_-_-_ I'm going to write this, disregarding Gebohq's post about all of us running out the door. _-_-_
The new day dawned bright and cheery, at least around the Citadel. Were you to wake up anywhere else you would see a depressing, brown, bleak sunrise. There was a new magic surrounding the Citadel now, since Merlin's reappearance the previous evening. A long beam of sunlight fell across Shawn Templar's eyes, making him wince. Bug groggily sat in front of a coffee machine waiting for his first cup of coffee, and Ping_Me sat next to him in front of a computer waiting for his first dose of Java. [joke]
JK was nearly jumping out of his skin. He had been impaient since the night before. He could literally feel Gebohq's location. Something like this had never happened before and it puzzled him. He was especially anxious to be off and see if his intuitions were correct. He felt that the group was moving too slowly this morning. "C'mon! C'mon! What's taking so long?"
"Will you calm down? You know Ji'tory came back last night." Sakana said, pausing. "How late were we up again?"
"Speaking of Ji'tory, where is she?" Scout said.
"I don't know. Maybe sneaking around with Reyuan." [Note: Maybe some of you don't remember Reyuan. Read the latter part of "Saga" and the beginning of "Shadows" to get up to date on him]
To make a long story short (too late) everyone shuffled into the main hall. Ten figures stood around the eternally burning fire in the middle of the hall. Sakana, Scout, JK, bug, Shawn, Linna, Ji'tory, Reyuan, Ping and Pristine all watched the fire and waited for someone to say somthing. [Hope I didn't forget anybody]
"Bazaal is sure to have noticed our actions by now." Ping began. "It is unknown however as to whether or not he considers us a threat. That leaves us guessing what his actions will be against us. Since JK has a pretty good idea as to where Gebohq is, I suggest we split this group in half. Five of us will go to find Gebohq, the other five will stay here should anything happen to the Citadel."
"The Roc can hold three people." Sakana said. "Our travel would be much faster if we just split 3-7 and went by the air."
"But that wouldn't make much of a plot would it?" Ping said.
"Well, it makes the most sense."
"So when you get there you're going to make Gebohq walk the whole way back, or is he going to dangle by the bird's legs?" Pristine said levely. Sakana rolled his eyes. "I'll go." she said.
"Wherever you go I'm going too." Ping said looking into her eyes.
"Gag." bug commented.
"Hey buggaroo, how 'bout you come with us? I think a good dose of adventure would do you good."
"What!? Listen Greenie I ain't gonna stick my neck out for --OW!-- okay I'll come."
"One more person then." JK said.
"Shawn, would you be willing to come with us?" Ping said.
The dark man simply stood loking to Ping then to Linna and back again. He looked like he was torn between going and staying with Linna.
"Double gag."
"I'll go." Scout said. Shawn all but breathed sigh of relief. Linna looked at her and nodded in thanks, Scout returned the nod with a smile.
"It's decided then. Let's jam!" JK said.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ 2 days later _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
"Are you sure this is the way?" bug said.
"Of course I'm sure." JK said.
Evening was falling and the sky was a grey gloom. They were passing through some marshes on thier way toward some low mountains. Light was getting sparse and the trail through the marsh was becoming faint. bug swatted a misquito that was happily sucking in parasitic contentment, he rolled his eyes at JK. "Look, well be there in another three days, tops!" JK said in his defense.
They continued on in silence. bug swatted yet another misquito. "Dangit, Greenie how come you can't be like a bug zapper or something!!"
"And my first order of business would be to zap you." Ping said. "We're not going to get very much farther tonight, so lets just break camp."
bug muttered something about breaking someONE, but was suddenly busy rubbing his temples. Thunder rumbled in the distance as the sky grew darker and the group lit a fire. Bug, Scout and JK ate whatever provisions they had on them while Ping and Pristine tried to draw and restore as much energy as they could from the fire. It wasn't long before strange lights began to float eeirily through the ancient scraggily trees. They appeared in tones of blue and white appearing here and there, then winking out.
"The swamp gas is restless tonight." Bug said dryly.
"What is that?" Scout said.
"Basically what Bug said." Ping said. "Quite possibly methane gas is reflecting the light of the moon somewhere or the light from our fire. Legends say that they're the spirits of those who met thier end in the marshes. Or the spirits of those whose graves were swallowed by the marsh. Spirits, ghosts, the stories are about the same thing." Ping said quite calmly as the lights continued to float around them. Lightning flashed close by, as if to add it's own point to the story.
They continued to sit in silence. The air became very heavy and a strange sound was heard in the distance. It was awhile before they heard it again, a sort of squishing sound echoing lightly through the skeleton-like trees. The gloom increased around them.
