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Arrival
Nov 9, 2019 14:41:27 GMT -6
Post by Annalise Thergo on Nov 9, 2019 14:41:27 GMT -6
Come on, come on--lunge! Annalise provoked the predator in every way she could. She made full eye contact, made aggressive movements in its direction, and bared her teeth. Whatever she could think of what one should not do to a hungry predator, she did it. Annalise held onto her knife, hopped about, and waited for the right moment to strike back.
The opportunity came.
Annalise waited until the last possible minute, crouched, and dove out of the way from its razor-sharp claws. Those deadly nails were cutting through the floor like it was nothing! She had gone up against maddened scientists, skilled hand-to-hand combatants, and experiments that had gone horribly wrong with bodily mutations, but never in all her years had she fought against something like this. Still, the premise was the same as with any other foe. Once she had a general idea on how it attacked, she could strike.
"Kazadus! Hang on! I'm going to get you out!" If he wasn't already dead. Annalise would not give herself time to feel dread at the thought. The focus was here and now.
Annalise needed to watch how long it would take to recover from lunging at its prey. It was fast, but the faster something went, the greater time it may take to slow down and go for another blow, especially if something had a large body. Still, for something so gargantuan, it was capable of swift speed. How was it able to do this? Was it magic?
Annalise waited for it to come at her again and encouraged another attack with a shrilled whistle.
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Arrival
Nov 11, 2019 12:45:55 GMT -6
Post by Cazador on Nov 11, 2019 12:45:55 GMT -6
The monster roared at its prey escaping it's grasp. The fumes of it's breath nearly made the swallowed Kazadus want to vomit. its muscles inside its stomach attempted to crush it's would be food. Luckily Kazadus still had enough strength to push back. The beast must have relied on quick sneak attacks on medium sized prey in order to swallow them whole. Based on where he was, he'd have to say it worked. Kaz could still hear Annalise outside. That was at least some good news that she was holding her own.
"Take your time. It's nice and warm in here."
It might of been a joke, but it did contain a bit of stress in the way he talked. He wasn't too sure if she could hear him through all the layers of fat, muscle and fur. The creature prepped it's body again for a charge. It huffed and grunted as it tensed its muscles up. The whistling provocation only encouraged it further to run at her again.
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Arrival
Nov 11, 2019 14:27:28 GMT -6
Post by Annalise Thergo on Nov 11, 2019 14:27:28 GMT -6
Gods, that thing's breath reeked. Annalise hoped that the fumes weren't suffocating him. Regardless of that, the longer he stayed in there, the greater chance there wold be of digestion or asphyxiation. No amount of healing could stem that for long. Annalise backed away and continued to provoke the creature to attack her. We haven't got all day, beasty!
The beast charged. Annalise waited. It drew closer and closer. She could smell the foul fumes wafting from its maw. Annalise felt her heart beat, slow and steady. Wait for it. It was coming in fast, and in a split second, it would swipe its claws for her...
Just as it began the attack, Annalise jumped and aimed to land on the back of its head where the spine connected to the skull. Annalise had no idea how the spinal cord on this creature functioned, or if there were defenses in place against attacks such as these, but she had to take the risk. Should she manage to pull this off, Annalise would grip it with all the strength she had in her legs, so much so that she strained the tendons and muscles a great deal. This may be uncomfortable for the shape-shifting beast.
With that, Annalise would plunged the knife towards the spine with repetitive, hard strikes. She was aiming to paralyze it from the neck down.
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Arrival
Nov 12, 2019 9:55:30 GMT -6
Post by Cazador on Nov 12, 2019 9:55:30 GMT -6
The beast missed again which would prove a fatal mistake for itself. Before it could recenter itself after the charge, it lost complete sight of Annalise for a moment. The next thing it would feel was her legs wrapped around it's top and the feeling of cold steel being driven into its back. It let out a loud roar of pain as it jumped around the room wildly trying to get her off of him. Kazadus could feel something landing on top of the beast from inside. Assuming it was Annalise, Kazadus fought against the compressing muscles to move his hands in front of him.
