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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:28:40 GMT -5
Leon whirled around in his chair, still mildly disheartened by his now lukewarm smoothie. After staring down at his cup for several seconds, he finally looked up and noticed someone enter. "Oh, sorry about that! Ah, a power company..." Leon set his magazine on the ground and spoke to the beast inside. "Kraken, can you use one of your appendages to find the flow of electricity?" he asked. One of the Kraken's tentacles burst from the magazine's pages and whipped right past Xeltyr, thrusting itself into the ground.
"If I had to hazard a guess, " Leon began, "I'd say the Urban Power Company would be near the center of the city so that it could easily distribute power to its customers. Plus, if the administration is as corrupt as it should be, they would probably want to be seen from any point in the city. We'll see in just a few seconds.
Moments later, the Kraken's tentacle emerged from the ground outside the juice bar, triumphantly holding up a fistful of exposed wires. After absorbing some of the electricity for a bit, another tentacle shot out from the magazine and pointed to the direction of the Urban Power Company.
"Much obliged, Kraken. You can go relax now, and keep us posted on whether we're traveling the proper route," Leon smiled.
The Kraken's tentacles nodded their compliance and receded back into the magazine, which would now serve as a compass leading straight to the city's power company. "Well, let's not just stand there!" Leon laughed. "Let's go find the power company. It'll take my mind off of this tragic smoothie event." Without bothering to explain anything else, Leon ran outside in the direction the Kraken told him to.
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:28:49 GMT -5
The Dayman sighed a royal sigh, or as much of a sigh as one can manage when his testicles are beginning to retract into their stomach because a mage is crushing them under their boot. Yes, yes apparently that happens quite a bit. There is one known cure for such an ailment, and the glorious prince, cloaked in royal purple, shining with the glory of his unscuffed (somehow) cod piece, reached into his utility belt of senseless (i mean endless) wonder and hoped to release said cure. A purple platypus wearing a gray fedora emerged. He was obviously a secret agent, possibly one where all the other agents are animals as well. I assume their call signs are simply the first letter of their species, how clever. So this, Agent P, lunged forth from the intoxicating light that flowed from the utility belt of senseless (dammit i did it again, the prince is going to have my head on a pike and replace me with a new storyteller) wonder and karate kicked magnus right in his adam's apple (see what i did there?). Magnus fell over and the Dayman was free. He stood up, and brushed himself off, which was only a formality because the rich do not truly become dirty of course.
"Hmmm. Thank you young platypus. Albeit you were not the cure I was looking for. It IS common knowledge of course that the most common (common as in recurring, not poor filth. i.e. hobos to the upper middle class) cure for a mage scrotum boot vice is native american boot shiner. Although in all my years I have never heard of this...america. What a silly sounding place. And what commoners they must be! Surely the only thing more pathetic than their socioeconomic status MUST be their blatant obesity. Oh what a world we live in young platypus. What a world we live in indeed. Well, now that I am free from my temporary imprisonment shall we continue on?"
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:28:58 GMT -5
A jewel heist... somehow Perish was left a little off balance for quite awhile as she tried to get her head around the concept of someone like her heisting a jewel... People like her owned heist-worthy jewels. Maybe she'd fit in as the mastermind behind the project? Or maybe she'd conjure a powerful servant to do the heisting in her stead? Making someone else do the work was always the best idea...
"Alright whatever, lead on, I'll follow. Though if we can get some blood I know a few rituals that might make things easier -especially if we take the sledgehammer approach, the Necroslave Colossus is my personal wrecking crew. Or I could summon a giant bone serpent again, that was entertaining while it lasted, at least until someone futzed with it," Perish said, throwing an accusatory glance at Magnus. Her sedan chair of skeletons smoothly carried her over next to Jeff and Perish waited patiently like it was perfectly normal.
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:29:12 GMT -5
Jeff's path through the city was haphazard at best, randomly choosing a direction at intersections and deliberately avoiding the major roads that grid-lined the urban sprawl. More than once he jumped up above the skyline to get look at the area, but could see only city from horizon to horizon.
William Gibson would be proud. Or disappointed.
Sirens and gunfire and screeching tires provided quite the ambiance for their journey through the urban jungle. Citizens shot them dirty, suspicious looks whenever they passed but Jeff chose to ignore them. If they wanted to pick a fight, let them; his party could easily make short, humiliating work of any would-be opponent.
Nearly a half-hour of arbitrary journeying lead them to the Southryos Greater Metropolitan Museum of Geology. This month's special exhibit: the most beautiful gemstones in all of Cardinalos!
