[A Careful Afternoon Jog]
"Calling yourself what your are doesn't seem too arrogant to me. Like a king calling himself a king. Just what it is," the farmer replies with a shrug as he begins heading off toward the terrible cave in question. Turns out it is actually some distance away from the village. And the effects of the swarm become obvious as G'Nichi walks.
First of all?
The land in the distance looks...
Desolate.
Weirdly so. Just muddy earth. No plants. No animals. No nothing. Like everything had been strip-mined. If G'Nichi has ever seen lithium mine or maybe a borax mine before he would find it familiar. Nothing is alive here.
The air also feels a little thin, for lack of a better word. As if he were hiking at a high elevation rather than only a few hundred feet above sea level.
The number of shrubs and trees steadily decline as they get closer to the cave (or more like giant pit) in the distance.
It isn't long before G'Nichi encounters the first sign of alien life. Rooting around in the mud is one of the bugs, a thing that definitely doesn't look like it belongs here. Or anywhere, for that matter. It's about the size of a large rat, covered in carapace that ranges from rust brown to dull red. It has six crabby looking legs and a pair of grasping arms fitted with four hooked claws. Its head has crescent shaped crests to either side, giving it a broad shield-like shape. It's also got a long, flexible tail ending in a pair of pincers like a giant horrible earwig.
Clinging to the side of an elm tree, the creature is busy eating the leaves off the defenseless plant.
"That's one of 'em," the farmer says, pointing at the abomination. "They eat just about anything. So long as you leave 'em be they usually aren't hostile. But if you try to stop 'em they get all bitey. And they do this... hissing thing. Makes the air around 'em bubble. If they start doing that stay clear, it burns something fierce. Usually a good pitchfork length is enough to spear 'em safely. But that just riles up the rest of 'em."
Outside: Grass touch place
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
A Careful Afternoon Jog
G'nichi nods at the thing. He holds up a hand, as if calling. Materializing into it is a simple curved blade with a wicked edge and-
"No."
Materializing in it is a simple wooden wand with ribbons tied to its branches.
"That's their lair down there, yes? That sword you just saw is a bad omen. You should head straight home and be very careful. I'll take it from here."
G'nichi nods at the thing. He holds up a hand, as if calling. Materializing into it is a simple curved blade with a wicked edge and-
"No."
Materializing in it is a simple wooden wand with ribbons tied to its branches.
"That's their lair down there, yes? That sword you just saw is a bad omen. You should head straight home and be very careful. I'll take it from here."
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[A Careful Afternoon Jog]
G'Nichi draws forth a sword and NOPE.
But it is too late.
He already drew the sword. This will, of course, cause problems.
The farmer doesn't seem to really quite get what's going on, but he knows bad omens are bad and decides that now is the time to be somewhere else. "Good luck, hero," he says before beginning to head back the way he came.
That just leaves G'nichi.
And the stick.
And...
A weird bug chewing on a tree.
The bug does not react to the bad omen and continues chewing. Whatever conflict the sword drew, if any, isn't immediately obvious.
G'Nichi draws forth a sword and NOPE.
But it is too late.
He already drew the sword. This will, of course, cause problems.
The farmer doesn't seem to really quite get what's going on, but he knows bad omens are bad and decides that now is the time to be somewhere else. "Good luck, hero," he says before beginning to head back the way he came.
That just leaves G'nichi.
And the stick.
And...
A weird bug chewing on a tree.
The bug does not react to the bad omen and continues chewing. Whatever conflict the sword drew, if any, isn't immediately obvious.
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[Trial of the firebird]
"Yeah, Mercury doesn't need me to speak for her. And she doesn't care what you or anyone else think about her." This thing really misunderstood the relationship between Hiep and her patron goddess. "And it sounds like you're trying to send us running after someone else."
"Yeah, Mercury doesn't need me to speak for her. And she doesn't care what you or anyone else think about her." This thing really misunderstood the relationship between Hiep and her patron goddess. "And it sounds like you're trying to send us running after someone else."
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bc56
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place
Neon Bunker
Kothar raises his weapon again. It may be necessary to put this thing out of its misery. "Your masters dead. No one to order stop." That hopefully gets the point across. It's hard to tell with these things.
Kothar raises his weapon again. It may be necessary to put this thing out of its misery. "Your masters dead. No one to order stop." That hopefully gets the point across. It's hard to tell with these things.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place
A Careful Afternoon Jog
G'nichi does not normally condone attacking animals but he does need to know how these things react to his attacks.
G'nichi taps the tree with his foot and tries to make sure the bug is aware of his presence.
Then he uses the wand to throw a spear at it. The illusions produced by the wand are very real, after all. And this bug is probably too stupid to disbelieve them.