His skin burned, but luckily he could still regenerate from the digestion. Energy began to form in the palms of his hand as he started to release a slow stream of power to the inside of it's gut. While it could survive the constant knife attacks thanks to it's thick skin, the pain was becoming overwhelming now that it was being attacked inside and out. In no time at all, it threw up Kazadus and shrunk back to its original size to get Annalise off of it. Kazadus got up from the ground drenched in vomit and blood. He spit out a large amount of the fluid that got in his mouth in disgust.
"Thanks Annalise. Shall we stomp this little shit to death?"
"Wait! Please do not hurt Smudge!"
Kazadus raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure if he just heard what he thought he heard. He quickly grabbed the rodent into his hand with the other hand ready to blow a hole in it if it tried to transform again.
"You gotta be shitting me...You talk?"
The creature nodded it's head as the blood on its back slowly ran down Kazadus' hand.
"Yes Smudge talk! Smudge no hurt you!"
"Smudge could of fooled me! If I recall right you tried to eat us. I am right aren't I Annalise. This little bastard tried to eat us."
The look of panic took over the creatures face.
"Smudge was hungry. Please forgive Smudge! Smudge thought you were hairless snow ape. Very delicious, but Smudge no hurt you. Smudge too injured to fight now."
Kazadus just looked irritated. He was just eaten and still covered in fluid. Its begging was just pathetic. He looked towards Annalise
"I say we eat him instead what do you think?"
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Arrival
Nov 12, 2019 12:09:43 GMT -6
Post by Annalise Thergo on Nov 12, 2019 12:09:43 GMT -6
Annalise hung on tight with her legs and tried to move her body along with the creature's movements. This reminded her of the time she rode a mechanical bull, except she was on the back of an alien and this creature was out to eat her if it got the chance. Big difference. Annalise pulled the knife back, stabbed it in, and raised the weapon high to deal another blow when the alien abruptly shrank in size. Without anything to hold onto, Annalise went flying. Fortunately for Kazadus, the combination of the predator's shrinking and stopping in place sent her over him and to the ground with a sharp, "OOF!" flat onto her back. The wind got knocked out of her temporarily and her vision temporarily went black. Annalise exhaled, gritted her teeth, rolled onto her hands and knees, and got to her feet. The back of her head throbbed and she saw stars, but that would pass soon. Breathing resumed as normal. Annalise was relieved to see that Kazadus was well, but he stank to high heavens thanks to the stomach bile. She toned down her sense of smell.
That was when Smudge began talking. Annalise blinked, then gave the creature a puzzled expression. Did she hit her head too hard? Kazadus and Smudge carried on their conversation, which ruled out the short-lived theory. This world was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. Annalise flicked her knife to get rid of some of the blood, and it occurred to her that her hands were wet with it. She frowned. This meant she would have to dip her hands in the cold snow to clean them. Lovely. Smudge wouldn't make more than a mouthful at his current size. Rather than answer Kazadus' question right away, Annalise stared at the little creature for an uncomfortably long time, her eyes wandering about its tiny form. Let it sweat. Let it feel fear. Let it think that it had reached its end. If Kazadus said anything, she would glance at him, raise her brows, and then look at the critter again. There were few things in the world more terrifying than knowing one's life was quite literally in someone else's hands with no answer as to what would happen. They would become desperate to prolong their existence and would grasp at any chance offered to them.
Finally, she spoke. "I'm not naive enough to believe you won't come after us again once you're healed, so unless you have something to offer worth keeping you alive for, my friend here will eat you."
They needed a guide or a means to escape this frozen wasteland, and this creature may be the answer. However, she couldn't let it think that they were in dire need of assistance or it could take advantage of their situation. If this didn't pan out, they would find another way, and at least Kazadus would have something of caloric value in him to assist in his healing.