"Wow. That's convenient," he quipped. "Figured it would take longer than that, but whatever. I'm not complaining. Ok, team, huddle up. We need a plan to get in there and find the keystone."
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:29:31 GMT -5
"Question." Magnus said as he leaned in closer. "Do we even know what the Keystone looks like? I honestly don't remember if that old guy ever showed us before he sent us here."
The Bread Wizard took that chance to interrupt, edging past Magnus. "I do not approve of robbing this store. Such a thing is not the way protagonists should do." he said in a scolding tone. Magnus stared at him.
"Oh...you followed us."
"Of course! I will not allow such miscreants to rampage around my city unchecked!"
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:29:39 GMT -5
"Question." Magnus said as he leaned in closer. "Do we even know what the Keystone looks like? I honestly don't remember if that old guy ever showed us before he sent us here."
The Bread Wizard took that chance to interrupt, edging past Magnus. "I do not approve of robbing this store. Such a thing is not the way protagonists should do." he said in a scolding tone. Magnus stared at him.
"Oh...you followed us."
"Of course! I will not allow such miscreants to rampage around my city unchecked!"
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:29:47 GMT -5
"Honestly, what sort of security could this 'museum' hold. This common rabble could never possibly have anything of real value. I assume their idea of security is just a hobo sitting at his desk and trying to decide on whether to pick his vagrant nose or go to sleep. The only fighting experience he would have is with his stomach! You are now in the presence of royalty gentleman. And a cod piece such as this demands respect, watch as I swagger into this...'museum'...and take have them hand the keystone over to us."
The Dayman (ironically in the cover of night) reached out and grab the door handle, and nonchalantly pushed open the 'museum' doors. And to their surprise (everyone except for the prince of course) there was in fact, a hobo curled up into a tiny ball and sleeping on top of his desk wearing a tattered security guard uniform.
"See gentlmen, this shall be a cake walk. We are already in. Now, seeing as how this keystone may possibly be the main event, I would assume there are signs somewhere that will point us to the location of the exhibition."
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:29:55 GMT -5
Chase already knew that this museum would be rigged heavily with alarms, and the place would be swarming with guards and police as soon as they triggered them. He was designed after The Mechanist King after all.
He decided to remain silent however, realizing his party failed to heed any of his warnings anyway.
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:30:05 GMT -5
"It's green and magical," Jeff shrugged. "That's all the Keeper gave us. I assume it looked like any other gemstone, but...now that i think about it, it might look like a key. As little sense as that actually makes...." But he trailed off upon seeing the Dayman waltz right on in.
With a sigh of defeat, Jeff followed suit.
Just in time for a soldier of the Urban Police Force to emerge from the restroom - he found the museum littered with hobos. "Come on, guys!" he cried. "I take a nap on the toilet for a few...hours and you all turn into hobos? I thought we fixed that problem. You there," he shouted at the Dayman.
"Who are you and what do you think you are doing?" He leveled his rifle, prepared to shoot.
-
Meanwhile, Xeltyr raced after Leon and his Kraken Magazines.
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:30:14 GMT -5
The prince, with his manly royal chest poked out and purple cloak flowing even though there was no wind at all, merely chuckled at such a question. He didn't even dignify the moderately armed hobo (just because he is awake doesn't mean his class should be raised), he just used the beam of light from the hobo's flashlight rifle attachment to reflect a blinding flash off of his gigantic and overly royal cod piece, which obviously, blinded the hobo guard. So the prince used the opportunity to charge into attack!! And...by charge I mean casually swagger across the front lobby (seriously, do you expect royalty to waste energyt against a commoner? of course you dont, that would be silly, commoner...) to the bathroom door where the armed vagrant was still hunched over and babbling about like Helen Keller, whoever that is. He reached into his magnificently useless...uh...ful...useful...belt, utility belt, that holds utilities, which...are use..ful things, and pulled out yet another unknown remote controller with a red button protruding from the chrome block.
"Well, here goes nothing I suppose, despite the mystery that this device may hold for the moment, I shall mash this button in confidence because royalty never falters!!"
And with that the prince raised a single royal finger up high in the air and brought it down with such a devastating force that it could only be rivaled with that of punching a baby. The button sank into the depths of the chrome block and a beam of electricity shot out and engulfed the unfortunate commoner's body. His form slowly began to shrink behind the curtain of light until it was only inches tall, and the light dissipated, revealing a clam shell on the floor of museum lobby.
"Well that was...exciting? And unfortunate for us, this is prime hobo food my fellows. If any of these hobos were to get a whiff of these it could invoke a feeding frenzy. We must..proceed...cautiously..."