G'nichi does not normally condone attacking animals but he does need to know how these things react to his attacks.
G'nichi taps the tree with his foot and tries to make sure the bug is aware of his presence.
Then he uses the wand to throw a spear at it. The illusions produced by the wand are very real, after all. And this bug is probably too stupid to disbelieve them.
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[Neon Bunker]
The machine looks at Kothar with its expressionless face for a time. "You are neither the Masters nor the Enemy. If what you say is true, then there is no more Enemy to fight."
"Yeah, that's what we're saying," Khannie insists. "The war's over. The weapons you're making are just hurting people that haven't got anything to do with it."
"Even if this is true, I can not cease to make weapons until I receive the stand-down order from the Masters. My facilities have been damaged. I must repair them so that I may continue my task."
Khannie groans. Dumb robots! Unable to deviate from their programming.
[A Careful Afternoon Jog]
G'nichi kicks a tree! This immediately gets the attention of the creature, which scrambles further up the trunk and turns to hiss as G'nichi for disturbing it. Now that he's closer to the thing it's pretty clear that it is quite unlike any normal animal the hero has encountered before.
Unless...
He happens to be familiar with tardigrades. If he IS, then he'll probably recognize the general shape of the creature. This one is just absolutely HUGE and well armored. Six curved claws surround the creature's mouth, which appears to consists of even MORE teeth surrounding ANOTHER mouth for ripping bits off of things rather akin to a moray eel. Its large orange compound eyes suggest far better visual acuity than one might expect from an herbivore, so probably best not to get too close.
And then it gets speared.
The force of the impact knocks the creature off the tree and to the ground, whereupon it begins writhing and screeching and smelling of something acrid and metallic. IMMEDIATELY the screeching sound is echoed by more screeches in the distance.
Well!
That appears to have worked.
For some definitions of worked.
The machine looks at Kothar with its expressionless face for a time. "You are neither the Masters nor the Enemy. If what you say is true, then there is no more Enemy to fight."
"Yeah, that's what we're saying," Khannie insists. "The war's over. The weapons you're making are just hurting people that haven't got anything to do with it."
"Even if this is true, I can not cease to make weapons until I receive the stand-down order from the Masters. My facilities have been damaged. I must repair them so that I may continue my task."
Khannie groans. Dumb robots! Unable to deviate from their programming.
[A Careful Afternoon Jog]
G'nichi kicks a tree! This immediately gets the attention of the creature, which scrambles further up the trunk and turns to hiss as G'nichi for disturbing it. Now that he's closer to the thing it's pretty clear that it is quite unlike any normal animal the hero has encountered before.
Unless...
He happens to be familiar with tardigrades. If he IS, then he'll probably recognize the general shape of the creature. This one is just absolutely HUGE and well armored. Six curved claws surround the creature's mouth, which appears to consists of even MORE teeth surrounding ANOTHER mouth for ripping bits off of things rather akin to a moray eel. Its large orange compound eyes suggest far better visual acuity than one might expect from an herbivore, so probably best not to get too close.
And then it gets speared.
The force of the impact knocks the creature off the tree and to the ground, whereupon it begins writhing and screeching and smelling of something acrid and metallic. IMMEDIATELY the screeching sound is echoed by more screeches in the distance.
Well!
That appears to have worked.
For some definitions of worked.
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Earl of Purple
- Transcendent Soul Poster
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place
Trial of the Firebird
"It does seem like you want us to go after this other guy. Why, did he send you? Are you this man in crimson's attack chicken? A rooster for hire, working for the highest or reddest bidder?" Fighting the chicken now seems tricky, if it doesn't come out of the rock. Although that might make things tricky.
"It does seem like you want us to go after this other guy. Why, did he send you? Are you this man in crimson's attack chicken? A rooster for hire, working for the highest or reddest bidder?" Fighting the chicken now seems tricky, if it doesn't come out of the rock. Although that might make things tricky.
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Don't run now, my eggs are hatching.
Don't run now, my eggs are hatching.
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Shadowcaller
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place
Hog HeavenMurkus wrote: ↑Feb 07, 2023 11:13 pm Hog Heaven
There are all kinds of weapons in the racks and bins. Poleaxes, short axes, swords of every size, enough varieties of polearm to give a weapons enthusiast conniptions, padded clubs and bludgeons, and on and on. Many are indeed entirely wooden, but there's metal in there as well, the edges blunted or dull. It's not hard to imagine still seriously hurting someone with a bit of effort, however.
"Well I don't know about your ancestors, but I don't think mine had anything against wood," Tsumi says. "Go one, take something sharp if ya like. I'm tough. And I heal up quick." She grins.