JK suddenly stood up and looked beyond Ping into the trees. The others quickly noticed Jk action and did thier very best to mimic it. "I saw something. A light."
"You dipstick, we've been seeing lights all night long." Bug said.
"No, no. It was bright, like the campfire, and yellowish orange." They all continued to look on, unitll they too saw something. It was bright, but it moved slowly between distant trees, meandering aimlessly. The same squishing sound accompanied this new sight. They waited untill it came into a better view. It stood a little better than a man's hieght, and seemed to be made entirely of mud. It looked like the very floor of the marsh, furthermore it rippled with fire. Bight flames ran like snakes across it's muddy exterior. It lumbered sowly toward them each time is foot touched down in the swamp, it made that squishing sound.
"Pop Quiz! What is it?" Bug said.
"Well to take a wild guess, taking into account the mud, the fire and it's humanoid form, maybe a being brought to life from some corpse that has been perserved by the marsh. Perhaps reanimated by that last bolt of lightning or some dark sorcery. Methane gas could explain the fire."
"So it's an "Evil Undead Flaming Mud Monster". This story needs some new writers."
"I wonder what it wants." Pristine said. Everyone looked at Bug.
"What? I don't have a comment for everything!"
They waited and soon the creature stopped about three meters in front of them. Ping arched an eyebrow. It just stood there making a disgusting burbling noise. Everyone looked at the creature, then at each other then back again. Another pause.
Ping was about to suggest something when he was hit by a long arm of mud that shot from the belly of the monster. He flew through the air, the mud with a firm grasp on him. He landed in the stinking water beyond the camp. He fought to get up but the arm was holding him under. Pristines light sword flashed into being just in time to catch an arm that was directed at her. The arm met the blade and was sliced down the middle, mud flying through the air.
Meanwhile Scout, JK and Bug were not idle. JK and Scout drew thier swords and sprang into the ankle deep water. Bug ran back to the fire and grabbed his rail gun. Upon arming himself, he spun around to find that Scout and JK had aleady put two neat slices in to the mud monster. To his dismay the cut healed quickly. He leveled the weapon on the monster and fire two shots. Before the smoking charge could reach it, the monster swatted them out of the air, the charges exploding on contact with the arm. The arm was destroyed but healed quickly.
While JK and Scout faught through a hail of mud, Pristine ran back alongside of a great mud arm that was holding Ping under. With her sword she sliced it in half and soon Ping sufaced in the waist deep water. Together they ran back to the fight.
Whenever possible JK and Scout were making slices in the monster, they had to fight through a barrage of the "arms" that continually shot out of the mud monster, but for all thier work they didn't seem to score any damage. It seemed to be especially vigiant toward Bug's attacks. It swatted the rail charges whenever they were fired, whenever they could be fired, as Bug was constantly dodging mud right and left. Ping and Pristine soon caught up. Another shot nicked Bug.
"RRRGH. Hey you two cover me!" He said and dashed toward the mud monster. They looked at each other and hurried after Bug. They flanked him on either side, defending and slicing everything that came at them. When they reached the monster Ping and Pristine veered off to either side, slicing the legs as they went, thier light swords leaving trails in the darkness. The beast seemed to hesitate. Bug planted the end of his gun into the mud of the monster. "You're mine sucker." He said and fired the timer charge into it. The charge was absorbed by the mud. Bug turned and ran. It wasn't long before he was knocked over by the force of the explosion. Getting up out of the water he turned to see a great gaping hole in the mud monster. [see also that part in Terminator 2 where the liquid guy gets blown open]
Ping rebounded from his retreat and hurried back towards the monster. "Everybody, do him now!" JK, Scout and Pristine slpashed through the water as the ran back. Ping connected first slicing into the mud and like a natual pattern JK followed up with another slice. The mud creature began falling apart. Scout took another slice out of the creature's torso. Pristine followed up by slicing it down the middle to complete the hole made by Bug's attack. The mud monster collaped back into the swamp from whence it came.
Bug, Scout, JK, Pristine and Ping went back to the fire and sat down. Bug looked around at himself, JK and Scout. He found himself covered in mud along with Jk and Scout. However Ping and Pristine were spotless as usual. "How come you guys are clean and we're copies of that thing?"
"You can't change the appearance of a hologram." Bug looked sullen. "Chill out. Pristine and I will watch for anymore of these, while you guys rest."
"Well thank goodness for small favors." Bug said.
------------------
Don't stop baby, dreamin'
Don't stop baby, lovin'
Don't stop baby, believeing
Wasurenaide...
