Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - Story Forum - The Dawn Finally Comes... (Date: August 13, 2005. 114 Hours Remaining)
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Jarukoth
Posts: 3115/3194 |
It had to be. Jarukoth was almost positive that this "benefactor" was the man they were looking for...
Khrone nods back to Jarukoth, as if in agreement. They quickly pile into thier designated trailer, hoping not to anger anyone. They still needed to talk with him, after all.e, s
Moments later, the two emerge, sporting more traditional martial arts outfits.
Jarukoth: "How is this, sir?"
Khrone: *whispering* "Hehehe...'sir'?"
Jarukoth: *whispering* "Shaddap..." |
Schwa
Posts: 1973/2214 |
"SCHWA!"
"Kaz!"
"I'm going to finish you once and for all!"
The Cosmic Warrior closes in with his afterburners. By now the three of them, Kaz, Schwa and Yiusi, are flying over the watered side of a desert mountain (the non-desert side).
"Yeah, I've heard you say THAT before..."
Kaz closes in for an aerial rocket-tackle, and Schwa, refusing to put up with any BS today, grabs him and twists his arm in midair. Kaz stops flying. "GYARRGH, that freakin' HURTS! Let go, you frickin' bastard!"
"Dude, you flew right into me." Schwa twists harder and clamps his arm like a vice. Kaz winces. "Okay, listen up... You're going to help me save the world this time... or more like, you're gonna help ME help a FRIEND save the world."
"Or?"
Twist! "GYORK!"
"It ain't a hard choice, really."
"As soon as you let go, I will boil and eat you, Schwa. Period."
"Yiusi?"
Yiusi smiles and waves her hands, performing her signature move; opening a portal. This one is green and wavering and emitting immense light.
"Kaz, this portal will take you to the middle of an asteroid. You will die there. Unless you help us. So, whatsay you--"
"Schwa, that's wrong! This leads nowhere NEAR an asteroid!"
"YIUSI!!"
"Shaddap, Schwa..." Kaz's voice is low and serious now. Schwa stares. "I'll help you. Just freakin' keep that portal away from me!"
"Yiusi... Where the hell does that portal go?"
Yiusi smiles again. "The Bittersquall Centuri Dimmension, Arcarak City."
Kaz squirms. "Freakin' CLOSE that thing! Schwa, I'm your fwiend!"
Yiusi closes it. Moments later, Kaz is flying alongside Schwa and Yiusi.
"For God's sake, Yiusi! You can barely defend youself from a guy with a sword this whole time, and you've got a portal that goes to BITTERSQUALL CENTURI!!? What ARE you smoking? Dandelion?"
"Dandelion is a weed," Kaz adds. "But you don't smoke it."
"I don't like dandelions. Janus gave me some once, and I said they were weeds." Yiusi looks thoughtful as she flies. "Well, for one thing, it takes too much energy to open a portal like that. Secondly, I don't like doing that kind of thing to my enemies. Everyone similar to Kaz knows about the Bittersquall. Nightmare. I thought he needed some motivation to help us, that's all."
"Yiusi, you're evil! As in, E-VILE!" Kaz tells her. "But I have to respect you for knowing that skill. Schwa... You were her friend this whole time and you didn't even tell me..."
"You never asked."
"DURRGH... From all over the galaxy, Oracles are respected, and especially by the Yamathians. That is my race, I am a Yamathian... or Cosmic Warrior, a Yamathian who donned a bionic suit of armor in the Red Sentinel War and fused with it. I'm the very last one left... I wanted to meet an Oracle someday, so she could predict my destiny and tell me if I would ever meet any of my kind remaining... But now the Oracles are the allies of Psi Warriors. All my hope is lost."
"Kaz," Yiusi says to the pained Yamathian, "Let me tell you something I learned. People like us, we're supposed to make our own destinies. I could never predict the future, really, ever since I learned there was no definite future. Otherwise I would've known you would someday ally up with Schwa, and I would've told him. He asked me, after all."
The three of them continue to talk, now as friends, as they fly across the desert (no longer mountain)... Unknown to Janus, it's the same desert he came to, though Schwa doesn't know either and isn't planning to meet him yet... on purpose, anyway... |
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 3153/3770 |
Old man: "First, you should probably get out of those ridiculous costumes..."
At the entrance to Cleavon's trailer, which the aspiring director had led them to in his resigned sulking, stood a very strange old man, who leaned against the side of the structure, somehow appearing very dignified in the middle of this backlot. His hair was white, very well-combed. He wore a suit jacket with an ascot and long, black slacks. On his face was a very dignified looking white moustache. His left eye held a single glass monocle...
"I'm quite sick of seeing all of these film actors nowadays raging about, trying to look so "cool" and "badass", as it were."
His accent was thick and british, almost like John Cleese's, but not so cliche. Could this be Algus...?
"Come, come now. Get yourselves into some decent clothing, I'll not have my films ruined by such cheese and wine."
Schpiel: "Ah, ah! My benefactor..."
