nanorepair systems went to work and restored it, power cells didn't overload unless they were set to do so intentionally, and then the detonation would take out rather more than a chunk of the castle... still, that had never been done unintentionally - the safguards in place were too stringent. What really worried him, though, were the two devices concealed in his armor... about the size of a deck of cards, even a little smaller.... and powerful enough to wipe this city off the planet. That was what scared him... he wished he hadn't been on the rotation for the sterilizers on that day.... Aronia would never have seen them, and he would be able to rest a little easier...
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akuma4486
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It listened carefully to her words. They did not help any. The only thing her answers did was cause more uncertainty. When she asked for its name it froze as confusion washed through it. The lights flickered on the armor and the creature visibly tenced.

It lifted one hand to its head and clenched at its forehead. A look of pain came to it for a brief moment but left as quickly, "We do not have one, we do not need a name. We need purpose!" more of a demand than a statement. It lurched past the priestess and to the fountain, "but if we did need purpose then we would not be. So we must have one...." hunched over the edge of the fountain, its metal clad hands slowly lowered into the crimson liquid. It then stopped, eyes lowering to the liquid in slight wonder.

"Energy....power." it slowly turned its attention back to the Priestess, "We have no name. We have no want to have one." as it spoke the orbs in its armor began to whiten. Their saphire colouring seemed to drain away as the pure white replaced them.
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akuma4486
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"My choice?" the option seemed odd to it. So did her statements. Then again such creatures as herself were bound to different laws of existence. Yet she was right about this liquid, it yielded much nuritiment for a variety of creatures. Its eyes traced to her as she fell over in pain, its head tilting but it was not of its concern.

It must do what he must, the blood in the fountain began to slither up its arms like many tendrils, sliding their way across flesh and metal alike. It was an opportunity to regain lost strength. The liquid reached the orbs that represented the three eyes of the demon-headed shoulder plates her wore. The liquid covered it, endlessly it would seem but in truth the liquid was being absorbed by the jewels.

It stared down at her, "You were right, it is repleneshing." it stated as if it did not realize the pain she was in. Its head tilted the other way, "Is something...wrong?" it questioned looking at her. Though its speech seemed less impartial now.
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akuma4486
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The creature didn't react to her in the least. Though it stopped drawing the blood from the fountain, the last bit of liquid running down its arms and dripping from its fingertips harmlessly as it pulled its hands from the red pool. It slowly turned to face her, its head tilting to one side, then slowly to the other. A realization coming to it as it straightened, "If we...I....were truely...avatar....this would have no real effect....a creature beyond life or death, of pure magic, not truely existing....so I am not what I thought?" it questioned as its voice wavered between the choatic chorus and the single gentle male voice it had spoken through but a few times before.

Such laws governing the flow of control would not apply to a spell, an avatar was just that. It was now feeling, and that was something it did but a bit before with other tampering. Confusion at first, then fustration, it was odd and no facial expression was given because it had none to associate with these peculiar things. Slowly it looked to the Priestess and it's eyes narrowed, "I am...living?"
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akuma4486
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The bond worked slower in it. The essence absorbed less directly than common digesting. Still it could not be avoided. It was slow working but the bonding was inevitable it would seem to it. Though it merely blinked as a small recognition of what was happening to it came, "You are clever. The man....he...was young. Wore robes, black hair, angry...very angry. Failure had driven him. I woke, a circle, red and black." He paused for a moment.

"I killed him, as he wanted, mages dead. Horrible instructions..." the creature winced and its hands went to its head. Its face was then blank as it gripped at the side of its face, "Then gaurds...I was clever though. Easier to get where I wanted if they thought I was cooperating. Then I attacked, magic users, you and another. Then a metal man. Then it was like we...I was being ripped apart. Woke up in the room. Then we..." it paused and its eyes widened a bit, slowly it looked back to the liquid in the fountain. Its hand fell back into its lap.
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Xaomen Belejurias
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He walked into the town, his robes badly tattered, his staff stained with a inky blackness. He had aged, though not as greatly as most humans would have in the last hundred years. He still was handsome by most standards. His sandy blond hair now hada reddish tint to it and he was missing his wolf companion who had never left his side. Stumbling the man fell to his knees. He had to get to the queen, it was his only reason for being here. He knew she may have forgotten him, the last battle with the angel had taken place so long ago. He still had the emblem of his order, it signfied him as a Druid of the Sacred Nectar. His name was Xaomen Belejurias, and he had returned to the only place he had ever called home.
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LadySabre
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"Huh..." Sabre mumbled, thinking over Alain's suggestion as to the female's reasonging for having been in the alley. "Looks like we might have another bitch to kill on our hands..." she chuckled quietly.

"I suppose that's a good idea," she mused, nodding her head in agreement. "Oh?" Sabre furrowed her brows in thought as she tried to figure out which room the General had been speaking about. A small grin played on her lips when she figured it out - the 'for show only' room. That had to be it. No way he would have Alain stash his precious suit of mechanical armor in the mundane armory, but having him keep it in the fancy one was just funny. His suit would stick out like a sore thumb... as usual.

"Alrighty. Get some rest - if you want to train tomorrow, you're going to need it. See you!"

~Bye, Alain!~ Althea called out. Virote crackled his goodbye as well.

Sabre watched as Alain made his way across the street and back to the castle. Turning to face Norban, she sighed, her expression hardening.

"Looks like it's just you and me now, buddy."

~Oy!~ called out Althea.
~What about us?~ chimed in Virote.