The new day dawned bright and cheery, at least around the Citadel. Were you to wake up anywhere else you would see a depressing, brown, bleak sunrise. There was a new magic surrounding the Citadel now, since Merlin's reappearance the previous evening. A long beam of sunlight fell across Shawn Templar's eyes, making him wince. Bug groggily sat in front of a coffee machine waiting for his first cup of coffee, and Ping_Me sat next to him in front of a computer waiting for his first dose of Java. [joke]
JK was nearly jumping out of his skin. He had been impaient since the night before. He could literally feel Gebohq's location. Something like this had never happened before and it puzzled him. He was especially anxious to be off and see if his intuitions were correct. He felt that the group was moving too slowly this morning. "C'mon! C'mon! What's taking so long?"
"Will you calm down? You know Ji'tory came back last night." Sakana said, pausing. "How late were we up again?"
"Speaking of Ji'tory, where is she?" Scout said.
"I don't know. Maybe sneaking around with Reyuan." [Note: Maybe some of you don't remember Reyuan. Read the latter part of "Saga" and the beginning of "Shadows" to get up to date on him]
To make a long story short (too late) everyone shuffled into the main hall. Ten figures stood around the eternally burning fire in the middle of the hall. Sakana, Scout, JK, bug, Shawn, Linna, Ji'tory, Reyuan, Ping and Pristine all watched the fire and waited for someone to say somthing. [Hope I didn't forget anybody]
"Bazaal is sure to have noticed our actions by now." Ping began. "It is unknown however as to whether or not he considers us a threat. That leaves us guessing what his actions will be against us. Since JK has a pretty good idea as to where Gebohq is, I suggest we split this group in half. Five of us will go to find Gebohq, the other five will stay here should anything happen to the Citadel."
"The Roc can hold three people." Sakana said. "Our travel would be much faster if we just split 3-7 and went by the air."
"But that wouldn't make much of a plot would it?" Ping said.
"Well, it makes the most sense."
"So when you get there you're going to make Gebohq walk the whole way back, or is he going to dangle by the bird's legs?" Pristine said levely. Sakana rolled his eyes. "I'll go." she said.
"Wherever you go I'm going too." Ping said looking into her eyes.
"Gag." bug commented.
"Hey buggaroo, how 'bout you come with us? I think a good dose of adventure would do you good."
"What!? Listen Greenie I ain't gonna stick my neck out for --OW!-- okay I'll come."
"One more person then." JK said.
"Shawn, would you be willing to come with us?" Ping said.
The dark man simply stood loking to Ping then to Linna and back again. He looked like he was torn between going and staying with Linna.
"Double gag."
"I'll go." Scout said. Shawn all but breathed sigh of relief. Linna looked at her and nodded in thanks, Scout returned the nod with a smile.
"It's decided then. Let's jam!" JK said.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ 2 days later _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
"Are you sure this is the way?" bug said.
"Of course I'm sure." JK said.
Evening was falling and the sky was a grey gloom. They were passing through some marshes on thier way toward some low mountains. Light was getting sparse and the trail through the marsh was becoming faint. bug swatted a misquito that was happily sucking in parasitic contentment, he rolled his eyes at JK. "Look, well be there in another three days, tops!" JK said in his defense.
They continued on in silence. bug swatted yet another misquito. "Dangit, Greenie how come you can't be like a bug zapper or something!!"
"And my first order of business would be to zap you." Ping said. "We're not going to get very much farther tonight, so lets just break camp."
bug muttered something about breaking someONE, but was suddenly busy rubbing his temples. Thunder rumbled in the distance as the sky grew darker and the group lit a fire. Bug, Scout and JK ate whatever provisions they had on them while Ping and Pristine tried to draw and restore as much energy as they could from the fire. It wasn't long before strange lights began to float eeirily through the ancient scraggily trees. They appeared in tones of blue and white appearing here and there, then winking out.
"The swamp gas is restless tonight." Bug said dryly.
"What is that?" Scout said.
"Basically what Bug said." Ping said. "Quite possibly methane gas is reflecting the light of the moon somewhere or the light from our fire. Legends say that they're the spirits of those who met thier end in the marshes. Or the spirits of those whose graves were swallowed by the marsh. Spirits, ghosts, the stories are about the same thing." Ping said quite calmly as the lights continued to float around them. Lightning flashed close by, as if to add it's own point to the story.
They continued to sit in silence. The air became very heavy and a strange sound was heard in the distance. It was awhile before they heard it again, a sort of squishing sound echoing lightly through the skeleton-like trees. The gloom increased around them.
