At best, Srol's memory could be described as a game of Skeeball. It was really easy to just vaguely lob something at him and have it make a low-level impression, but only rarely did you hit the core. Also, he dispensed tickets from his bodily orifices (but only after a long night of drinking at the arcade).
As the conversation passed by him, he tried to look serious and concerned. He even nodded his head and stroked his chin in concern at a few moments, but he just couldn't muster the mental urgency to take this very seriously.
A part of him wanted to. He could feel that annoying voice inside telling him that this was terribly important and that he ought to pay attention. But whenever he tried, it was like trying to find the picture in a Magic Eye poster, and Srol HATED Magic Eye posters.
" ... figment keys ..."
As the skeeball settled into the 1,000 jackpot of his mind, Srol's eyebrows began to climb up his forehead. Figment keys were big. Figment keys were important. And whatever they were, they unlocked enough of his focus so that he could pay attention to the rest of the briefing.
"I'm in," he said, with uncharacteristic resolve at the conclusion. "Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it."
"Also, should I go to the bathroom now or will there be time for that later?"
"Fascinating," was Cobalt's own immediate response, his pointed nose hanging over the edge of his metal collar, his mouth obscured. "I volunteer to come along on this enterprise. There is clearly much to learn, and rare is the opportunity to experience history firsthand."
Hukos stared through the room, silent as a mouse. Was this really true? A future without Cinnamon Toast Crunch?. Say it wasn't so! On a serious note, he knew the ramifications of what else was being mentioned but of course, dear Hukos could not humor the thought of a world without his delicious and sweet cereal. It was on.
He took a pause, looked over to Kairus, nodded and faced everyone else. "Count me in. This is personal."
With some reluctance, Jason acceded to the popular call. It was not even that he objected to the idea of the action; it was rather that, like Jamie, he was uncertain of what to expect. However, Vector swiftly addressed the concerns raised.
"The bathroom is that way. I suggest you use it before you make the trip."
Srol trotted out of the room.
"Yes, there is a time machine here that we can use," the crocodile continued. Kairus was slightly incredulous at the statement.
"That so? What do you keep one of those for?"
The Administrator looked at Kairus sideways. "It would not be to our advantage to wait until an emergency of this magnitude to find or construct something of such intricacy."
"But this is safe, right? We're not going to be molecularised and haphazardly reassembled in the past, are we?" Jason inquired.
"That is a fanciful perception. Wherever did you get it?" Vector answered dryly. "Yes, this is safe. If I might explain how this works--"
"Do we have the time for that?" asked Swanson.
The crocodile looked slightly insulted by the question. "Well then...we are looking at transport to a very distant past indeed. The time of the Cosmic Icky Stick being one was a particular era of history that has been forgotten, due to a number of temporal and dimensional factors. The Stick was created to imprison a dark entity, whose powers were such that time and space were...significantly affected. If you remember nothing else from what I tell you here and now, remember this: do not release the dark entity within the Cosmic Icky Stick. If you let it loose, a techno-mage taunting you from the distant future will only be the second worst thing that happens to you today."
"What are you giving us? A lamp with the Devil in it?" asked Hukos.
"Very close," Vector gravely spoke. "If it weren't for the extreme situation of the moment, this would be far too great a risk to take."
Srol, returning from his trip to the bathroom, stroked his chin. "The way to prevent the destruction of everything is to use something that can destroy everything? The term they taught me for this was 'Mutually Assured Delight'...well, that doesn't sound quite right, but close."
Vector ambled into another room. The group followed him into what seemed to be a spacious and slightly untidy laboratory. The commonplace items of scientific workshops could all be found there: flasks, beakers, test tubes, machines that clicked or whirred or buzzed, research notes, and other assorted equipment. In the far back, Vector stood next to a clear pod reaching up to the ceiling. It was a curiously simple design, having nothing ornate about it. A number of scanning systems and computers - all of which were displaying no readings - were connected to the pod with wires and cables. Vector leaned against the pod and looked to the group.
"This is our gateway to the past. With this, it is possible to traverse the fourth dimension. As for what to expect, that is something I cannot answer with any reasonable degree of certainty. Conceivably, the reach of that techno-mage may have extended even into the past, given what he's done to us in the present. I imagine the best I can tell you is to be prepared for everything and anything."
After a momentary silence, Mobius approached the pod, looked it over once, and then asked, "Do we have a clue as to where we should be looking for the Stick?"
"You'll be going back to where Sega City would have been. I can only guess its location will be in the vicinity."