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Arrival
Nov 15, 2019 2:50:54 GMT -6
Post by Cazador on Nov 15, 2019 2:50:54 GMT -6
The tiny creature struggled to free its arms from Kazadus' grip. Since it was still covered its own blood, it at least made him slippery enough to get his arms slightly free. Not to attack but to flail them around in a motion of 'please no don't eat me.' He looked extremely panicked to go from about to eat to being eaten itself. Unfortunate that the creature decided to try and make a meal out of two individuals that were far from ordinary.
"Wait! Wait! Smudge can help! Smudge knows how room works. Smudge can show you! Please do not eat Smudge! Smudge do not taste good!"
Kazadus narrowed his eyes and pulled Smudge closer to his face.
"Add a little salt and I'm sure you'll taste just fine."
“You no like cold right? Smudge can get you to heat. Eat Smudge and you freeze.”
Kazadus thought it over. Killing him would get them nowhere other than not having to watch their backs around the creature. Then again if they did kill him, he would have to wonder what their chances of finding heat without a guide would be. He continued to ponder as his cold breath hit the rodent. The little bastard had to of been a native to the land and if the tower was it's hunting ground then there would be a good chance that it did know the secrets of getting them some heat in the place they were in.
Annalise looked like she was placing little faith in the creature. The eyes she shot at Smudge looked like they could burn through concrete. They would both have to trust in the creature though, at least to a certain extent. No way they would ever be able to sleep around him.
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I say we let the Disney reject help. If he tries anything then it'll be dinner time."
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Arrival
Nov 15, 2019 12:30:58 GMT -6
Post by Annalise Thergo on Nov 15, 2019 12:30:58 GMT -6
Annalise kept her visage vacant of emotion for the duration of Smudge's offerings and continual panicking. She folded her arms, inhaled through her nose, sighed out a soft hum, and a look of consideration replaced the vacancy in her eyes. Decisions, decisions...
Kazadus' own methods were doing a number on Smudge. He kept a firm grasp on the tiny gremlin and told him he would taste fine with salt, of which she had no doubt. Salt made just about anything taste decent if you were hungry enough. Annalise would give him one of her energy bars once this problem was dealt with. All this talk of food was beginning to make her hungry as well.
Smudge was correct that if they did not find heat, especially before nightfall, they would freeze. If they did not freeze, they would run out of energy sooner or later from consistent regeneration. Either way, the cold was not good for them. However, this predator was intelligent enough to know that they needed a source of warmth, and it made her wonder just how far ahead it was planning. Annalise unfolded her arms, stood next to Kazadus in order to look the creature in the eye, and narrowed her eyes.
It took a great amount of willpower to not bust up laughing at Kazadus' description of Smudge being a "Disney reject." He was right. This creature, while intimidating in its large size, looked like it belonged in a sketch artist's rejection pile.
Annalise clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and spoke, "Seems you won't be dinner tonight, Smudge." Annalise abruptly jabbed a finger in his face, "But mark my words. If you lead us into a trap, if you try to get us killed, if you try to eat us again, and if I so much as sense you will double-cross us, being our next meal will become a mercy for you."
The room's purpose and function was low on the priority list. When they found a way to not freeze, then they could talk about it.
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Arrival
Nov 16, 2019 3:26:01 GMT -6
Post by Cazador on Nov 16, 2019 3:26:01 GMT -6
Smudge made a nervous grin at Annalise. Kazadus may of had him locked in his grasp, but something in her eyes definitely scared him more than Kazadus ever could. If it wasn't so cold and the creature was capable of sweating then it definitely would have been.
"Smudge never think of betraying you. You are Smudge's friends now."
Kazadus tightened his grip in disgust upon hearing Smudge's words. His nervous grin grew wider upon the sudden burst of pain into its ribs as furry faced individual looked back at Kazadus.