-------------------------------------------------
The man said nothing, and guided Star into his back room. When he finally spoke, it was quite straight-laced, with almost no indication of French in him at all...
Man: "Alright... I can drop ze accent now. She told me you would come. You, your lady friend, and her friend are all expected at her next concert. It is this Monday, the fifteenth of August. Four days. Do with them what you will, enjoy the sights. If this fails, then you will never be able to see our fair city again. She is at the club Rayonnement Mystique. To prove you truly understand the scale of loss that is at stake, you must sit through her concert, and make sure all goes well, alongside. Axel has caught wind of this... I fear Janus may not have notified us in time. When you get to the club, tell the bouncer at the front "The dawn is coming", and he will let you through if you can answer his question."
The man's face went from mysterious to nervous, as he realized just what he had been unable to do...
"Sadly... Even I do not know what the question is. Failing that, you can still gain entrance to the club, through the back entrance. You will have to deal with the Lady Raon's personal bodyguards, however... They are not to be taken lightly, swords and sorcery alone cannot stop them. It will take something more. What, I do not know. I am sorry, Monsieur Star. That is all I can tell you. I would advise you to get out, as well. Soon, Axel will send his monstrous creations after me. He knows all, sees all, even now he sees us acting upon his stage. Go."
The man ushered Star out... Without telling him where the club was, of course.
---------------------------------------
Schwa's progress was greatly appreciated... As he went to find Kaz, Janus and Grey journeyed to Egypt next, attempting to break into the pyramids that hid secrets of the past within. What they would find, however, was not what they, or Schwa, for that matter, expected...
The portal opened, and out jumped the pair. Giza's great pyramids stood before them, evenly placed as pristine and grand as the days they were built.
Janus: "Egypt. The Great Pyramids at Giza... Those mummified kings took a lot more with them than they thought..."
Grey: "Another set of murals?"
Janus: "That, and some interesting objects I want to take a look at before the days pass. Once I'm finished up here, we're going to focus on you, for a change, and meet up with Schwa. I've already called him to our aid, as far as I know he is gathering allies..."
Grey: "Focus on me? I don't like the sound of that..."
Janus: "You wouldn't." |
Jarukoth
Posts: 3083/3194 |
The director seemed to have quite a bit of ambition, and possibly some knowledge of top names in the business. Plus, Jarukoth would be lying if he said his words didn't influence him...
Jarukoth: "Let's not waste any more time then! What shall we do first?"
Jarukoth would never admit it, but he just wanted to show off. It wasn't every day that fighters of thier caliber appear out of nowhere... |
Schwa
Posts: 1921/2214 |
Later...
"Geez, that was close! Nice smooth-talking, Yiusi. We could've been shot."
"*giggle* I don't mind. I've had worse happen to me... but this time I had you to protect."
"Yiusi... I can protect myself. I was wondering if YOU could protect YOURself, though. You seem to get into trouble a lot."
There is silence for a while as they fly away from the military base. Earlier, they had been shot down and Yiusi had an interesting conversation with one of the Majors there, tricking him and his privates, and Schwa and Yiusi managed to escape to safety.
"Okay, Yiusi, we need to get a new ally to help Janus. Tuxydon is out. But who'll aid us? Janus said 'as many new faces as possible'. Now, who ELSE do I know that'll help us?"
Schwa thinks, and to his horror only one other person comes to mind...
Kaz, Cosmic Warrior. |
Dracoon
Posts: 3497/3727 |
Nijote sighed, she could tell something about this guy was wrong. She kept her thoughts to herself, not really sure what he was planning. Martial arts movie might be interesting though, she was decent with most weapons and hand-to-hand combat...
Nijote: "Maybe me and Jarukoth fighting will give you enough inspiration..."
Nijote grinned, the last time she'd fought Jarukoth, they both ended up almost dead. A friend had to come rescue him. It had been truely fun.
Star got up and approached the back room, the gold coin he'd given the bartender was nothing to be surprised about, even though it was incredibly old, when Star had gotten it, it was hardly worth anything. Time traveling does a lot for you.
Star: "I hope you can make this worth the money. Comming back from a hell like place leaves a guy thinking about violence."
Star's hair seemed to stand up a little for a second, then dropped back down. |
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 3118/3770 |
Schpiel: "Excellent, EXCELLENT!!! Let's go! No time to waste!"
As the well-rounded would-be director pulled Jarukoth and Khrone along, with Nijote also in tow, he began explaining a few other things.
Schpiel: "Now, there are a few catches to this job: One, I've never actually directed a martial arts film before. Mostly I've been dabbling in the adult film industry, but everyone's got to start somewhere, right? This is my first attempt at something new, and I'm not entirely sure how to go about it. Funding, however, is quite amazingly provided."
He continued on. His tone changed a little bit, however, as he started talking of just where he got his money...
"The film, you see, was actually commissioned. Apparently some benefactor out there was looking for an underground director (LIKE MYSELF, HAHA) to make what he was calling one of the greatest creative projects of our time. I was tapped, and given the job nearly instantly, along with an almost unlimited budget! I couldn't believe my fortune, this was a huge step up from "The Lucky Cat" and "3rd Watch At Long Towers" (have you seen those? They're really quite masterful, there's some scenes...)."
