Xin: Level: 2 Xin's eyes narrowed at Seven, but she stepped stiffly away from Eudo. Her vision flahsed red breifly. Enemy detected. Scanning... Don't. she commanded them, and was surprised by the feeling of irritation that emanted immediately after what she thought. Were they more advanced than the doctor had beleived...? Shaking her head to clear it, Xin looked down her nose at Seven, "I know that, Seven. But if you haven't noticed we 'fleshlings' are a lot more fragile than your admantite frame. I don't even need to begin telling you all of the things that could happen. Right Myth?" she said, glancing at the medic. Turning and stalking away without even waiting for a response, Xin went to look at a nearby marketstand selling exotic swords. "Excuse me, but do you have anythign that is stronger than this?" she asked the tender, drawing out her katana and settign ti on the table.
Mythai "I know that, Seven. But if you haven't noticed we 'fleshlings' are a lot more fragile than your admantite frame. I don't even need to begin telling you all of the things that could happen. Right Myth?" Xin said, glancing at the medic. "Ri..." She began, but Xin had already turned her back, heading the opposite direction. "Ok then," Mythai said under her breath, her brow furrowing. Xin sure didn't excel in the manners department. But she didn't have time to think about Xin. Mythai pushed away her thoughts as she turned towards Eudoxia. If it hadn't been for him, she might not even be standing. His bots had spun out of control, but everything had happened so quickly, she hadn't been able to fully process the situation. Well, at least she was alive. "I hope you don't mind," Mythai muttered as she put a hand on Eudo's back, feeling for any possible injuries. All appeared to be alright and Seven had been correct, like always. "Doesn't look like there is any severity in the spinal column. Your back muscles will be sore of course. If you feel any pain in a particular area, let me know as soon as possible." Mythai took away her hand and looked Eudo in the eyes, giving him a genuine smile. "I didn't get to say it earlier, but thank you Eudo. You're a true ally...and friend."
Eudoxia Level 2 Point Amount: 130 "Doesn't look like there is any severity in the spinal column. Your back muscles will be sore of course. If you feel any pain in a particular area, let me know as soon as possible." "I didn't get to say it earlier, but thank you Eudo. You're a true ally...and friend." Eudoxia heard what she had said about his back injury. He was thankful that not that much damage had happened to his back, though now the back of his shirt was wrecked. He felt his back after Myth did and said, "Thanks, couldn't do it without ya, Doc." he said to Myth trying to make sure she felt special. He then acknowledged the compliment she had given him. His purple eyes set on her's. And he smiled back after she had finished her statement. "Thank you, Myth. You are my friend too." he explained to her making sure she felt appreciated after she was ignored by Xin. He hoped whatever was going on between Xin and Seven, it would stop.
Aren After leaving the square, Aren headed to the cafe. His plan had worked, and the people would be distracted long enough for them to get what they needed and get off world, hopefully... He sat at a table and tinkered with his Torris, the synchronization of his add on with the device was at 93%. It was good enough, and he was ready to set it up in the others Torris's. And, along the way, he had developed a platform for adding upgrades to the Torris. That might come in handy, and he resolved to work on new upgrades whenever he could. He got up and walked over to Eudoxia and Mythai. "I have an add-on for you Torris's," he said. "It'll shield your nervous systems from electrical interference, and give you a slight resistance to energy based attacks. I can install it, it'll just take me a minute or two," he smiled. He needed to get it into everyone's Torris before he could use his new grenade model. "So, what do you say?"
"Oooh do I get one?" Seven said happily looking over Aren's shoulder. then she looked at him more closely. "Hey...you know there is something that I have always wanted to ask you. Why is your skin so dark?" She asked curiously. "And where is Tina? I want to get this mission done already."
Aren "I can give you one, I might have to install it into your hardware though..." Aren said thoughtfully to Seven. "And as for my skin, well... there's a technical reason, and a less technical reason. The Technical reason is that I have higher levels of melatonin in my skin. It's a pigment and is determined genetically. The less technical reason, I think that when God made the world, he must have decided that it was boring to have just one color," Aren said with a smile. He had to admit, he'd never been asked by a robot why he was black before. It was a pretty novel experience.