"We ain't your friend, amigo. Now start talking."
"Ok ok. Smudge talk! This is door room. Smudge see people come before. Turn on lights and tower gets hot. Ice turn to water.."
Kazadus began shaking the little creature slightly.
"I don't care what this room is. I want to know how we can heat this place up."
"Not listening to Smudge. This room is key! Take you anywhere from here with tunnel of light. The things called levers will return energy"
The shaking didn't stop. It only got worst.
"If this room can take you anywhere the why the hell haven't you used it huh? It sounds like you're already trying to screw us."
"Stop… shaking… Smudge!"
Kazadus ceased shaking his former predator so it could talk.
"Smudge no use room because Smudge like it here. No reason to leave. Plenty of tasties in this land for Smudge to eat. And Smudge no get cold. Smudge always warm."
He stated the last part in almost a mocking tone to remind Annalise and Kaz of their cold predicament until Kazadus started squeezing the wise ass look off its face.
"Smudge apologizes!"
"So let's get this straight. We restore power to the tower, it gets heated and we can go wherever we want via portal."
The warmth of vomit and blood on his body was beginning to cool. He was really hoping the creature wasn't lying. Freezing on an unknown world was not going to be on his to do list.
"That's what Smudge says. You let Smudge go now right?"
Kazadus ignored his question and turned to Annalise.
"Might be worth flipping some switches in here. If he's shitting us then we'll test his portal theory and throw his furry ass in first."
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Arrival
Nov 16, 2019 13:28:04 GMT -6
Post by Annalise Thergo on Nov 16, 2019 13:28:04 GMT -6
Annalise still didn't trust Smudge as far as she could flick him, which was a reasonable distance, but she no longer saw a point in continuing to threaten him. The point was made and Smudge was intelligent enough to comprehend the position he was in. However, Annalise didn't fault Kazadus for wanting to make the size-shifting alien suffer a while longer nor did she intervene to stop him. The burns he sustained from Smudge's stomach acid had healed but the experience of being devoured whole was still fresh in his mind.
Annalise calmed. The murderous intent that furrowed her brow and hardened her eyes abated. Smudge gave them what they wanted, and now it was time to test the device. She left the two of them, approached the levers, and observed them. Some of the rust had been cleaned off and there were flakes on the floor that had been disturbed. Smudge was right so far. Annalise grasped one of the levers, breathed in deep, and pulled it down.
The tower hummed to life. The blue symbols lit up and, just as Smudge said, the room began to warm up. Everyone's breath ceased to fog when they left their nose or mouth. Annalise took a look around her with her hand still on the lever. Where was the power source of this place? It must be immense. She let go of the first lever and flipped the other.
To their right, a brilliant blue light spiraled into view and rapidly expanded. An blurred image of another land formed. It was lush and green, and a valley was peppered with homes both large and small. Annalise canted her head and squinted. It wasn't familiar. "I think you can let him go, Kaz. He's been honest with us." Her fingers slipped free from the lever as she left the console and she got a closer look at the view. What planet was this? Was it on this world?
"It looks safe, but I don't know anything beyond what I'm seein--"
Annalise cut herself off when she could have sworn she heard something downstairs. She held up a hand, motioning for silence, and sneaked to the stairs to get a better listen.
"--big ole' beam! Was huge! Didja see that melted snow outside?"
Annalise looked at Kazadus and mouthed out: "We've got company." Why didn't she hear them outside when they first arrived? Maybe their camp was farther away? Smudge did mention "hairless snow apes." Perhaps this was what he was referring to?
"Hopefully it's not 'cuz of one of them big ones, you know, with the purple skin. That last fella sure hit hard."
"That's 'cuz ya came in wavin' ya gun 'round like some crazy idiot! Try bein' nice this time! It isn't that hard!"
Footfalls echoed from the first floor, then stopped. "'el-ooOOOooOOooOOooo!"
Annalise heard what sounded like a loud smack.