Dena lazily raises her hand as to object. "Other way around, they love wood. Every kind of it. Ebony, palm, morning- I mean, they reproduced didn't they?" She smiles and walks over to the racks. "You're 'tough', huh? Famous last words if I ever heard 'em. Cursed are the words before a battle as they say."
She turns to the racks and have to pause as she takes it all in.
That was a lot of weapons.
Wasn't she worried some drunken patron might get their hands on them?
"'Huh..." She grabs a tomahawk off one of them, feeling its weight in her hand. "-a rack enthusiast, eh? Should have guessed with the looks you were giving mine." Dena chuckles.
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[Trial of the firebird]
The rooster neither knows nor cares to know anything about Maiden of Journeys. Of course it would get that wrong. "You must realize that gives me zero reason to care what this Mercury thinks of my actions. Indeed, I am puzzled about what authority you think she would even have on the matter", the voice rumbles, "and of course I'm 'trying to send you after someone else'. Or did you think you can revoke a sentence just by killing the executioner? You can kill me as many times as you like, I or something else like me will always return. All you have achieved, all you can achieve today is spare your own lives at the cost of the village and the forest."
The rooster neither knows nor cares to know anything about Maiden of Journeys. Of course it would get that wrong. "You must realize that gives me zero reason to care what this Mercury thinks of my actions. Indeed, I am puzzled about what authority you think she would even have on the matter", the voice rumbles, "and of course I'm 'trying to send you after someone else'. Or did you think you can revoke a sentence just by killing the executioner? You can kill me as many times as you like, I or something else like me will always return. All you have achieved, all you can achieve today is spare your own lives at the cost of the village and the forest."
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[Trial of the firebird]
"The way I remember it, we defended ourselves from a self-appointed executioner killing people for made-up crimes. Memory's funny that way." Hiep snorts. "Why is this guy in crimson and why do you want us to go after him?"
"The way I remember it, we defended ourselves from a self-appointed executioner killing people for made-up crimes. Memory's funny that way." Hiep snorts. "Why is this guy in crimson and why do you want us to go after him?"
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Thursday Violist
- Coffin-Bound Aged Poster
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[Mermaid on a Train]
There's a mermaid on the Riftline. No, she doesn't have a pet crocodile (what kind of self-respecting mermaid would have a pet crocodile?). She's sitting on one of the train benches, with her fins sticking out the bottom of her skirt. Also, she's got some guns strapped to her waist. And a grappling hook.
And she's got a tiara in her hair. It's pretty fancy! And it's got ribbons that keep it in her hair. Ribbons even go with her red hair fairly well, looking a lot like highlights.
Skyside! That was a fun place. She kind-of wishes she could've stayed there and see what other kinds of quests she could have done there. The ocean was pretty fun, too. Swimming around, exploring all the unique ocean questlines and everything. Even got to go up one of the rivers, a little! But when she got to the fall line, she ended up going back. There was still more to do in the ocean, after all.
But now, she thinks, it's time to finally get on with the main quest and explore the land. There's definitely a lot to see, she thinks.
Even though she doesn't even know what this 'main quest' is.
She's pretty sure she'll find it on land.
Well, that's why she's sitting on a bench in a train, looking out the window while resting her head on her hand.
There's a mermaid on the Riftline. No, she doesn't have a pet crocodile (what kind of self-respecting mermaid would have a pet crocodile?). She's sitting on one of the train benches, with her fins sticking out the bottom of her skirt. Also, she's got some guns strapped to her waist. And a grappling hook.
And she's got a tiara in her hair. It's pretty fancy! And it's got ribbons that keep it in her hair. Ribbons even go with her red hair fairly well, looking a lot like highlights.
Skyside! That was a fun place. She kind-of wishes she could've stayed there and see what other kinds of quests she could have done there. The ocean was pretty fun, too. Swimming around, exploring all the unique ocean questlines and everything. Even got to go up one of the rivers, a little! But when she got to the fall line, she ended up going back. There was still more to do in the ocean, after all.
But now, she thinks, it's time to finally get on with the main quest and explore the land. There's definitely a lot to see, she thinks.
Even though she doesn't even know what this 'main quest' is.
She's pretty sure she'll find it on land.
Well, that's why she's sitting on a bench in a train, looking out the window while resting her head on her hand.
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Gold
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[Junkyard]
Zeeland takes note of 'TARBot''s movement as it leaves his line of sight. If it really is a fake, it probably won't be able to leave this dimension, so he's free to leave keeping tabs on it for later.
The firefighter also chooses to take advantage of the newly-created distance between himself and Wenomir to use some long-distance attacks. Namely, he begins throwing balls of fire, with some being bowled across the floor, others bounced across the ground, and more still being pitched straight at Wenomir or launched in an unbroken parabola towards him. The projectiles fly at various speeds, but on average move at the velocity expected of a thrown object, and will change direction should Wenomir move sideways out of their path.