"And where is Tina? I want to get this mission done already." Seven asked. "The name is Commander Sharp to you, Seven." She replied, seemingly coming out of nowhere. "However, I do agree with your sentiment. It is time to get this mission going. I see you got the juice we needed. Well done. Mason, Aren, Adwaita...what did you guys find out?" The cadets told them about the rally and their plan to attack Zalligar. The commander nodded approvingly when Mason told her of Aren's clever speech that got the people to stall for a time. "We'll return to the whisps and warn them about the impending danger. Then we complete this portion of our mission and find out where the next artifact is." ------------------------------------- Half-an-hour later they returned to Elheen and warned her about the Tellin's plan to attack Zalligar. Elheen nodded knowingly. "Yes. We have long worried they would organize and try to kill her. You've brought us forewarning...so at least we have time to set up traps and prepare. Creator bless you." She nodded her head gratefully. Then she said, "Bay will lead you as close as he can to Zalligar's den. We've caught a deer that you can give to her. I hope you find what you came for." "Thankyou for your hospitality. I hope all goes will with the Tellins." The commander replied nodding her head. "Shadow Squad, move out!" A few minutes later the Shadow Squad was tromping through the hot jungles once again. Aren finished the upgrades on everyone's Torris as they walked and the cadets talked quietly amongst themselves. The deer was led Bay, who was the only one who could seem to keep it under control. It wasn't long before they began seeing evidence of the giant mountain snakes. Burrows of dirt, splintered trees, plants withering under drops of venom. The closer they got the quieter the jungle became. As if no animals dwelled here. The deer became more skittish as if it knew that venturing any further would mean it's death. Suddenly Bay stopped and handed the reigns on the deer to Tina. "I go no further." He whispered fearfully. "Continue on at your on peril." "Thankyou Bay. You've done enough." Tina said. Bay nodded and disappeared back the way they came. "Not much further now, Shadow Squad. Let's hurry before the snake finds us first."
It was the stench first that they noticed, coming from the enormous burrow in front of them. The smell of rotten flesh and venom was so strong it made the cadet's eyes water. The deer tugged and pulled, trying to wrench it's-self from the commander's hold and to freedom. But she kept tight hold. She had Seven pour the jars of juice on the deer. "There's a rock cropping right there that I want you cadets to climb on." The commander said as she pointed to a clump of rock's nearly as tall as a house. "If this thing goes berserk from the juice we'll want to be out of crushing range." The cadets did as she said, as the commander moved closer to the burrow and tied the grunting deer to a nearby tree. A moment later she was laying on the rock cropping beside the rest of Shadow Squad. "Now, we wait." It didn't take long. Soon a rumbling could be heard and felt. Zalligar peered her head out of the burrow. It was the size of a truck, and that was just the head. "Damn...if we had tried to fight that thing...I'm not even sure 20 Tellin people could defeat that." Mason noted. Zalligar took the bait. She snatched the deer up in one gulp, the rope restraining it snapping like a thread. The she slithered back into her hold. Another set of waiting began for the juice to take effect. Fifteen minutes later the Commander was just about to suggest they return later when strange rasping sounds could be heard coming from inside the burrow. It was working. The giant mountain snake suddenly slithered part-way out of her hold and began spewing all manners of noxious liquid, venom, and half digested body parts from her system. The very air seemed to turn green. "Put on your oxygen masks. Quickly." The commander ordered. She opened the Torris on her wrist which was beeping in warning. Fumes toxic to humans were beginning to permeate the air. Thus the reason for the oxygen masks. It took a full minute before Zalligar's entire body left the burrow. It was the size of two train cars put together. She didn't returned home till half an hour later. If a snake could looked tired, this one did. The commander led the cadets down from the rock cropping and crossed her arms in front of her as she assessed the situation. "So, how are we going to find one small metal sphere in all...that?" Mason asked. "And if we can't even breathe it, I doubt we can touch it."