"What if they isn't friendly?"
"Then I guess I'll just' wave my gun 'round like some crazy idiot!'"
"Marcus, I swear, one o' these days ya gunna piss off the wrong alien and get ya face eaten or something!"
"Excuuuuuuuuuuse me, but this face is too pretty to be eaten!"
Annalise stared blankly down the stairs. "They sound harmless. Sort of." They had two options: they could go through that portal to another world or they could find out more about the one they were on now.
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Arrival
Nov 16, 2019 18:11:57 GMT -6
Post by Cazador on Nov 16, 2019 18:11:57 GMT -6
Kazadus kept his grip tight on Smudge as Annalise moved towards the lever on the wall. If anything happened to her then Smudge would be in for a world of pain. He kept his eyes locked on her, prepared to squeeze the life out of Smudge at the first sign of trouble. Kazadus took in a deep breath of cold air and held it as she pulled the lever. This was it. Smudge’s moment of truth. The room started humming to life with the rest of the tower as blue light erupted out of the symbols on the wall. He could feel the heat and energy emanating from the room. The feeling quickly warmed his entire body as the cold chills left from his flesh and bones. The little bastard had been telling the truth. Kaz smirked and thought to himself that if he ever needed information from Smudge again then the threat of violence would definitely work on him.
“I’ll be damned… It worked…”
Kaz looked on as Annalise pulled another lever to reveal another portal. Unlike the one that sucked them into this world, this portal was more stable. He could actually see homes in what looked to be a peaceful area. He wondered if the location they were looking at was on this planet or if it led into another world. Valandil had already sent them to another universe. Just how many others could there of been out there. Kazadus stood in awe of the sight before setting his eye back on Smudge. Annalise seemed to think it was ok to let him go. He would trust her instincts on the matter and do just that.
“A deals a deal. You’re free to go.”
Kazadus released Smudge from his grasp and let the shape shifting creature back on the ground.
“See Smudge good to his word. Smudge leave now yes?”
“Yeah get lost Smudge. Oh and if you ever try coming after us again...”
Kazadus made a motion with his thumb of slicing his neck. Smudge took the hint and quickly ran out of the room. Kazadus shook his head in annoyance as he walked over to Annalise.to get a better look at the portal. Something caught his ear though from outside the room though. It looked like Annalise had noticed it a second before he had. He whispered back quietly to Annalise.
“Smudge looked harmless too… We can’t afford to let our guard down again. We could retreat through the portal if things get heated, but Valandil had to of dropped us off here for some reason. No point in…”
Smudge came running back into the room and jumped on Kazadus’s bare shoulder.
“More Hairless Ape! More Hairless Ape! Down! Smudge see them down there!”
Smudge was about to leap on Annalise next to yell in her face next until Kazadus grabbed the rodent in midair and started to squeeze the breath out of the creature once again. The rodent may of been sentient, but it sure as hell wasn’t smart. Kazadus whispered in an angry tone at it.
“Shut the fuck up! You’re going to give us away.”
Smudge whispered back, but due more to being squeezed.
“Smudge apologizes.”
“I told you to get lost.”
“Smudge knows, but Smudge too injured to fight. Can’t change, be eaten. Please let Smudge stay. Smudge useful. Smudge get to small areas. Smudge know area. Great use Smudge can be. Please please pleeeeease.”
Kazadus squeezed him again to shut him up and looked towards Annalise for a vote on it. The little bastard might come in handy. Especially if they had more enemies on the way. A guide for the area could come in handy.