At this point, he actually stopped moving for once. It was really amazing how the man stayed so fat, he had been talking and moving at a rather uncanny speed for a fellow of his weight.
"Oh.... but the trouble is, I don't really know what I'm going to do. You see, in my previous line of direction, there wasn't much rational thought required. You pretty much expected what seemed most extreme at the time. Here... I got shafted. Apparently, the greatest creative project known to man wasn't already in the benefactor's head, it had to be in mine. The worst part was that I was given no script, no recommendations for actors, no crew, no equipment. Just money. The commissioner seemed to believe that that was all I'd need, but I need something else..."
Schpielbunk noticed that the stars had finally just begun to come out. He looked to the skies, his eyes misty and his face forlorn, almost as though he was half-heartedly expecting something that deep down inside he knew simply wouldn't come to him. For a man of his position, he was surprisingly sensitive.
"I need inspiration. No director can work without it. I need a muse, an idea, something bigger than the rest of this. Some piece of perfection so grand that no amount of money that I spend could ever come close to even trying to honor that degree of creative strength. My work is the reason why I love my life, just the fact that some kind of crazy, mixed up, genius idea could come from a single person's head excites me, fills me with the zest I need to live on. But without any kind of inspiration, I'm nothing..."
He went silent at this point, and continued his movement, which had slowed to a dejected trudge. They had arrived at his studio.
----------------------------
Bartender: "Do not patronize me, Monsieur Armorall. While my fellow counsrymen are admoneeshed by your prasonce, no matter what, I will always have seen strangaire folk. Someseeng strong, you ask? And all you have to show for eet eez zis piece of----"
He lifts the gold coin off the counter, and realizes that it is actually NOT fake... His eyes widen. He realized just then that he, in an instant, suddenly became richer than half the bourgoisie.
".......... Pleeze, my good man, come to ze back. I will show you my very best."
His hand is shaking as he slowly walks toward a locked door in the back of the nightclub... |
Jarukoth
Posts: 3062/3194 |
OOC: Whoops!
----------------------
'Enter the Nunchaku'? A martial arts film? What a way to get your start in the movie business. Jarukoth himself was more than proficient with nunchaku, and he was sure that Nijote had more than enough skill to wield the weapon with ease. With thier combined expertise, he was confident they would steal the show.
As for Khrone, well...someone needs to get the coffee, right?
Jarukoth: "Sir...you've got yourself a stuntman! Lead on!" |
Schwa
Posts: 1890/2214 |
Schwa takes it all in as he flies. Then,
"I'll get 'im both." (Of course, right before he entered the pyramid...)
As Janus explored the pyramid, fought Evan and got his arse kicked, Schwa focused on detecting Yiusi and Tuxydon... Funny thing was Yiusi was right underneath him.
Meanwhile, in a field of flowers... "Hey...! Isn't that Schwa?"
"Yiusi, is that you? Oh God, I'm lucky to find you..." He touches down. "Hello, Oracle. Long time no see... Uh, sorry for bugging you again, but--"
"Another Buster Beetle problem, right?"
"Not at all. We need you for something else... Uh, it has to do with the security of our home planet. Kind of a big thing."
"Well, I'll help you. It's about time I start doing something big... After all, if it's up to me to make my OWN destiny, I'm gonna need something to show off to the other Oracles when I return home! Where we goin'?"
Schwa summons a Psi Disc emitting cream-colored ether. "Hop on, we need Tuxydon too..."
"Uh-oh, not him..."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Don't be difficult, old man... Come ON, we need your help!"
"'We'? There is no 'We' in Tuxydon. I am a lone wolf... A solitary eagle... A secluded tapir, call it anything you want, I am NOT helping you."
"A secluded tapir!?" Yiusi exclaims. Schwa rolls his eyes.
"Janus is a lone wolf too, that doesn't stop him from--"
Schwa doesn't get to finish his sentence. One fine-tuned Chaos Gadget is on it's way to him. Schwa jumps back as the mini-bomb explodes into an earth-arrowhead, an air-blast and a plasma bolt, which Schwa dodges but barely. He then retalliates. "Alpha Psibeam!" (echo effects)
"Chaos Psibeam!" (echo effects)
They fire their projectiles, and being polar opposite elements, the result is a megaton explosion. Yiusi shields Schwa with the Yiusi Ball's shield, and Tuxydon, not being so lucky to have an ally, is thrown backward.
He gets up and arms the Shark's Maw, a peculiar knife shaped like the mouth of a shark when viewed from it's side.
"I don't care if I use my last breath of life fighting you, I'm not going to help you."
"Fine! Settled! Yiusi, let's get outta here."
"Wha? You're giving up?"
"Yiusi, there's no point in forcing someone to do Good things against their will. If Tuxydon chooses to be Evil, that's on him. Let's get outta here."