Eudoxia Level 2 Point Amount: 130 Eudoxia saw the snake and his words were hilted as if they were a sword. he had nothing to say on the matter, though the snake was a worthy opponent, he had no doubt in his mind that his team could take it. Though he watched as they set the deer up for kill, this did not quite affect him. He had a soft spot for people, but not so much for wild animals. As the snake devoured the deer he almost barfed in his gas mask. Which is a feeling that returned once the snake had vomited up a pile of stuff. He took out his MicroBots after Mason had said that he had no idea hwo they would find the orb. He had his MicroBots scan for any type of metal inside the pile. "Shouldn't take long." he said reassuring the team.
Xin: Level: 2 Xin's eye's narrowed as she examined the serpent. Then, she watched it spew up all manner of things that a snake wouldn't even be expected to eat along with usual stuff which she would prefer not to describe. Hand going to the hilt of her new sword -the blade infused with a high-voltage beam of condensed heat- she examined the den and then the pile of muck. "Well, I'm more worried about whether that snake will see us when we go an get the sphere. I'll go on top of the entrance to its den and wait to ambush it in case it comes out." she said, dashing away through the trees before anyone could stop her. She knew her plan was sensible, and she would be downwind of the snake so it wouldn't detect her.
Seven didn't say anything but the fate of the deer disturbed her greatly, she walked up and stared at it's remains with great sadness obviously apparent, She knelt by what was left of it and said tenderly. "I'm sorry little one, no one deserves to be sacrificed against their will. Your death will bring great good, I will not forget you." She stroked it's revolting head with no sense of disgust or fear. Only sadness, and empathy.
Eudoxia Level 2 Point Amount: 130 Eudoxia watched as Xin went off to so called ambush the snake if it came back. He looked at her as if she was crazy, or at least at her back as she ran off. He yelled but not loud enough to alert the snake, "You couldn't hurt the snake by yourself! Be careful!" he exclaimed. He watched as she walked off. Being a man of science he had no trouble with the animal being part of an experiment, but he saw Seven become sad. His purple eyes set on her as he crouched beside her, he completely got over the sight of what had happened, the smell affected him more than the sight really. Though they were wearing masks, he still got traces of the smell. He put a hand on her shoulder. "You know there is a thing called praying that we do when we lose someone, maybe you could pray for the deer." he said letting his Catholic self take over his Science self.
"It's not fair" Seven pouted, " No one deserves to die. Organic life is fragile as it is, why must we hasten it's destruction?" Seven stood up her bow knitted in deep thought. "But what's done is done, praying for it now won't help. I'm going to start looking for the item now." She trudged through the bile looking carefully, scanning the contents she picked up a glittering object underneath the slime. "I think I found it!" She called lifting the object up.
"I think I found it!" She called lifting the object up. "Good." The commander replied. She grabbed a cloth out of her pack and wrapped the defiled sphere in it. "Let's turn this on elsewhere. We don't want Zalligar to smell us and decide to eat us as it's next meal." Shadow Squad tramped through the jungle till they could no longer smell the fumes from Zalligar. Commander Sharp sighed as she removed her gas mask and put it back in her pack. "Alright. Let's see where we need to go next." She turned the sphere on and a holographic image of the man from before popped up. "Well done on retrieving Sphere number two. You will find sphere number three on Elipsun in the Rainbow Cavern." The sphere shut off. The commander stuck the sphere in her pack. "To Elipsun then." She opened her Torris and typed in the planet name. It's coordinates and a brief description appeared on her screen. "Atmoshphere: breathable, Natives: humans, Possible dangers: dragons. Hmm, lovely." She looked over Shadow Squad, "We jumped on my mark. 3, 2, 1, jump." -------------------------- Chapter 3: Elipsun Shadow Squad found themselves in a large empty plain. In the distance, about an hour's walk away loomed a medieval city complete with a castle in it's center. "We'll head for that city. Hopefully we can get there before night fall. And if luck be with us we won't run into any dragons. But stay on your guard."