The prince bent slightly to allow himself to reach down to the clam shell in hopes of sneaking it away and disposing of it. Out of nowhere the ground began to shake and the prince lost his balance and fell over, with grace of course, royalty does not simply FALL, they glide down to ground level like an extinct bird feather. The ground shook harder and harder to a point that the hobos began to stir and awaken. All eyes were on the prince and the clam shell lying next to him. Until the bathroom suddenly caved in and rubble was scattered all across the lobby. Hobotron had come from clear across town, and judging by the giant bib draped around his torso he had smell the discarded sea food morsel and was enthralled. He snatched up the clam shell, waved to the party, and let the dumpster baby minicons perched upon his shoulders to release an ear shattering shriek to blast away the adjacent wall and took his leave. Needless to say everyone in the building was speechless, except for all the remaining hobo guards scattered across the floor. They rose to their feet and formed a massive horde of filth and hungry desire, and left their museum posts to chase after Hobotron and the clam shell.
"I...suppose that was effective. Atleast those damnable apes are gone. Such common filth believing they could slow our mission. How dare they! The audacity! Well fellows, shall we hurry then? As moronic as the commoners in this town are, these two giant holes in the building will not go unnoticed for long."
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:30:21 GMT -5
"And here we are!" Leon pointed directly in front of them and, sure enough, there stood a massive complex in the center of the city. Dozens of buildings littered the area, all with a single purpose: providing nonaffordable power to every client in the city (and using its pervasiveness throughout Southryos to collect and misuse information about public officials, but that's another story). "The Kraken has traced the flow of electricity here...and I can smell the corporate evil," Leon sighed. "Sure does bring me back..." After gazing into space for a bit, reminiscing about his times having complete control over an empire (not unlike the kind of control a corrupt power company might have), Leon shook himself from his daydream and cleared his throat.
"Ahem...Anyway, this is definitely the Power Company," he explained. "Might I ask what business you have here?"
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:30:29 GMT -5
"Ugh...let's just look for the damn stone." Magnus lost his patience and stalked into the building, past all the nice new collateral damage and hobos. Was everyone in this city a hobo? Seriously, that was all there seemed to be wherever they went.
"Is it sad that I no longer view these people as..well people? All I see are casualties in waiting." he muttered, going further into the museum and the "pretty rocks" exhibit.
Leske, Ash and Desomd the Mooketeers, all gave a noice of agreement. "We are the worst protagonists ever."
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:31:18 GMT -5
As Perish was starting to expect, the 'planning' phase was thrown out the window again and everyone was just waltzing into this like the big important quest was merely a stroll in the park picking up shiny rocks on the way. On one hand, she liked the simplicity of that way of thinking, but on the other she couldn't help but sigh at the stupidity as no doubt something groundbreaking was going to happen in the next few minutes -literal or otherwise.
So Perish just called up her skeletal army again and floated into the museum behind Magnus, not even making a sound as her feet didn't even touch the floor and she didn't breathe.
"You could view them as walking sacks of bones and blood," Perish offered in response to Magnus' somewhat rhetorical question, "I'd go on a harvesting spree but that tends to attract attention -people tend to start screaming when you start tearing skeletons out of people and juicing them for all their blood..."
Meanwhile her skeletons were more or less pouring into the museum as she tried to mentally organize them to start collecting all the stones in the building.
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:31:27 GMT -5
Jeff had somehow found his way into the jewelry exhibit and casually moved from display case to display case, as if window shopping at a real jewelry store back on Earth. Or in the rest of the city, he supposed. Surely the great city had jewelry stores. What else would wives get mad at for their husbands for getting them them? Even in his head that sentence was worded awkwardly, but whatever.
Hm.
"No glowing green magic rocks," he mused. "Several glowing magical other-colored rocks, but no greens ones. Hey look, this one exists partially in another dimension." e leaned closer to read the description. "Do not approach or stare directly at. Could cause temporary blindness, irreversible madness, and an extreme dislike of the color orange."
He backed away quickly.
"Maybe the old man was wrong? Or maybe I jumped to conclusions. Whoops. Sorry guys, my bad." He shouted down as many corridors as he could to rally his team. "This isn't the place, folks. Wrong museum."
Then the unmistakeable whine of sirens echoed through the building. "This is the police!" someone shouted through a megaphone. "We have the museum surrounded. Come out with your hands up. Resist and we will fire upon you."
"Balls," Jeff swore.