They fly off... Tuxydon stares at the two ether streaks in the sky as if they're a bad taste in his mouth. "Evil my ass!!" he yells to the sky, angrily.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"So, now it's off to see Janus, right?" Yiusi says to Schwa as they fly.
"No, no that won't work. He needs some space for this mission and we're supposed to meet up with him in a few days."
"Aw, that's too bad... I wanted to see him again! He's just so awesome..."
"Whoa, 'again'? You've seen him? ...Yiusi, snap out of it! You're drifting lower!"
Yiusi's Psi Disc regains the altitude it lost. "Oops, sorry! I was daydreaming..."
"You don't have a crush on him, do you? I hope not."
"Wayll... Hard to say. Uh, Schwa, where are we touching down? This leads to the ocean."
Schwa looks up and sees an ocean ahead of them. He notices buildings on the shore, big ones... but not skyscrapers.
"Some kind of port is down there, let's touch down there."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"5 degrees left. Locked on! Fire!"
The red button is pressed hard, and in no time at all 3 guided missiles are on their way to Schwa and Yiusi. That kind of thing happens... when you intrude the air-space of a military base... |
Dracoon
Posts: 3470/3727 |
Nijote wondered what this guy was going on about. She had thought every single independent film of all time sucked, but she wasn't much of the movie person. She sighed as she ran after them, not really liking what was going on.
Nijote *to herself*"This is going to take to long..."
Star sat down at the bar and looked at the bar tender.
Star: "You'd let them drink themselves to death wouldn't you?"
Star flipped a coin onto the table, while not real currency, a gold coin had to be worth something.
Star: "Get me something strong."
|
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 3056/3770 |
Fat fellow: "What can you help me with? What CAN'T you help me with? You'll be perfect stunt doubles in my latest feature, Clevon Schpielbunk's "Enter the Nunchaku!" I tell you, it's a brilliant feature, absolutely PERFECT in execution! Why, it may even get the attention of the independent film populace, and then I'll enter the REALLY big leagues! Come, come, there's no time to waste, we've got to get to the set and begin production! Bring your lady-friend too, I'm sure we can find her an extra role!"
All of this was, naturally, said very fast. Without even speaking, at about 7: PM in the middle of Hollywood, Jarukoth and Khrone found themselves being pulled along by a fat independent film director. Nijote might want to follow them. Something about the independent film business attracted a more cultured and exclusive crowd than did the average 20th Century Fox film.
And Star? Well, ha. This is the real world. They were clearly drunk, and the lightning wasn't all that impressive considering some of the *other* things they were seeing right about that moment. One of the thugs approached him the moment he started speaking english. Even though he clearly understood, he was quite drunk. The trick here was now understanding HIM.
Drunkard: "Ah.... velll, vattttwbeare gpoing at heree is,..... how yousay. A joke?? Mah freiends and I meannyou no 'arm. Comaend 'ahve youareself a drink vith us..."
The rather disgusting (at this point) fellow put his arm around Star and began pulling him toward a bar, where a rather sober bartender awaited.
-----------------------------------
Janus: "Hrm...."
Grey: "Eh?"
Janus: "A moment."
They had emerged from their portal outside a magnificent pyramid in the middle of Mexico, an Incan Ziggurat. Janus, however, had other things on his mind at the moment.
(thinking): 'Schwa, glad you could finally make it. We've got trouble...'
In the space of about a minute, Janus' thoughts exploded with the events that had transpired thus far, sending them out in a mental wave that he knew Schwa would be able to at least sense. It was strange, Janus found he couldn't really do that with anyone else, but for some reason Schwa's thoughts were so in tune with his, mental communication between the two was almost as free as speech.
That kind of ability was new, too...
'So you see, I need you to get Yiusi and Tuxydon as well. More Yiusi than anyone else, I'll need her Royal Ball... Among other things... And no matter what happens, stay away from Grey and I. It's too dangerous at this point. In a few days, we're all going to have to meet up together.
The point here is to make sure we have as many new faces as possible. If I'm right, then Axel kidnapping Kalar and Garro has a little more to do with stopping US from working than it does using them as pieces of the Trinity. Especially...'
Janus was suddenly hit with an awesome realization: Garro kept a journal that logged everything the four of them did, and every person involved with the events.
And Axel was able to draw power from any form of literature.
And Garro slept with the damn thing next to his bed.
Another hole in space ripped open, there was a ghastly rustling of papers, books, guns, mattresses, sheets, and a few discarded food items, and he was back in Central America, a small black book in his hands and a satisfied smile on his face.
Janus: "Heh, good thing he didn't get this."
Grey: "I suppose asking for an explanation would be out of the question?"
Janus: "You're learning. Let's move on."
He tossed the book into his bag and strode into the massive stone structure. Again, as they walked, they were greeted with large drawings and mural that covered the walls of the darkened cathedral equivalent. A torch emerged from Satchel that lit itself in Janus' hands, and light shone about the place, casting shadows all around. Janus set the torch on the wall and suddenly stiffened. They weren't alone. He continued his observations anyway.