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Arrival
Nov 16, 2019 19:25:23 GMT -6
Post by Annalise Thergo on Nov 16, 2019 19:25:23 GMT -6
Kazadus was right about everything he said before she crept to the stairs to get a better listen on the intruder's conversations. If Smudge looked cute and harmless, then just about any living being on this planet could be perceived as a threat, including the babbling duo downstairs. The second was Valandil's intent on dropping them on this world. That sorcerer must have had something in mind... Smudge's return to them, this time for sanctuary, confirmed that whoever was down there must be human much like herself and Kazadus. Well, in overall physical structure. Smudge would have labeled them as something else if he wanted adequate protection. Kazadus knew how to handle Smudge at this venture. Grab him, squeeze him, and threaten him, and he will listen. Usually. When it came to survival, this little gremlin would take his chances with the two of them, even with Kazadus dealing threats.
"I 'eard something up there, Tom. Should check it out. Hellooooooo? We're friendly I sw--"
A much louder smack reverberated downstairs followed by a pained yell.
"Ya idiot! What if they're deaf? Ya bein' insensitive!"
"Oh, in Yahweh's--"
"DIDJA JUST TAKE THE LORD'S NAME IN VAIN?"
"I'll shove my gun up ya ass if ya keep this up, Tom!"
"'ave a little respect for our Lord Yahweh! We're 'ere because of 'im!"
They began to ascend the stairs and Annalise motioned for everyone to back up. She grasped her knife, took another one from inside her boot and tossed it to Kazadus. Time to face the intruders. Please don't transform into gigantic monsters...
"Tom, if ya start preachin' at me again, I'll send ya to Yahweh myself! Now shut up and fix ya hair! We're 'bout to meet the 'newzies' and we need to make a good impression, see here? Get the blaste--where's the--TOM!"
"I 'AVE IT RIGHT 'ERE! QUIT SHOVIN'! Do ya got tha' sign-in sheet?"
"'s right 'ere! Now go!"
Annalise squinted at the stairs, looked at Kazadus with a, "are-you-hearing-what-I'm-hearing" expression, and then back to the stairs. Two heads began to bob up into view. Both men were wearing heavy coats lined with fur, thick pants, and boots. They were carrying what looked like rifles colored white, probably to meld with the color of the snow. Both were of equal height, just past six feet, with slightly sunburned features. They had features similar enough for one to assume they were siblings, except one had brown eyes and the other had blue eyes, their noses were different sizes, and one had curly brown hair while the other had tufts of straight blonde hair sticking out from beneath his hood.
The blonde sighed with relief, "Ya see that, Tom? Humans! Finall-!"
"The protocol, Marcus! The protocol! Get-GET--!" Tom nudged his sibling with his foot.
Marcus placed what looked like a small speaker down at his feet, yanked out a worn piece of paper from his pocket, and pressed a button. A tune, one that someone could consider to be a grand anthem for a country, began to play from the device and he took on a very serious demeanor. He did his best to shake off his strange accent, "Welcome, travelers to..." Marcus stared at the sheet of paper with a squint. "...our wonderful planet, Jenesis! We are here with peaceful intentions and to offer you a place on our world! For sake of gathering statistics, we request ya--you sign in. Ya--YOU'RE name, planet of origin, and professions are all we need! This will help us with job recommendations! We're 'ere--HERE to answer any and all questions you may have! Once again, welcome to Jenesis, and we hope you settle in!"
Tom blinked, turned to his brother, and spoke, "That's not the right speech! It's much shorter!"
Marcus faced his brother, "A lodda people got pissed off the LAST few times so I shortened it! Look at 'em! They're clothes are torn, they are! Ya think they wanna listen to a ten minute speech?! They must be freezin'!"
"PROTOCOL, MARCUS!" Tom shouted.
Annalise sighed out slowly in irritation and stood straight. "I think we're fine without a speech, sirs."
"TOM, THEY SPEAK THE COMMON LANGUAGE!"
"They aren't fuckin' stoopid! Ugh, jus--I'm sorry for my brother he can be a bit daft. Look, long story short, we're 'ere to help refugees from other planets. We're volunteers."
"Very good ones, too," Marcus nodded in a very as-a-matter-a-fact manner.