JK suddenly stood up and looked beyond Ping into the trees. The others quickly noticed Jk action and did thier very best to mimic it. "I saw something. A light."
"You dipstick, we've been seeing lights all night long." Bug said.
"No, no. It was bright, like the campfire, and yellowish orange." They all continued to look on, unitll they too saw something. It was bright, but it moved slowly between distant trees, meandering aimlessly. The same squishing sound accompanied this new sight. They waited untill it came into a better view. It stood a little better than a man's hieght, and seemed to be made entirely of mud. It looked like the very floor of the marsh, furthermore it rippled with fire. Bight flames ran like snakes across it's muddy exterior. It lumbered sowly toward them each time is foot touched down in the swamp, it made that squishing sound.
"Pop Quiz! What is it?" Bug said.
"Well to take a wild guess, taking into account the mud, the fire and it's humanoid form, maybe a being brought to life from some corpse that has been perserved by the marsh. Perhaps reanimated by that last bolt of lightning or some dark sorcery. Methane gas could explain the fire."
"So it's an "Evil Undead Flaming Mud Monster". This story needs some new writers."
"I wonder what it wants." Pristine said. Everyone looked at Bug.
"What? I don't have a comment for everything!"
They waited and soon the creature stopped about three meters in front of them. Ping arched an eyebrow. It just stood there making a disgusting burbling noise. Everyone looked at the creature, then at each other then back again. Another pause.
Ping was about to suggest something when he was hit by a long arm of mud that shot from the belly of the monster. He flew through the air, the mud with a firm grasp on him. He landed in the stinking water beyond the camp. He fought to get up but the arm was holding him under. Pristines light sword flashed into being just in time to catch an arm that was directed at her. The arm met the blade and was sliced down the middle, mud flying through the air.
Meanwhile Scout, JK and Bug were not idle. JK and Scout drew thier swords and sprang into the ankle deep water. Bug ran back to the fire and grabbed his rail gun. Upon arming himself, he spun around to find that Scout and JK had aleady put two neat slices in to the mud monster. To his dismay the cut healed quickly. He leveled the weapon on the monster and fire two shots. Before the smoking charge could reach it, the monster swatted them out of the air, the charges exploding on contact with the arm. The arm was destroyed but healed quickly.
While JK and Scout faught through a hail of mud, Pristine ran back alongside of a great mud arm that was holding Ping under. With her sword she sliced it in half and soon Ping sufaced in the waist deep water. Together they ran back to the fight.
Whenever possible JK and Scout were making slices in the monster, they had to fight through a barrage of the "arms" that continually shot out of the mud monster, but for all thier work they didn't seem to score any damage. It seemed to be especially vigiant toward Bug's attacks. It swatted the rail charges whenever they were fired, whenever they could be fired, as Bug was constantly dodging mud right and left. Ping and Pristine soon caught up. Another shot nicked Bug.
"RRRGH. Hey you two cover me!" He said and dashed toward the mud monster. They looked at each other and hurried after Bug. They flanked him on either side, defending and slicing everything that came at them. When they reached the monster Ping and Pristine veered off to either side, slicing the legs as they went, thier light swords leaving trails in the darkness. The beast seemed to hesitate. Bug planted the end of his gun into the mud of the monster. "You're mine sucker." He said and fired the timer charge into it. The charge was absorbed by the mud. Bug turned and ran. It wasn't long before he was knocked over by the force of the explosion. Getting up out of the water he turned to see a great gaping hole in the mud monster. [see also that part in Terminator 2 where the liquid guy gets blown open]
Ping rebounded from his retreat and hurried back towards the monster. "Everybody, do him now!" JK, Scout and Pristine slpashed through the water as the ran back. Ping connected first slicing into the mud and like a natual pattern JK followed up with another slice. The mud creature began falling apart. Scout took another slice out of the creature's torso. Pristine followed up by slicing it down the middle to complete the hole made by Bug's attack. The mud monster collaped back into the swamp from whence it came.
Bug, Scout, JK, Pristine and Ping went back to the fire and sat down. Bug looked around at himself, JK and Scout. He found himself covered in mud along with Jk and Scout. However Ping and Pristine were spotless as usual. "How come you guys are clean and we're copies of that thing?"
"You can't change the appearance of a hologram." Bug looked sullen. "Chill out. Pristine and I will watch for anymore of these, while you guys rest."
"Well thank goodness for small favors." Bug said.
------------------
Don't stop baby, dreamin'
Don't stop baby, lovin'
Don't stop baby, believeing
Wasurenaide...