"Hrm, more of the same. Detailing a dark sun rising and falling... Though this one was much more recent. Montecsuma's Revenge. The coming of the Conquistadores, and then the dark sunrise. It happened then, too. But there was a difference between then and the Sumerian age, which I'd like to investigate..."
He was stopped in his tracks, however, by a very large fireball that flew toward him from the darkness. A distorted voice rang out...
???: "You should not be here..."
In an instant, Janus' hammer was in his hands and slamming the fireball away into nothingness. He would NOT have this place be destroyed. He took a defensive position as Grey merely looked on in bewilderment.
Janus: "If I'm not allowed here, why're you?"
???: "What you find out here may be the death of you!"
Another fireball flew at him, this time accompanied by a large chunk of stone that Janus again batted away effortlessly. It was hard to tell whether this guy was just that bad of a fighter, or if he was only trying to warn the two explorers. Be that as it may, the darkness soon gave way to a figure in brown leather clothing. A scarf masked most of his face, but his build was plain to see through the clothes. He was brawny, but somehow amazingly agile, zooming past Janus and pulling a near-instant 180 to come at him from behind. The top of his head was also covered by a hood that gave way to a cape that flared behind him as he rushed Janus with nothing but gloved fists.
Janus was taken by surprise for what may have been the first time in a few hundred years, as the fellow's unprecendented speed had left Janus completely open to the flurry of fiercely powerful punches that sent him flying backward several tens of feet. This guy didn't mess around. He pointed at Janus and another fireball, lazily aimed and shot, blazed from his fingertips. He raised his hand in the air and called down a piece of ice as well, hurling it in the shape of a sharp spear at Janus.
Janus got to his feet and was immediately enveloped by the fireball, which was hot enough to burn him to his unkillable core. The spear of ice pierced him, and his eyes widened as he fell backward in shock, collapsing to his knee as the ice dissipated into nothingness. There was no visible wound. He staggered back to his feet and held his hammer out in front of him as another charge came from the mysterious warrior. Switching plans at the last second, he set his hammer aside and met the charge with his own two hands, going into a hand-to-hand battle with the fighter.
The warrior sent a roundhouse kick at Janus, which he caught and countered with a quick sweep of his own. The fighter jumped the sweep and flipped in the air, coming down with a stomp toward Janus' exposed torso. The stomp barely missed the rolling Janus, who countered again, this time with a punch of his own.
The punch, which had all of Janus' strength put behind it, connected with the brawny fellow's chest and bounced right off. Janus wrung his hand in pain and stared at the man's chest. No impact at all. It was like punching a steel wall. No matter. A short chuckle came from the fighter's throat as Janus snapped his fingers and held his right palm out facing the fighter as Satchel flew back into his other hand. A burst of void energy blew out at the warrior and surrounded him, pressuring him on all sides as Janus swung his hammer downward, hoping to amplify the normally excessive amount of damage a blow with the weapon could deal. He didn't count on the warrior being physically powerful enough to actually move out of the way. There was, after all, only one person who could do that.
The keyword there was "was". The warrior near-effortlessly hopped, not even stepped, hopped, backwards as though mocking Janus' efforts. The hammer slammed downward and cracked the stone floors of the palace, and the warrior took this as an opportunity to grab Janus in a strong grip around his neck. At this close range, Janus was finally able to take a look at the warrior's face. His eyes widened in recognition, and he sagged into a state of tired resignation, returning Satchel to bag form and strapping it to his arm as he waited for what came next. The warrior made another throaty chuckle and tightened his vise-like grip, taking the limp immortal and slamming him into an intricately carved wall design. He then threw him toward the entrance to the palace and into the darkness. Janus was out. His eyes strayed around the room...
... And left their focus on Grey, who whipped a pair of fingers toward his forehead, concentrated, and pointed at the figure.
Grey: "PK Freeze Omega!!!"
A cold wind swirled from out of nowhere around the fighter, encasing him in a large block of ice. Grey turned tail and ran toward the entrance to the palace, trusting his instincts to guide him through the darkness of the ancient ruin. He came upon the light of the entrance in almost no time, where he found Janus sitting against a rock and breathing exhaustedly. Satchel lay at his side.
Janus: "That fighter..."
Grey: "He's taken care of. I froze him solid and ran."
Janus: "Good, good... But it won't hold him for long, that much I know. We can't go back there any time soon. Not if he's guarding it. Come on, there are other stops on our list. Fortunately, this one wasn't essential."
Grey: "Who was he, though? And what did he mean by "the death of you"? It sounds like he was trying to keep you alive, if anything."
Janus: "Oh, he was. He was. But he never understood that side of me..."
Grey: "So you know him?"
Janus: "Of course."
He ripped open another portal with a swing of his hammer, and set a foot inside.
"His name is Evan."
Before the portal shut behind him, Grey jumped through and the adventure continued... |
Dracoon
Posts: 3453/3727 |
Star silently cursed under his breath, this would be a pain in the ass.
Star: "Ugh... damnit..."