Zeeland takes note of 'TARBot''s movement as it leaves his line of sight. If it really is a fake, it probably won't be able to leave this dimension, so he's free to leave keeping tabs on it for later.
The firefighter also chooses to take advantage of the newly-created distance between himself and Wenomir to use some long-distance attacks. Namely, he begins throwing balls of fire, with some being bowled across the floor, others bounced across the ground, and more still being pitched straight at Wenomir or launched in an unbroken parabola towards him. The projectiles fly at various speeds, but on average move at the velocity expected of a thrown object, and will change direction should Wenomir move sideways out of their path.
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Earl of Purple
- Transcendent Soul Poster
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place
Trial of the Firebird
"Reasonably sure you don't have the power to kill me. You tried heat and fire and flame, which destroyed my clothing but did not harm me." And if she did die, she'd still get back up, go berserk and start trying to destroy everything in sight as she simultaneously awakens on Hyperion and has to find her way back to a Riftgate into the Nexus.
"Reasonably sure you don't have the power to kill me. You tried heat and fire and flame, which destroyed my clothing but did not harm me." And if she did die, she'd still get back up, go berserk and start trying to destroy everything in sight as she simultaneously awakens on Hyperion and has to find her way back to a Riftgate into the Nexus.
Avatar provided by Happyturtle. Still using it, after all these years.
Don't run now, my eggs are hatching.
Don't run now, my eggs are hatching.
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bc56
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place
Neon Bunker
"No enemies left," Kothar confirms, "No masters. All dead in war. It over." This thing seems stuck in a loop. Only its masters could convince it to stop now. Kothar's increasingly willing to just put it down for the good of everyone else.
"No enemies left," Kothar confirms, "No masters. All dead in war. It over." This thing seems stuck in a loop. Only its masters could convince it to stop now. Kothar's increasingly willing to just put it down for the good of everyone else.
Avatar by me! No more outsourcing!
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[Trial of the firebird]
"I don't particularly want you to do anything." Well, except to die. "I am merely correcting you where you are wrong. The man in crimson is the messenger who communicated my task to me. If you feel you've been judged wrongly, finding him would be the beginning of your journey to learn otherwise."
Harriet's claim elicits a chuckle out of the monster, causing the entire cave to quake slightly. "Yes, you are unusually resilient, for a human. I do admit it caught me off-guard for a bit. But I assure you, no human has withstood me for long before, and I do not see you two making an exception. Maybe it will take me a few days. Maybe a year. It matters not. Your invulnerability, real or not, extends to no-one else. It's not just you who is on trial."
"I don't particularly want you to do anything." Well, except to die. "I am merely correcting you where you are wrong. The man in crimson is the messenger who communicated my task to me. If you feel you've been judged wrongly, finding him would be the beginning of your journey to learn otherwise."
Harriet's claim elicits a chuckle out of the monster, causing the entire cave to quake slightly. "Yes, you are unusually resilient, for a human. I do admit it caught me off-guard for a bit. But I assure you, no human has withstood me for long before, and I do not see you two making an exception. Maybe it will take me a few days. Maybe a year. It matters not. Your invulnerability, real or not, extends to no-one else. It's not just you who is on trial."
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
A Careful Afternoon JogRebonack wrote: ↑Feb 10, 2023 4:21 pm[A Careful Afternoon Jog]
G'nichi kicks a tree! This immediately gets the attention of the creature, which scrambles further up the trunk and turns to hiss as G'nichi for disturbing it. Now that he's closer to the thing it's pretty clear that it is quite unlike any normal animal the hero has encountered before.
Unless...
He happens to be familiar with tardigrades. If he IS, then he'll probably recognize the general shape of the creature. This one is just absolutely HUGE and well armored. Six curved claws surround the creature's mouth, which appears to consists of even MORE teeth surrounding ANOTHER mouth for ripping bits off of things rather akin to a moray eel. Its large orange compound eyes suggest far better visual acuity than one might expect from an herbivore, so probably best not to get too close.
And then it gets speared.
The force of the impact knocks the creature off the tree and to the ground, whereupon it begins writhing and screeching and smelling of something acrid and metallic. IMMEDIATELY the screeching sound is echoed by more screeches in the distance.
Well!
That appears to have worked.
For some definitions of worked.
Yeah, that's about what he was expecting.
With a sigh, G'nichi moves on towards the pit. While he goes he opens up his pack and slips on the emergency mail shirt he keeps in there.
He figures he's going to need it.
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[A Careful Afternoon Jog]
What he probably wasn't expecting is the meteor impact.