Eudoxia Level 2 Point Amount: 130 Eudoxia stood up and watched as Seven became determined on the mission. He also watched as his commander listened to the hologram's instructions. He was tempted to ask what the point of gathering these orbs was, but he stopped himself so he didn't attract any more negative attention. Once they all walked through the Torris he was greeted by one of the things he liked most, fields. It stretched for a long time, though out in the distance he saw a castle. It was obviously huge for them to be able to see it from where they are. He kept his purple eyes on it, and then he looked into the sky. This place reminded him of Earth, though the Earth he saw in the history books. The one without all the technology. The one that was just plain beautiful. He took of his gas mask and breathed in a big breath of fresh air. He then thought to himself, "Dragons, huh? Well, I guess we just gotta try everything."
Xin: Level: 2 1/10 Xin eyed the plains warily, but followed after the others. "You know, if these dragons are similar to either the northern European myths or Chinese -maybe even American- I'd say we'll have an easier time with Zalligar." she mumbled, drawing her new sword and swishing it through the air once. It made a clear, beautiful note as it sliced through the air, sounding similar to a flute, and she couldn't help the slight smile that quirked her lips.
"So what's a dragon Xin?" Seven asked curiously, "And why do you seem so eager to kill stuff? It's kind of concerning." She added after a while.
Mythai As she walked with the team in the open plains, Mythai took a deep breath. Her stomach was still quesy from their severely gross experience with the Zalligar. She'd only seen half of what had occurred since she had shut her eyes tight. Nothing was worse than a pile of toxic germs. She still couldn't believe Commander Sharp had touched the sphere, even with a cloth. A chill went through her spine at the thought. But thankfully that was over. Now apparently they'd be dealing with dragons. "I've actually never seen a dragon either, Seven. Though I've read about them," Mythai butted in before Xin could reply. "Only way I could describe them is that they are like giant lizards...if you know what a lizard is."
"I once met two women who could shape-shift into dragons. They were as large as a truck from head to tail, complete with sharp talons, spiky tails and the ability to breath fire. Not to mention they were extremely full of themselves." The Commander said, joining the conversation. "Dragons aren't something we want to fight if we don't have to." Tina shook her head as she remembered that particular adventure. She hadn't told anyone about it. Not even her superiors. They would have never believed her. She'd been pulled into another dimension via a teenage witch along with a magic-wielding Queen, shape-shifting women, a person from a dimension where earth was barley still alive, a guy who liked to create portals through Hades, and many other strange people. That hadn't been her favorite adventure. "I wonder if the dragons here are intelligent...like in so many books, or if they're more like horses to be trained and ridden." Mason mused.
Eudoxia Level 2 Point Amount: 130 "I once met two women who could shape-shift into dragons. They were as large as a truck from head to tail, complete with sharp talons, spiky tails and the ability to breath fire. Not to mention they were extremely full of themselves." He looked at his commander with astonishment bleached into his eyes. Tina and he had had their differences, but not because he hated her but because at times he found her bland, almost heartless. Though, recently she had been showing a softer side, or for her at least. Plus, the constant backstory he was getting on his commander was quite fascinating. He kept his purple eyes on her, and prepared to ask his commander. "So, what planet did you find these type of people." he asked with sincere curiosity in his eyes and voice. It was moments like this, where he realized the beauty of his commander once more. But he was more fascinated on what she could be rather than what she looks like. Her energy projected around her as a kid, she has interesting traits. He saw her as an unknown variable. "I wonder if the dragons here are intelligent...like in so many books, or if they're more like horses to be trained and ridden." "Mason, I really wonder what they're animal instinct is like. That is what I am pondering." Edo explained to Mason.