Star thought for the only basis he knew of French and hoping it'd geet his point across.
Star: "Parlez Anglais, oui, non?"
Star grabbed his sword hilt as some people pointed at it and a little lightning went down it. He was mildly angry at everyone's mocking voice.
Star: "And for those who can speak english. Don't. Take. Me. As. A. Joke."
Nino followed Lunari into a big building with "Auberge" above the doorway, with a smaller sign below that with "Inn" on it. Lunari spouted off some French and the worker at the desk nodded.
Lunari: "Ok, I got us a two room suite, and a wake up call at about 6 P.M. That'll give us about 6 or 7 hours worth of sleep... after a shower and a meal of course."
Nino: "Thanks, a nice nap would be great. We should both be careful though, someone might be looking from us... and how do you know French?"
Lunari smiled as she remembered. Her childhood had actually taken place around this area in a monastery. She was originally supposed to be a nun, but that idea fell apart after Lunari exposed a very strong personality and a strong magical ability.
Lunari: "I grew up in France, I was supposed to become a nun, but I found out some of the extreme secrets of some of these churches here and decided it was best to leave. I was 12 when I left, the government put me into a foster home and 6 years later I started my own life. So, I know about part of the area, 8 years is a long time though, I might've forgotten a lot."
Lunari turned and grabbed the key to their room and went upstrairs, knowing Nino was following. She opened the door to the room and fell down in one of the rooms, falling asleep rather easily. Nino sighed and sat on the couch, trying to find out what was different about Star. She realized how tired she was but kept trying to think. After a few minutes, she was fast asleep though.
Nijote: "This is going to be a hassel, information will be heavily distorted..."
Nijote stayed a little ways from Jarukoth and Khrone and waited to see what was going on. |
Jarukoth
Posts: 3038/3194 |
Khrone: "HEY! What the hell, man?!? This is my favorite coat!"
Jarukoth: "Easy, easy bro. Let me do the talking..."
Going on appearace and mannerisms alone, this guy seemed to be a director of some type. Jarukoth couldn't tell yet it if he was big time, or just another blithering idiot, but that didn't really matter. In this town, you had to network to get to where you wanted to be, as well as find who you sought to, and everyone had to start somewhere...
Jarukoth: "Pardon me, sir, but what do you mean? What can we help you with?" |
Schwa
Posts: 1856/2214 |
OOC: Eek! Ya started without me! Well, Janus said he needed Yiusi AND Schwa, so I'll try my best to write a fitting intro... Here goes.
P.S. I'm NOT using Geezer Schwa this time, just so you know, but if Star were to travel to the Future to pick him up then I'd get him to join.
"Schwa, something's bugging you?"
"...."
Allaura and Schwa stand in the Crystal Psipalace 12th Lobby SW. It's quiet there, and Schwa had come there to relax after fighting Grax Necrosis, a Gazer Demonlord who had been troubling him for a week. The battle was finally won, by Schwa, and Grax is dead and never to return... but something did indeed trouble Schwa during the battle. Halfway through, he could've SWORN he heard someone familiar calling his name...
10 minues of silence goes by, and Schwa cracks.
"JANUS!!!"
"Eek! Schwa, what're--?"
"Gottagonicemeetingyakthxbye!" And Schwa jumps through the crystal wall, shattering it and falling out of the palace, summoning a Psi Disc under him and taking off in flight to some random direction! Allaura nearly has a heart attack.
" *gasp* !!!!!! Sensae, come down, quick!"
"I'm busy too, Allaura. Not as much as Schwa is going to be, though..."
"What!!?"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As Schwa flies, he telepathically tries to get a hold of Janus. "Okayokay, sorry for the delay! I'm very sorry! Did you need me? I'm on my way as soon as I get a ping!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a cute, young Oracle girl, about 18 years in appearance, in a gold skirt with two magenta stripes and long, gold, flowing hair, half-walks half-dances her way across a lovely garden of rare flowers. She is completely at peace, and doesn't expect anything odd to happen anytime soon... |
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 2966/3770 |
Immediately upon seeing Star, the tired man simply stared at him and furrowed his brow...
Man: "Ah.... Je ne sais pas... Je n'parle pas englais, mon ami... Je ne sais rien au sujet de quelqu'un Raon appelé. Je ne suis pas assez compétent en votre langue pour communiquer correctement avec vous, monsieur."
Yep, that'd be a bit of a problem in Paris.
Random Stranger: "Hé, c'est un Étranger qui parle anglais ! Tirons profit de sa stupidité!"
A man and several of his friends approached Star and began speaking to him in French, enveloping him and pushing him around jokingly.
Other guy: "Regardez-vous ! Vous portez l'armure et une épée ! Vous devez être une certaine sorte de bravez le guerrier, naturellement ! Ha ha ha !"
Anotherother guy: "Oui, nous sommes très effrayés de vous ! Je le détesterais si vous me coupiez avec votre grande, mauvaise lame !"
And of course, being a public place, this wasn't exactly the right time for Star to start slicing heads off...