Just right smack in the middle between himself and the crater the horrible bugs are operating out of. The boom is tremendous and the blast-wave is probably enough to knock our hero off his feet even at this distance. To make matters worse it'll begin raining small molten blobs of ejected rock, too. Thankfully for G'nichi his resilience and fire resistance will render this more an irritation than a hazard, but it isn't a great development. Now there are TWO craters and one of them is in his way! And still smouldering!
It has also REALLY riled up the bugs.
Because of course it has.
Is this the result of rolling that awful conflict sword?
Absolutely.
Which means G'nichi can totally count on this heavenly impact to make the whole situation 100% worse at absolute minimum.
So what's he going to do now?
He could go around the new crater to get to his destination, but that would take longer and he would probably encounter more angry bugs. Or he could go THROUGH the crater, but then he's walking through a fresh crater that will almost without question was full of awful space bugs or something.
What he probably wasn't expecting is the meteor impact.
Just right smack in the middle between himself and the crater the horrible bugs are operating out of. The boom is tremendous and the blast-wave is probably enough to knock our hero off his feet even at this distance. To make matters worse it'll begin raining small molten blobs of ejected rock, too. Thankfully for G'nichi his resilience and fire resistance will render this more an irritation than a hazard, but it isn't a great development. Now there are TWO craters and one of them is in his way! And still smouldering!
It has also REALLY riled up the bugs.
Because of course it has.
Is this the result of rolling that awful conflict sword?
Absolutely.
Which means G'nichi can totally count on this heavenly impact to make the whole situation 100% worse at absolute minimum.
So what's he going to do now?
He could go around the new crater to get to his destination, but that would take longer and he would probably encounter more angry bugs. Or he could go THROUGH the crater, but then he's walking through a fresh crater that will almost without question was full of awful space bugs or something.
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
Hog HeavenShadowcaller wrote: ↑Feb 10, 2023 5:51 pm Hog Heaven
Dena lazily raises her hand as to object. "Other way around, they love wood. Every kind of it. Ebony, palm, morning- I mean, they reproduced didn't they?" She smiles and walks over to the racks. "You're 'tough', huh? Famous last words if I ever heard 'em. Cursed are the words before a battle as they say."
She turns to the racks and have to pause as she takes it all in.
That was a lot of weapons.
Wasn't she worried some drunken patron might get their hands on them?
"'Huh..." She grabs a tomahawk off one of them, feeling its weight in her hand. "-a rack enthusiast, eh? Should have guessed with the looks you were giving mine." Dena chuckles.
Tsumi puts her hand over her mouth, covering a noisy snort of laughter. "You don't hold back much, hm?" Tsumi reaches into a bin and pulls out a well-battered kendo 'sword' - though really it's just a piece of wood carved into a curved shape.
Tsumi arches her brow skeptically while Dena assesses the 'rack', as though offended. "I happen to know I've been pretty well behaved in that regard. What is this, one of those 'hint' things? Do I get some free passes?" She makes an amused growl.
Clutching PearlsRebonack wrote: ↑Feb 08, 2023 11:52 pm [Clutching Pearls]
Lapis, with equal care, takes the pearl and adds it to her collection. She isn't very concerned with the odd movement. Curious, yes. But that doesn't matter much. Many people can move oddly in the Nexus. That's just the way that it is.
More important than that are the questions.
"I think so," Lapis says definitively. "But not all at once. If it were made Correct all at once then it wouldn't be the world anymore. It would be a different thing so that's why we have to do lots of little things and together lots of little things can make a big thing and if all those little things are enough then the world won't be unfair anymore!"
And then.
Maybe.
Lapis won't have to worry about her friends rotting from the inside out until they gradually perish.
Dying you shall die.
Lapis wades through a large bush full of butterflies that scatter at her presence, fluttering away in all directions in a rainbow of flashing wings. Another tree pearl caught her eye and she's moving toward it now.
"Mister Wenomir is one of the Commanders at VIGIL he's the BEST at swords," Lapis helpfully informs the odd man. And oh!
There's the pearl now!
But...
A MONKEY has it! A funny looking monkey. With softly glowing blue fur and bright magenta glowing skin and four huge eyes that look like they belong to a toad and some silly grabby tail things growing out of its back and Lapis really isn't sure why she thought it was a monkey at all to begin with.
"Hello monkey I need that pearl," she informs that alien primate.
The primate hoots at her loudly and spins several times around the branch its clinging to.
"There's the trouble though, hm? Ordinary people don't have time to wait for fixed things. Corrections. Suffering happens now-- this instant-- all the time," says Vargain, ambling slowly along. "I admit, I have more of a mind for big things. Soonest best. Though, I suppose waiting was never my strong suit..."
The tall man pauses as he comes up short behind Lapis, shadow drifting across the forest floor between the strands of stray sunlight. He appraises the being with obvious distaste. "What a repulsive noise," says Vargain.