"Bah. You two don't count... So, here's an idea for you, Norban. You go find that girl from the alley. Have any problems with her, just say the word and I'll be there. If you don't have any problems, bring her to me. If she asks who I am and/or why I want to see her, tell her my name. If she's from around here, she'd most likely know me. If she isn't, just assure her I'm important and that I don't just want to bullshit with her," Sabre grinned. "Got all that?"

Norban growled his acknowledgement. With a small bow of his head, he turned on one heel military style, and headed in the direction her smelled the female from: the tavern. Upon reaching the tavern door, he wrinkles his nose. This place had a very strong, very foul stench that reminded him too much of the ship voyage that had brought him here to Endymion and Ombra di Notta. With a small growl, he sucked in the last few precious breaths of fresh air he would probably get for a few minutes and stepped into the tavern. His sharp eyes wandered around the room. The stench clouded his tracking by smell horribly. Norban scowled and started making his way around the room, subtly sniffing when he passed females. The third female he passed had a familiar scent. Turning to her, he growled quietly, not threatening. "You in alley few minutes ago?" he asked her, his voice gruff.

Sabre watched her newest minion obey her command, a satisfied smile on her lips. He was a good choice. Turning, she began to head in the same direction as Alain had. She would pick up Kael from wherever that damned dark horse had wandered off to before going to find General Shale. Perhaps he could shed some light on the situation regarding all of the secret entrances to the castle that even Sabre didn't know about. If even the General didn't know about all of the secret entrances on the map, Sabre had a feeling Ombra di Notta was in for a bit of trouble.
Wash: I think they really captured his essence.
Kaylee: He looks kinda mean.
Wash: That's sorta what I meant.
Simon: This must be what going mad feels like.
Kaylee: Everywhere I go, his eyes keep followin' me...
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Alain
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ooc: Okay I'm still in florida so this won't be too good of a post but I dont want to let this stagnate ^^


Shale took her arm when she offered it, and he shrugged slightly.

"I shall take you as far as you wish."

He held the door for her then, and walked out with her, listening thoughtfully.

"It is possible... though it has been ages since I saw anything capable of affecting the Priestess like that... I was not there when it happened, however, which limits my ability to really make any accurate judgements on this topic. Regardless... I have noticed a distinct change, though I worry less. Things like this have a tendency to work themselves out eventually. Do you wish me to proceed in with you, my Queen?"
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petenick_1984
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Victoria smiled when the being had told her she was clever. She didn't know exactly what he was referring to, but none the less he was correct. The events the creature accounted had Victoria searching her memory of previous apprentices she had allowed into the castle. Failure was not an option for Victoria and neither for her mages. The description sounded nothing like anyone she had guided. They would have succeded had they been. However, most who sought her out for aid were denied. Perhaps that would cause a young mage to wish destruction on all who she had accepted. Which would prove exactly why Victoria did not teach that particular dabbler. She couldn't even call him a mage. Red and black were so cliche for negativity. Had the dabbler wanted to inflict serious damage, he would have created a creature that was more like a ticking bomb. Believing they are on the path of righteousness, but actually was creating chaos. The creature that Victoria was in the presence of could have been such, but not because of his creator.

The description of the events in the prison brought Victoria's gaze to the floor. She relived it as he spoke also. Much of what happened was missing from her memory. The last thing she could solidly grasp was reaching in to pull the creature from the Queen's field. Victoria felt a slight blush to her cheeks. Even though the creature did not spell it out, she could hear the suggestion. It was more of a dream than reality. The next solid thought was when Alain had began to yell at her about being an impostor or something foolish. Still, Victoria felt the difference. Something had changed inside of her.

"Well..." Victoria felt a little akward. She decided to address the important situation.

"It does not sound like a mage who had been welcomed within the temple. Which would give reason for targeting the mages of Ombra Di Notta. In a way, I am relived you destroyed the one who created you. But the being you are now is not what you were when he created you," That was already established, but Victoria had found it easier to repeat things to keep them fresh in her mind. It was a fear she recently adopted with her memory loss.

"Whatever they had attempted in summoning you was far out of their ability. It is quite improbable that he was successful. Whatever the red and black you saw was, it was what made you physically an entity. If it were me, I would have used blood for the red and coal for the black. The blood is obvious for its purpose, but the coal would be for the carbon, something that exists in all creatures, even plants. Still, if it was blood, who's blood it was is the question. If it was not blood, perhaps a dye of sorts. Which plant is originated from would be the next question as well..." Victoria sighed. It seemed every answer brought on even more questions since there was no way to be sure. Even if they went back to where it happened, the ingredients would be long soaked into the ground. The body of the dabbler would have been consumed by many nocturnal animals. Without reason, Victoria smiled and quickly stood.

"Come with me," She began walking towards the statue of the queen, "I hope you know how to read!" Victoria reached the back of the sculpture, traced her finger from the left bottom and in a tall rectangular form. Seconds later, the area slid open to reveal a spiral stiarcase leading down. It would remain open in time for the creature to enter, had he followed, but closing without a seal again afterwards. With the slight wave of her hand, torches were lit at she descended. Victoria could have made it the entire way in the dark, she was a vampire after all, but she wasn't sure about the visual capabilities of the creature. She hated to referr to him as such, but that was its perogative.

Reaching the bottom of the stairwell, Victoria continued only a bit farther to the first door on the left of the cooridor. Pushing it open, the many oil lamps, securely hung out of reach to prevent fires, lit themselves. Vast bookcases, three levels high covered every wall. A large oak table was centered in the room, various books still upon it. A nearby corner had two leather chairs and a small table for comfort reading. Victoria took a deep breath, the smell of ancient paper was a welcoming scent. Spending many hours here, alone or with a pupil, the energy of the room was familiar. She stood inside the room, just gazing for a moment. She had neglected this place for a long time.
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