Xin: Level: 2 1/10 "European dragons are your classic dragon, wings with a heavy build." Xin explained, "Chinese dragons are more serpentine with lion heads, and American dragons are serpentine, with wings that appear more like a sting-ray's fins." "And I don't know about intelligence. There are just too many stories that conflict with one another, so I guess we'll know if we meet one."
"So, what planet did you find these type of people." he asked with sincere curiosity in his eyes and voice. "It's no place any of us will ever get to again." The commander replied cryptically. Her demeanor showed it was obvious she was unwilling to say more. "And I don't know about intelligence. There are just too many stories that conflict with one another, so I guess we'll know if we meet one." "Looks like we're about to find out." Mason said pointing to group of travelers on the plain in front of them. There looked to be about 15 people in total. 4 of which were soldiers on horses escorting the group. A wagon filled with item was trailing behind them. The group was being attacked by 3 dragons, with rider on each one. One rider seemed to have an amazing amount of spears in a basket attached to the dragon's saddle. The second rider held a bow in his hand and was shooting arrows at the guards. The third rider wielded a sword and seemed to be waiting for his companions to take out the guards before attacking the group himself. Though his dragon did swoop down every few seconds to send a burst of flames into the group scattering the travelers. "We've got to help them!" Mason exclaimed looking to the commander for permission to attack. The Commander nodded and Mason charged forward, shooting warning shots at the rider with the bow.
"It may be unwise to attack without knowing the situation." Seven shouted after Mason, even so she dashed forward. Quickly out paceing him and waiting for her moment leapt at one of the dragons as it swooped down lunging for the human on top, she aimed to tackle him off!
Eudoxia Level 2 Point Amount: 130 Eudoxia watched as Seven and Mason ran off without really thinking and also how Tina just gave the command to help without even thinking over the situation. "For one, these people weren't even part of the man objective, and now we're helping them. Plus, how are we supposed to know how the good group is. Like when we fought the group in the woods, what if someone came in and helped them. We have no idea what's going on.", he thought. He looked around. He put his Funnel Glove on and also a new glove that hadn't been seen yet. He also pulled out his shield for pretty much blocking the fire that would be spat at them, and his five MicroBots flew out of his pocket to help with any aerial attacks. He then chased after Mason and Seven. "It may be unwise to attack without knowing the situation." "Completely agree!" he exclaimed to Seven. He then set his eyes on Mason who was in front of him but behind Seven. "Be careful Mason, we have no idea what these people are capable of!" he warned.
"It may be unwise to attack without knowing the situation." Seven stated. "Completely agree!" Edo exclaimed. "Those dragons and their riders are attacking people who can't defend themselves. And look, there are children hiding in the wagon. I think we know enough." Mason replied as the Archer turned his attention towards Mason sending arrow after arrow flying towards him. Seven knocked the swordsman off out of his saddle. The dragon immediately landed and lay down, seeming to have been trained to simply wait until it's master re-boarded. Though surprised by her strength and speed the swordsman managed to roll to his feet and swung his sword across her arm opening a small gash. Any other sword would have bounced right off her metal but his sword seemed to be made of a strange material. It was stronger than what she was made of. "Harren! Get the peasants to Haberon." One of the guards yelled to another. "Terrel, Makios and I will take care of these raiders." The fourth guard hurriedly beckoned the people to move towards the city which was nearly a quarter mile away. "We're here to help." The commander said sidling up beside the guard captain. "Do want them dead or captured." "Captured, if at all possible. We'll teach these Dragon Raiders not to mess with the Knights of Haberon. You women should stand back." He said gesturing to Mythai, Xin, Seven and Tina. "The battlefield is no place for a woman. Knights of Haberon, attack!" The spearman raider turned his attention towards Mythai, who threw a spear at her while the dragon flew close to the ground. The dragon's gaping maw opened and prepared to send a torrent of flame in her direction. Knight Terrel jumped in front of her with his shield, effectively blocking the spear and the dragon's flames. "Get back, M'lady! Go with Knight Harren. He'll lead you to safety." He gestured with his head towards the knight leading the peasants towards the city. The spearman banked, heading back towards his prey.