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[Neon Bunker]
"I can not cease my work," the machine replies. "I can not be stopped. I must continue the task I was created for."
Usually this is when it would lift up into the air ominously as a bunch of weapons descend out of the gloom and dramatic boss music starts playing.
But instead it just sits there on the floor, an old, broken, pathetic thing.
Khannie just sort of... frowns at it. She feels kind of bad for it. It can't stop doing things that will hurt people. It can't. Not because it wants to be mean, but because it was created that way.
It strikes her as deeply unjust.
[Clutching Pearls]
"I know, that's why I help as much as I can! Mother says that you can never save everyone, but you can always save SOMEONE. It's okay to be sad because you can't save everyone, but not to let that make you get... umm..."
Lapis wrinkles her nose.
What was that word again?
It started with an N and it was a really BIG really BAD sort of hopelessness.
"I don't remember the word but it's when you feel like you can't change anything and there's no hope and everything is terrible! Don't be like that! Things can always be better!"
But right now?
There's an ape to contend with.
"Monkey I need that pearl to help people," Lapis informs the ape, climbing up a little ways into the tree.
The ape leaps effortlessly to a higher branch and hoots at her again, rubbing the pearl on its bright pink butt.
"I can not cease my work," the machine replies. "I can not be stopped. I must continue the task I was created for."
Usually this is when it would lift up into the air ominously as a bunch of weapons descend out of the gloom and dramatic boss music starts playing.
But instead it just sits there on the floor, an old, broken, pathetic thing.
Khannie just sort of... frowns at it. She feels kind of bad for it. It can't stop doing things that will hurt people. It can't. Not because it wants to be mean, but because it was created that way.
It strikes her as deeply unjust.
[Clutching Pearls]
"I know, that's why I help as much as I can! Mother says that you can never save everyone, but you can always save SOMEONE. It's okay to be sad because you can't save everyone, but not to let that make you get... umm..."
Lapis wrinkles her nose.
What was that word again?
It started with an N and it was a really BIG really BAD sort of hopelessness.
"I don't remember the word but it's when you feel like you can't change anything and there's no hope and everything is terrible! Don't be like that! Things can always be better!"
But right now?
There's an ape to contend with.
"Monkey I need that pearl to help people," Lapis informs the ape, climbing up a little ways into the tree.
The ape leaps effortlessly to a higher branch and hoots at her again, rubbing the pearl on its bright pink butt.
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Shadowcaller
- Poster from Beyond the Veil
- Posts: 2881
- Joined: Aug 02, 2022 6:29 am
- Location: Sweden
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
Hog Heaven
"While I'm out on a bender? Why would I?" Dena answers Tsumi's first question while casually tossing the tomahawk to herself.
She pauses as the oni comments on her interest in racks and spears her arms out to her sides. "Just making observations. Not saying you're worse than anyone else. In fact, you're better than most. Especially compared to that one friend who I sometimes think is just one drink away from motorboating me. I mean, you must have meet plenty of people in that category while running a place like this."
"While I'm out on a bender? Why would I?" Dena answers Tsumi's first question while casually tossing the tomahawk to herself.
She pauses as the oni comments on her interest in racks and spears her arms out to her sides. "Just making observations. Not saying you're worse than anyone else. In fact, you're better than most. Especially compared to that one friend who I sometimes think is just one drink away from motorboating me. I mean, you must have meet plenty of people in that category while running a place like this."
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[Tower of Oujet]
There's a drum beating in Saint Lazarus's ear. A massive bass drum, its shell carved from solid bone, its surface formed of human skin stretched from end to end. The beat is slow, steady, but insistent, forceful, echoing through her skull, pounding all sane, sensible thoughts out of her head. The drumbeat demands sacrifice. It yearns for freshly spilled blood. It asks her to kill, to eat, to despoil and destroy.
Saint Lazarus closes her eyes, lapsing into a sort of psychotic fugue state. When she opens them again, she suddenly finds herself up on the roof, burying her fingers in a zombie's eye sockets, pressing them in all the way from fingertip to knuckle. She withdraws her hand, dazed, unable to account for how she got up here and killed this zombie. She raises up her sword, looking for another zombie to kill, but some unseen force pulls her eyes away from the obsidian grunts, insists that she look up to the horizon, towards that loathsome troop transport swinging in for another pass. She can jump it, can't she? She can reach out and take the pregnant one down, carve apart its insides, claim its body full of captive offspring as her prize. Just a little bit closer, she just needs to wait for it to drift a bit closer and she can reach out with her sword, she can stab into its filthy meat like a spear-hunter chasing a wounded mammoth, she can force her way in and kill, kill, kill.