As for Khrone and Jarukoth, they were only in H-town for a few seconds before a gigantic, bright white limo passed by them and sprayed mud on them from a nearby puddle in the street. This was NOT the place for Ninjas. A few passerby looked at the two of them, clad in Bioarmor and battle gear, and started wondering if there was going to be some kind of live action G.I. Joe movie made...
Other than that, nothing. At least, until the short, fat man with round purple mini sunglasses and a megaphone dashed up to them...
Fat dude: "AH! PERFECT! PERFECT PERFECT PERRRRRRFECT! You'll be amazing!"
The man was clearly insane...
And Janus and Grey? Well, they began their search the moment Janus ripped open a portal...
Grey: "Where are we off to, while they're so busy?"
Janus: "Research, my friend. Sumeria."
Grey: "What's in Sumeria?"
Janus: "The origin of literature..."
He stepped into the portal, and pulled Grey along with him. They exited in a beautiful meadow in between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, somewhere in the middle east. A small cave lay before them, which Janus immediately started toward.
"Here is where Axel's powers originate. The very first tales of the world came from places like this, cave drawings on the wall that no doubt form the basis of his abilities and his chain of command over the creative powers of the world. It is here that the first stories came from, and here will be where the last story ends..."
He strode ever further into the cave, as a small, dull light began to glow from Satchel... Murals were illuminated on walls, carvings that had all but faded with the ravages of time... Mammoths, tigers, fire, trees, lightning, water... All were represented. But above them all was the Sun. The highest drawing always, above the clouds, even above the stars... The Sun was depicted always as rising, in its midpoint, and falling.
"The men of the caves were surprisingly deep, Grey..."
Grey: "Eh? What does this all mean?"
Janus: "They told tales, you see... of fantastic events. I'm looking for one in particular."
Grey: "Which would be?"
Janus: "This."
He stopped in front of one amazingly large drawing. It depicted a landscape, somehow... The sun, as usual, was rising far above the rest. However, it was different from the other suns that had been drawn. It showed a dark sun, and all was as dark as the sun that rose that day. The drawing, though skillfully done and crafted as well as any cro-magnon could, radiated a sense of... well, boredom and blahness, almost as though the world had been reset. Janus studied the picture for several seconds, and took note of several odd designs that Grey had not seen in the other drawings... Janus turned away from the mural, and began to make his way out of the cave.
"I've got what I wanted. Let's go."
Grey: "Wait, wait, what was that? You mind explaining to me?"
Janus: "As a matter of fact, I do. Let's just go. We don't have much time."
He swung Satchel, and another portal opened... |
Dracoon
Posts: 3451/3727 |
Nijote came out of the portal and immeadiately began to move.
Nijote: "No time to waste, come back on a holiday."
Nijote walked towards a restuarnt where a party was obviously going on. She stopped at the front door and then watched a worker come out through another door. When she actually got near the door the bouncers didn't even ask her name.
Bouncer: "Shove off lady, we're sure no one invited you."
Nijote just moved back towards Jarukoth.
Nijote: "I'm sure you can fake a way in easier than I could. Handle the drunks, they won't be able to think to keep quiet."
Star (TC): "I'm going to finish picking up people since you don't need me."
Star opened a distortion in time and stepped through before anyone could stop him.
Star (BM): "Right... Lunari get us to Paris..."
Lunari nodded and light enveloped them and they were gone.
They materialized on top of a night club in Paris, but it was mid day here, and no parties were going on.
Nino: "We should find a place to stay till night, bringing you back was hard."
Star: "I'll find some place to keep me occupied till tonight. There are pleanty of hotels around here to choose from."
Lunari: "Right, I brought money because I knew niether of you would."
Star sighed, he didn't have any money, but he knew how to ask around at bars and win money off of idiots. He jumped down and entered the bar near the club, walking up to a guy that looked like he'd had a hell of a night.
Star: "Know anyone named Raon?" |
Jarukoth
Posts: 3029/3194 |
Jarukoth and Khrone take a brief moment to look over the picture, before Jarukoth tucks the picture away...
Jarukoth: "Roger. We'll report in when we find something. Whenever you're ready, Nijote..."
Jarukoth opens his portal to thier destination and enters it, followed closely behind by Khrone. He leaves the portal open for a moment so Nijote can slip through...
The warriors arrive in a back alley behind a large building, so they cannot be seen. Khrone looks down the alley to the sidewalk...
Khrone: "Hey! Isn't that the Walk of Fame?"
Jarukoth: "...I think it is. We are in Hollywood, after all. The real trick now, however, is figuring out where to start..." |
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 2950/3770 |
Janus: "My thoughts exactly... And no, Star, we've finished that part of the job already. If this is it, we can deal with this. There are still a few people that I'm counting on, I just hope they show up soon. In the meantime, there are a few people you'll all need to visit."
Janus turned to Jarukoth and Khrone. He looked over to Nijote and motioned for her to come over.