-
Xeltyr flexed his arms and legs, limbering up for the inevitable climb to the top of this might tower. "Isn't it obvious," he asked of his guide. "I'm here for the Green Keystone." He pointed at the tower. "Urban Power Company found the supposedly hidden stone some generations back and invented a way to tap into it's power. Ever since, they've used their money - gained from providing energy to all of Southryos - to strongarm their way through politics. I intend to take it. You in?"
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:31:36 GMT -5
The door's of the museum swung open abruptly, and in entered a tall shadow of a man. His spiked mace thrown over his shoulder glistened in the moonlight, his thick beard a stark contrast to his red coat and boots.
"Your the evil-doer's who've been wrecking the town?" He taunted, clearly not amused with the amount of needless killing this strange group had done.
"Killing innocent citizens not enough for ya? Ya got to rob the city blind too? Well I won't stand for it."
He lowered his mace, ready for the potentially epic fight scene that was about to ensue.
"FIGHT ME!"
-------------
Chase could only face palm, clearly aghast at the situation.
"NOBODY EVER LISTENS TO ME!" He whined.
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:31:46 GMT -5
Perish greeted the latest events with only mild intrigue, as her mind was merrily wandering off wondering how best to respond to all of this with all the fervor and glory an all-powerful necromancer should display. Except she couldn't get her mind off the large man in the doorway with the spiky mace, so she decided to fix that problem first the easiest way she could: by making someone else do it -or more specifically someones.
With a very anti-climactic pointing gesture, about fifty skeletons zoomed in from about the museum and bodily crashed into the large man like he was a skeleton-magnet. Though there was a slight problem in that none of the skeletons had weapons, or muscles for that matter, so they probably pose that much of a threat, more deadweight than anything... heh... deadweight... At any rate, fifty skeletons crashing into someone at the same time would no doubt throw the man back outside at least for a little while until he smashed them all. So Perish got to work on her grandiose response! Which pretty much involved her standing in a relatively open space and gathering the ever-familiar black energy as black ritual circles drew themselves outwards from her feet, expanding several layers more than usual. Two rune circles fixed at her hands like before and each layer rotated different directions about the circle's centre as power ga
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:31:59 GMT -5
Magnus just groaned, palming his face in the process. "So of course, instead of just sneaking out the back, or using magic (mine specifically) to turn ourselves invisible, we're going to wipe out the local law enforcement."
He took a moment to breathe deeply then promptly walked over to the display case and snatched up the 'crystal that exists partially in another dimension' and stashed it in his coat. You know....for later.
"Hey Bread Wizard!" he called out over his shoulder. The grain-based sorcerer was in the process of making a sandwich.
"What?"
"Do something about the police."
"Why would I do that? You evil-doers are finally going to face justice for your crimes. An ally of justice such as myself would never get in the way of the police doing their job." the Bread Wizard replied indignantly.
"Okay Mr. Ally of Justice. You do that. I would however like to point out that you are in this museum with us."
"...."
"I'm sure the police will understand. But if you're in jail, you can't be protecting citizens from evil-doers."
"I...uh.."
"Also, I think that Perish is about to do something horrible to them. If you want to save them from that, I'd step in and do something." Magnus pointed out.
"Like what? Attacking them myself wouldn't help."
"Well, it would save them the torment of a horrible death."
"By giving them a quick one?" The Bread Wizard didn't like the sound of that.
"Pretty much. Being a hero means making tough calls pal." Magnus said, then waited. The Bread Wizard stood there for a moment indecisive before letting out a loud dramatic sob and rushing for the door. Magnus just watched, enjoying the sound of ideals shattering.
The Bread Wizard ran out of the museum and stopped, facing the ring of police cars and cops that blocked the front of the building.
"Freeze! Hold it right the-oh god is that the Bread Wizard?" the cop on the megaphone said. There was a collective moan from the police.
"Forgive me, noble protectors of the law!" The Bread Wizard shouted. The air behind him began to shimmer as he drew upon his magic.
"Uh, what's he doing?" one cop asked nervously. The megaphone cop just shrugged.
"Bread Wizard! Cease and desist and we will shoot you!" he called out. Another officer, obviously a rookie, looked his way with a confused expression.
"Sarge, isn't it 'or we will shoot you?"
The sergeant just shrugged.
"Face my grain-based wrath!" The Bread Wizard shouted. Bread appeared. Every type of bread in existence, and even some that hadn't existed or wouldn't exist for many centuries. All of this appeared out of the shimmering portal behind the Bread Wizard. The Wizard pointed a finger at the cops, and as one the thousands of summoned breads pointed their way.
"Uh oh..."