► SHOW SPOILER
Feral energy? Oh shi-Anika wrote: ↑"It's like this magical mark that's suppose to infuse you with 'feral energy' or whatever. Like, I already have that from my animal forms so it never seems to do anything for me. Maybe you'd get more use out of it though."
There's a drum beating in Saint Lazarus's ear. A massive bass drum, its shell carved from solid bone, its surface formed of human skin stretched from end to end. The beat is slow, steady, but insistent, forceful, echoing through her skull, pounding all sane, sensible thoughts out of her head. The drumbeat demands sacrifice. It yearns for freshly spilled blood. It asks her to kill, to eat, to despoil and destroy.
Saint Lazarus closes her eyes, lapsing into a sort of psychotic fugue state. When she opens them again, she suddenly finds herself up on the roof, burying her fingers in a zombie's eye sockets, pressing them in all the way from fingertip to knuckle. She withdraws her hand, dazed, unable to account for how she got up here and killed this zombie. She raises up her sword, looking for another zombie to kill, but some unseen force pulls her eyes away from the obsidian grunts, insists that she look up to the horizon, towards that loathsome troop transport swinging in for another pass. She can jump it, can't she? She can reach out and take the pregnant one down, carve apart its insides, claim its body full of captive offspring as her prize. Just a little bit closer, she just needs to wait for it to drift a bit closer and she can reach out with her sword, she can stab into its filthy meat like a spear-hunter chasing a wounded mammoth, she can force her way in and kill, kill, kill.
"You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
-Daniel H. Wilson
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
A Careful Afternoon Jog
Yeah see, look at that. Trouble, right on time.
G'nichi knows that the katana always brings trouble to his doorstep so he might as well go straight down the new cater and see what it is that the katana was going to want him to fight. After picking himself up and dusting himself off of course.
Because if he doesn't it's just going to pop out and start eating people because of course it is.
Yeah see, look at that. Trouble, right on time.
G'nichi knows that the katana always brings trouble to his doorstep so he might as well go straight down the new cater and see what it is that the katana was going to want him to fight. After picking himself up and dusting himself off of course.
Because if he doesn't it's just going to pop out and start eating people because of course it is.
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[Tower of Oujet]
Turns out hurling zombies off the top of the tower is a pretty effective tactic.
Grabbing them by the face and turning their head into mush is also an effective, if really horrifically violent, tactic.
That's two down and the others are slowly getting up to their feet. Since Anika is currently a large bird and they really aren't equipped to deal with large birds aside from flailing at her when she gets within bludgeoning range the remaining four undead turn toward Laz and begin plodding toward her with the intent to do some bludgeoning. They aren't clever or fast, that's for sure. But their stone-armored bodies are durable and they pack a whollop. Given how quick Laz is, though, they probably aren't going to have much luck. These are clearly foes meant to overwhelm with sheer numbers and they don't have that advantage.
Yet.
Because here comes the squidbus stopping by for another vomit run!
[A Careful Afternoon Jog]
G'nichi descends into the crater.
The major upside here is that there are no bugs down here. They all got pulverized by the impact. The earth has been turned to glass and it crunches under his feet in a disconcerting sort of way. A shiny green carpet that speaks to utter annihilation. As he moves closer to the middle of the crater he'll notice that there appears to be a pretty big smouldering stone at the center, a stone where its outer layers are slowly sloughing off.
Peeling away like the skin of an onion, a stark white interior that glows with such stellar brilliance that it's painful to look at is steadily being revealed.
It appears as though this is a literal fallen star.
Did G'nichi remember to make a wish?
He might not get another chance.
Turns out hurling zombies off the top of the tower is a pretty effective tactic.
Grabbing them by the face and turning their head into mush is also an effective, if really horrifically violent, tactic.
That's two down and the others are slowly getting up to their feet. Since Anika is currently a large bird and they really aren't equipped to deal with large birds aside from flailing at her when she gets within bludgeoning range the remaining four undead turn toward Laz and begin plodding toward her with the intent to do some bludgeoning. They aren't clever or fast, that's for sure. But their stone-armored bodies are durable and they pack a whollop. Given how quick Laz is, though, they probably aren't going to have much luck. These are clearly foes meant to overwhelm with sheer numbers and they don't have that advantage.
Yet.
Because here comes the squidbus stopping by for another vomit run!
[A Careful Afternoon Jog]
G'nichi descends into the crater.
The major upside here is that there are no bugs down here. They all got pulverized by the impact. The earth has been turned to glass and it crunches under his feet in a disconcerting sort of way. A shiny green carpet that speaks to utter annihilation. As he moves closer to the middle of the crater he'll notice that there appears to be a pretty big smouldering stone at the center, a stone where its outer layers are slowly sloughing off.