"Jarukoth, take your brother and Nijote to meet this man:"
He held out a piece of paper, with a letter attached to it. The letter was sealed, the piece of paper had a picture of an older man, crusty and british looking. Monocle to the eye, moustache to the face, and a narrow squint that suggested a taste for dignity. There were directions as to how to get to him, as well...
"His name is Algus. He was an old comrade of mine, doing to film and television what I once did for video games. He's so old that I believe he's retired by now too, though for different reasons than mine. That won't stop him from being helpful, though... Give him this letter and he'll tell you everything you need to know. Be careful, though. Those directions lead to where he's hiding from Axel at the moment: All I know is that the location is somewhere beneath Hollywood, in California of the United States. Your best bet would be to start searching there, obviously. Ask around for a man by his name, particularly among the filming higher-ups. You'll need to break into a few backlot studios and talk to a few directors (Nijote, this is pretty much where you'd come in...) in the span of about four days, but once you meet him, it'll be cake from there. He'll make the decision himself, just deliver the letter. Oh, and you might want to keep your guard up if you happen to discover his hideout. Some of his special effects are a little more special than others, if you catch my drift..."
Once Nino, Star, and Lunari had joined them, Janus handed them another letter. Attached to this letter was a piece of paper with a picture of a beautiful young woman on it. Her olive skin and chestnut hair suggested greek descent, but one could never tell with multidimensional beings nowadays... That said, she was excessively pretty, and smiling brightly in the picture.
"Nino, Stars, Lunari... Your mission is to find this woman: Raon. Her job was musical in nature... She was the inspiration for nearly every major musical fad of the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries... She's almost as old as Axel, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her. I don't quite know why she quit her job, but Axel wasn't happy with her, and I can tell you right now that she'll have some tough mental defenses around her location. It's pretty obvious where she lives: The clues I pieced together led to Paris, France... Nightclubs and parties are what she digs nowadays. From what I hear she's pretty popular with the beatnik crowd nowadays, so check them out. There might be a bit of a language barrier, but I'm sure you can figure a way around that. Once you meet her, give her this letter, as well. She'll understand. The catch is, you must give it to her at night, and you must sit through one of her performances. This is a little more daunting than it may seem, because the thing about our kind is that we can't specialize in our patron... She can't make music, no matter how hard she tries. So to that I wish you the most luck."
He grabbed Grey by the wrist and pulled him away from his previously sneaking position...
"In the meantime, Grey and I have some research that needs to be done. There are a few places we need to visit, and a few theories I need to have proved or disproved. And we need to go alone. That, above all else, is important. Take these..."
He reached into Satchel and pulled out a pair of walkie-talkies. They weren't ordinary walkies, though...
"These are Intercommunicators. They're capable of surpassing the boundaries of space and time to allow for communication between the units with near-unlimited clarity. There's not much battery power on them, so I'd suggest using them sparingly. Any time they are used, they will set off an alarm on the corresponding communicators to send them out of sleep mode and into communication mode. In other words, if you're stuck, give someone a call."
He stepped back a few feet, and prepared to address the entire group.
"Now then, the fate of the world rests with you guys, so if you have any final questions, I suggest you ask them now while the going's still good." |
Jarukoth
Posts: 3023/3194 |
Jarukoth: "So that's the story, eh Janus? Sounds like a mission..."
Khrone: "...Uhh...yeah.  "
He probably didn't understand a word Janus said. Jarukoth didn't blame him much, after all, it seemed like a pretty long story, and urgency and long tales don't tend to mix well together...
Jarukoth: "Ok. If that's the case, then give Rob and I..."
Khrone: "Khrone."
Jarukoth: "...What?"
Khrone: "Call me Khrone in front of these guys. It's cooool!"
Jarukoth: *sigh* "In that case, you can give us a destination, and we will retrieve the information. Or, you can take us with you to wherever you go. You seem to know a bit more about what we're up against, so it's your call how we're being distributed..." |
Dracoon
Posts: 3439/3727 |
Star looked clueless while Nijote sat at the door, catching almost everything.
Star: "So... umm... my job is to like... go get everyone that can help throughout the time stream? Cause... you kinda lost me..."
Nijote: "After an hour you're going to have to explain this all again, because the other Star will probably be comming too. Nino will come and probably Lunari too..."
Nijote sighed.
Nijote: "You know, we could just find a way to kill you and be done with it, it'd sure make things easier."
Star: "He's been trying that for thousands of years...."
The house began to pulsate with energy.
Nino: "Its almost done!"
Everything seemed to silent for a moment and everything in the house paused. Nino looked at Lunari who seemed to be frozen. She looked into the source of the light and saw a body.
Nino: "..."
Nino opened her mouth and tried to say something, but she couldn't. She could feel Star's energy, but it was different... very diffferent...
Nino: "St...ar..."
The figured moved a little and she could feel some of Star's energy, but it still seemed different, more powerful and not quite as human.
Star: "Nino... Thanks for calling me back..."
Time seemed to be moving again and Star was standing where the light had been, he smiled and and kissed Nino while hugging her.
Star: "We're going to have to help Grey first, but after that, we can take a break from saving the world..." |
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