"That's open for debate..." |
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Arrival
Nov 17, 2019 9:49:32 GMT -6
Post by Cazador on Nov 17, 2019 9:49:32 GMT -6
That was just great. The strangers could now hear that they were upstairs. The tower gave off large echos everywhere. It didn't help either that Smudge was a bit of an idiot when it came to being subtle. Unless of course it came to eating. In that case it completely caught Kazadus off guard. Not that he would need to worry about it now since Smudge was injured, but they still had those two others downstairs to worry about.
He placed Smudge on his shoulder and put his index finger over his mouth to silently tell him to shut up. He grabbed the knife Annalise tossed him and started to pour his energy into it. The knife quickly morphed into a large energy blade. Maintaining his energy in a solid structure like the knife was far easier on his energy level rather than when he forced to materialize the blade out of thin air like he did when they first arrived. If a fight broke out they'd be ready.
As the two brothers came into sight, it became clear almost immediately. These guys were no threat at all. At least appeared to be non threatening. If anything they were more annoying than threatening. As they both blabbered back and forth, Kazadus whispered to Annalise.
"Hey Annalise. All of a sudden, Smudge doesn't seem that irritating."
"Smudge thanks you."
"Shut up Smudge."
Kaz put out the energy blade and allowed it to turn back into a regular knife. He wasn't planning on letting it go however. From what he gathered from their little routine, this planet was constantly getting new arrivals. It must of been like Earth with constant portals opening up, but unlike Earth being hostile to the new arrivals, these people seemed a bit more open to them. That was a nice change of pace.
"So this planet's name is Jenesis?"
"Smudge could have told you that."
Kazadus shot Smudge a look that without words said 'shut up.'
"I'm assuming there's a town or village nearby."
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Arrival
Nov 17, 2019 14:05:52 GMT -6
Post by Annalise Thergo on Nov 17, 2019 14:05:52 GMT -6
Annalise did a triple take on the energy blade Kazadus had forged. So, not only could he shoot powerful beams that would annihilate all in its path, he could use that same energy to morph a more formidable weapon from a small dagger? The two volunteers were surprised by its appearance as well when they first came into view. Marcus was uneasy and Tom did his best to move protocol along without a fuss. Tom must have seen more than his brother--he was more steadfast. Eventually, it was their bickering that distracted Marcus from the blatantly large energy sword that could have sliced them to bits if Kazadus chose to do so.
Annalise couldn't help but wonder how these two were still alive...
Kazadus' commentary elicited a snort from her and she whispered back, "I think Smudge might be smarter than the two of them combined."
When Kazadus started asking questions, Tom stepped forward before Marcus could start spewing out whatever nonsense he had on his mind. Marcus eyed Kazadus' dagger warily while his brother talked. "Yes, sir! This 'ere is Jenesis and ya in the Crystal Expanse at the Downward Spiral. We 'ave a camp 4 kilometers west of 'ere. Had to relocate on account of our last camp gettin' destroyed by some angry newzie." Tom made a point of staring at his brother, who averted his gaze.
What angry newzie? Nope, never heard of that!
Speaking of Marcus, he blinked and squinted at Smudge. There was no sign of familiarity in how he observed him, but he looked like he was trying to match him up to a memory. "What the 'ell is that thing?" Marcus pointed to Smudge, "Pet of yas?"
Annalise looked to Kazadus with a touch of worry. Smudge had mentioned that "hairless snow apes" were "very delicious." Did he eat some volunteers?
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Arrival
Nov 18, 2019 13:10:00 GMT -6
Post by Cazador on Nov 18, 2019 13:10:00 GMT -6
Kazadus may of put out the blade of energy, but he never once let go of the pocket knife. While the two men in front of them may of seemed harmless there was no point in taking any more chances. Especially considering they were both armed as well. One of them did mention that some newcomers had attacked them so that could be a reason for the weaponry.
"Crystal Expanse?"