Peeling away like the skin of an onion, a stark white interior that glows with such stellar brilliance that it's painful to look at is steadily being revealed.
It appears as though this is a literal fallen star.
Did G'nichi remember to make a wish?
He might not get another chance.
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Shadowcaller
- Poster from Beyond the Veil
- Posts: 2881
- Joined: Aug 02, 2022 6:29 am
- Location: Sweden
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[Tower of Oujet]
Anika will continue to employ the same tactic against the other zombies. Grab them by whatever appendages they could use to attack her with and then yoink them off the side of the tower.
She barely notices what Laz seems to be doing-
Until when she spots what remains of the zombie.
Good work there, some proper zombie mush. Laz was doing great!
Perhaps that buff was actually good for something after all.
Anika will continue to employ the same tactic against the other zombies. Grab them by whatever appendages they could use to attack her with and then yoink them off the side of the tower.
She barely notices what Laz seems to be doing-
Until when she spots what remains of the zombie.
Good work there, some proper zombie mush. Laz was doing great!
Perhaps that buff was actually good for something after all.
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bc56
- Poster from Beyond the Veil
- Posts: 2775
- Joined: Jul 25, 2022 3:09 pm
- Location: Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
Neon Bunker
Kothar raises his axe. "It is over." The blade falls on the cables connecting the construct to the facility. "Be at peace."
Kothar raises his axe. "It is over." The blade falls on the cables connecting the construct to the facility. "Be at peace."
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Thursday Violist
- Coffin-Bound Aged Poster
- Posts: 660
- Joined: Aug 17, 2022 5:44 pm
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[Maids on a Train]
...And the mermaid's gotten tired of sitting around already.
She leans over, and looks down the aisle. Huh, there's an awful lot of maids riding around today. They've got pretty scary looks on their faces, too. And one headed into each bathroom, too. She thought those were occupied, though?
Oh well.
The mermaid sits up straight, again.
It's not exactly her business. If someone's going to blame her for sticking her fins where they don't belong, then she might as well just wait around and not get involved with it. Besides, if she's supposed to get involved, someone will tell her to get involved, anyway. Whatever. No matter.
Might as well enjoy the view from the train window, instead.
...And the mermaid's gotten tired of sitting around already.
She leans over, and looks down the aisle. Huh, there's an awful lot of maids riding around today. They've got pretty scary looks on their faces, too. And one headed into each bathroom, too. She thought those were occupied, though?
Oh well.
The mermaid sits up straight, again.
It's not exactly her business. If someone's going to blame her for sticking her fins where they don't belong, then she might as well just wait around and not get involved with it. Besides, if she's supposed to get involved, someone will tell her to get involved, anyway. Whatever. No matter.
Might as well enjoy the view from the train window, instead.
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
[Trial of the firebird]
"Yeah, I'm thinking it's bullshit." Hiep rubs one of her fists with her other hand and addresses Harriet. "And I say we kick this overgrown bird's ass and then go find the guy in crimson."
"Yeah, I'm thinking it's bullshit." Hiep rubs one of her fists with her other hand and addresses Harriet. "And I say we kick this overgrown bird's ass and then go find the guy in crimson."
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bc56
- Poster from Beyond the Veil
- Posts: 2775
- Joined: Jul 25, 2022 3:09 pm
- Location: Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
Maids on a Train
"You think there's some sort of convention?" A neighbor leans across the aisle to whisper conspiratorially to the mermaid. She's a nine-tailed foxgirl with a "superheroic" figure, dressed in a tank top and jeans. "I haven't seen this many maids in one place... Ever. I didn't even know anyone dressed like that in real life."
"You think there's some sort of convention?" A neighbor leans across the aisle to whisper conspiratorially to the mermaid. She's a nine-tailed foxgirl with a "superheroic" figure, dressed in a tank top and jeans. "I haven't seen this many maids in one place... Ever. I didn't even know anyone dressed like that in real life."
Avatar by me! No more outsourcing!
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Earl of Purple
- Transcendent Soul Poster
- Posts: 2109
- Joined: Aug 01, 2022 3:59 pm
- Location: Amongst the Folk from the North
- Pronouns: He/Him
Re: Outside: Grass touch place
Trial of the Firebird
"Do you have a plan to pull it out of the rock? Because it's hiding like a great big chicken right now." Harriet pauses a moment. "Which is a pretty good description of what it actually is, I guess." She is, however, totally up for fighting the Rooster again.
"Do you have a plan to pull it out of the rock? Because it's hiding like a great big chicken right now." Harriet pauses a moment. "Which is a pretty good description of what it actually is, I guess." She is, however, totally up for fighting the Rooster again.
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Don't run now, my eggs are hatching.
Don't run now, my eggs are hatching.