"GATE OF BREADYLON!" The Bread Wizard roared. Bread shot through the air like missiles, and the police line was consumed by the swarm of bread projectiles.
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:32:20 GMT -5
David had been busy hacking away at skeletons outside when the barrage of bread flew towards him, blanketing out the sky.
He swung hard and true, carving a path through the needlessly endless swarm of french loaves. Coming close to the bread caster, David caught a loaf mid-air. Lunging forward, he broke it across the Bread Wizard's head, knocking him to the ground.
"You suck, Bread Wizard..." He took a bite out of the remaining half of bread in his hand.
"But you make a mighty fine french loaf."
He smiled, dropping the bread and reentering the museum. Drawing his Laser Rifle from his back, he knelled and fired at the spell-caster, breaking her concentration.
---------
Chase stood utterly dumbfounded. Turning to Magnus, he let out a sigh.
"Ya know, I thought I was done being a bad guy once I joined you guys. The hell guys? I mean, really?"
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:32:29 GMT -5
There was always an odd sense of vertigo when building up power with a ritual, just enough to make Perish a little giddy -and the air vibrating probably just compounded the problem. She really liked her magic, rituals could just build up so much power with enough time and concentration. Speaking of concentration...
Perish jolted slightly as a hole was burnt through her chest, the gathered energies about the ritual wobbling dangerously before she quickly tightened her grip and looked at the perpetrator.
"Hey! Cut that out!" Perish said with great frustration, pointing a finger at the man with the laser rifle and another fifty skeletons snowballed him out of the building again. She only had another hundred skeletons left, so she used them to stand in a ring around her giant ritual circle. The wound was kind of annoying but she couldn't fix it right now as all of her concentration was going towards the ritual, but it was just about done since her blood was leaking into the circle, making the power gathering process double in speed. She'd have to go harvest someone afterward, using her own blood was generally an emergency fall-back supply.
When the last symbol of the circle finally powered up, Perish issued a low, menacing laugh that carried a surprising distance, before suddenly lunging forward. "...NECROPOLYPSE!!!" A thousand black spirits exploded out of the circle composing that giant demonic spirit again but so, so much larger, and it shot forward, blasting most of the front wall around the entrance of the museum clean out as the Necropolypse burst into the street. It rose up, heaving its enormous arms high into the air before bring them down upon street, causing a devastating explosion of debris which was closely followed by the Necropolypse exploding apart, the thousand souls firing off all over the place, attacking and carrying away everything in its path. Cars and concrete flew in equal measure, fire hydrants exploded and screams and smoke filled the air, and Perish was found right in the middle floating several feet in the air and laughing.
Except a dozen gunshots were heard and Perish found a few more holes in her. "What the hell?! There's still some left!? Where do they get these people!?" Perish said incredulously, falling back to the ground and fleeing back toward the museum as the police fired wildly through the thick clouds of smoke the Necropolypse had kicked up.
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Post by Mizagium on May 24, 2013 1:32:42 GMT -5
"Well, I don't have anything better to do," Leon replied, considering Xeltyr's proposition. Did Leon have anything better to do? He was a part of Jeff's party, if only nominally, and part of Leon didn't feel right going off with another adventurer, completing his "allies' " quest without them. "Just one moment, please." To finalize a decision, Leon tore open a small, slit like portal in front of him - just large enough for him to see through, but not large enough to be noticed by anyone. The portal lead to one of Southryos' museums; although he had only traveled with them for a couple weeks, Leon made an accurate assessment of his party's hero and adventuring skills (both of which were pretty low in his estimation). He presumed that Jeff and company, being the non-heroes that they were, would probably rob a public facility for a magical gem, causing as much destruction as possible in the process. They certainly weren't the type to get an honest job and purchase it from a jewelry store without any incidents...No, that would just be silly.
As Leon gazed through his portal window into the museum, his suspicions were affirmed. Sure enough, there stood Jeff, Magnus, the Bread Wizard, Perish, Chase, the prince, skeletons, a giant spirit monster, dozens of police officers and, of course, a devastated museum. Sealing the portal before a stray bullet or magic attack could go through, he let out an audible sigh - not of disappointment, because he had fully expected Jeff and co. to wreak more havoc on Southryos. It was more a sigh of mild exasperation, with just a hint of frustration and a few dashes of annoyance.
"Yes, I have nothing better to do!" Leon repeated. Although not above melting through a significant portion of the city (it had to be done to end the fighting, right?), he certainly felt more at home taking magical rocks from a corrupt power company than from a museum. "Let's go, Mr...What was your name?" he asked.
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