Must of been the name of their country and based off the tower, it must of been named the Downward Spiral. His pondering thoughts were stopped by Marcus when he asked about Smudge. Smudge pumped out his little chest full of pride and put his small thumb to his center.
"Smudge no pet!! Smudge is Smudge!"
Kazadus shot a glance at Annalise and met eyes with her. She was probably thinking the same thing he was. Smudge, still on Kaz's shoulder came clean and whispered into his ear.
"Smudge might of… accidentally eaten one. Smudge thought it was hairless snow ape like you. No taste good. Smudge thinks he taste worse than you."
Kazadus grabbed the talking rodent and squeezed him again.
"He is our pet… our talking pet… and he's also a pain in the ass."
Kazadus didn't know why he was going through the trouble of protecting Smudge. He did just confess to him that he had eaten one of the volunteers before, but supposedly on mistake. He hadn't lied to him yet, but that didn't mean he couldn't start. Based off their reaction of him, they must not of seen him in his rodent form. Most likely a good thing for Smudge considering he was injured and would make an easy target to exact revenge on. Kazadus thought it better though to change the subject.
"So I'm guessing you guys have supplies and food at camp right? We weren't exactly equipped for the cold."
The area may of gotten warmer with the tower now active, but that wouldn't mean the entire region had melted. Eventually they would have to leave and reenter the cold once again.
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Arrival
Nov 19, 2019 16:35:25 GMT -6
Post by Annalise Thergo on Nov 19, 2019 16:35:25 GMT -6
"I can see why this place got the name." Annalise was referring to the Crystal Expansion. The ice in the sunlight looked like thousands of crystals as far as the eye could see. While beautiful, the landscape was deadly. Other questions popped into her head, but Smudge introduced himself before they could be addressed.
"'ey! You hear that, Tom? 'e talks! That's so cool! I wish I 'ad a talkin' pet!" Marcus exclaimed with child-like glee, which caused Tom to roll his eyes in annoyance. Couldn't his sibling address things a little more calmly?
Annalise shot a warning glare at Smudge for his whispered confession. It was good Marcus and Tom didn't overhear that otherwise things could have gone south. Marcus seemed a tad jumpy and Tom was the sort to follow suit. Given what they had already seen, she didn't fault them for being overly cautious. If Smudge could transform into a giant, knives-for-nails monster... "That's a bit of an understatement." Annalise whispered to herself after Kazadus dubbed Smudge a "pain in the ass" but said nothing else on the matter. It did puzzle her that he was keeping Smudge safe from getting shot at. An assumption she had was that he did not want anything dramatic going down, i.e., a shoot out with no chance of a ride out of here. For now, best to play it cool, and Kazadus had smoothly changed the subject.
"Aye, sir. Indeed we do! We've got a vehicle sittin' outside and there's room in the back for yas." Tom adjusted his rifle and motioned for Marcus, "Come on, then. Let's get them to camp."
"Can I talk to Mr. Smudge the--?"
"Marcus!" Tom snapped and his brother was quick to react, scrambling down the stairs as if though an angry woman with a shoe were chasing him. "Yas in luck. It's 'eated inside. We'll crank it up for yas." Tom motioned for them to follow, but Annalise held up a hand.
"Could we have a few minutes before we join you? I need to shut this off." Annalise gestured to the control panel, "The controls are pretty rusty and I don't want to break the levers."
"Sure, sure. We'll be in the vehicle warmin' it up." Tom went downstairs and they could hear him back out: "Marcus! Crank it up in there!"
Now that they were alone, Annalise walked to the machinery to power it off, but she wanted to take this time to talk with Kazadus, "I'm thinking we should keep our weapons ready in case if this turns out to be an attempted kidnapping." She grasped one of the levers, but did not power the portal down just yet, "Instinct tells me they won't do us harm, but..." She made a point of looking at Smudge. When he was tiny, both of them let their guard down. What if Tom and Marcus were part of some scheme?
"What are your thoughts on this?"
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