"Suits me just fine, then," Mobius declared, pulling down on his hat. "Fire this thing up!"
Vector beckoned to Selph, who approached the crocodile. Vector held the Figment Keys in his hands and said, "In order to make this work, we'll need to stay here. For our purposes, I'm granting you the authority of a Moderator until time is straightened out."
GM: Paradox Soundtrack #2 - Divine
Selph nodded. Vector closed his eyes and clutched the Keys tightly. The room began to feel slightly warmer. Glowing bands of light escaped between Vector's fingers as the Keys radiated. As if there were a breeze in the room, the fur, feathers, or hair of the gathered people began to sway and move. The bands of light broadened and began dancing about the room, ricocheting off each other and angling off walls. They twisted and then swirled into Selph's fingertips. The technician was lifted from his feet as his eyes brightened. Glowing sparks crackled through his hair. His skin shone with a magnificent sparkle. His body was then wrapped in a spectrum of colour and gently touched down on the floor. Selph blinked and looked down at his hands, turning them over in wonder. His appearance had not changed in the slightest as the bright effects wore off, but Vector opened his eyes and nodded.
"It is done. Let us get to work."
One by one, the volunteers stepped into the spacious pod while Vector and Selph set to work calibrating the machine. Jade alone stayed behind, her face oriented toward the pod.
"Big Brother," she whimpered.
"I'll be back," Ramza called to her.
"Ready?" Vector asked, looking to the others.
"Do it, Vec!" Ash shouted back.
Using her sharp sense of hearing, Jade sprinted to the pod and hopped inside as Vector ordered, "Activate the charge, Mister Selph!"
For Ramza, it was like watching a tragedy develop in slow motion as his sister sprang into the pod and Selph threw a comically large switch on the wall. For everyone inside, a sudden lurch to the right nearly threw them off-balance. A powerful, white light overwhelmed the eyes. If one tried to scream, there was no sound to be heard. An unexpected rattling, a strange sound like sand pouring, and then...
"Would someone care to redirect his foot?" grumbled Jason. The forumers were in a heap. Kairus extracted himself from under Jamie, though he could have imagined worse places to end up than under a young woman in a short skirt. When he did, he found himself looking at a large, sky blue boot. His gaze wandered upward to see a youth with a smile that could be justifiably described as maniacal staring down at him. The youth wore an outrageously gaudy outfit, complete with a blue vest bedecked with a pattern of diamonds, stars, and moons and a large jester cap on his head. He stood over the time travelling forumers, hands akimbo and head cocked, grinning widely. In one of his hands was a flute. If one looked closely at his trenchant, blue eyes, it almost appeared as if there were crescent moons in his irises.
"Well, well! A few children who have decided to fly too close to the sun, are we?"
"Who are you?" Kayla asked, pulling herself out of the heap. The youth gave a melodic laugh. A gruff voice from behind Kayla answered, "My dopey brother."
Kayla and the others turned to see another youth. Like the first, he was garbed in an utterly absurd outfit: a massive red jester's cap, large crimson boots over scarlet leggings, and a tight magenta shirt clinging to his muscular frame. Emblazoned on the front of his shirt was a crescent moon taking refuge in the sun. It was hard not to notice that, despite his somewhat martial appearance, he was also wearing eyeliner.
"Perry, assess this: are we in fact in a trailer perhaps for performers of Cirque du Soleil?" asked Cobalt hesitantly.
"No," said the first youth, laughing gaily. "You're on the Miracle Planet. Think of this as a rest stop between journeys in time."
Jason, finally crawling out from the bottom of the heap, focused his eyes on the two youths and arched an eyebrow. "You two?"
"Jay-Jay!" cried the first youth, running over and hugging the hedgehog. "It's been so long! We really must catch up! Oh, and Ash, too! Have you caught them all yet?"
The fox looked over at Jason, who returned the look. The youth then dropped the hedgehog unceremoniously and spread his arms wide.
"We pulled you aside to ask just what it is you're up to. It's unconventional for people to go rocketing through time like this, and so far into the past as well. You need special permission."
"Since when?" asked Hukos, his expression sufficiently doubtful.
"Since always. You could call us Time Keepers or Temporal Angels or Time Lor--no, that would just sound arrogant, wouldn't it?"
Ash involuntarily shuddered. He could feel a presence nearby, and it was not pleased.
I HOPE, FOR YOUR SAKES, THE COMMOTION YOU ARE RAISING IS WELL FOUNDED.
The youths stood back to back, looking at the forumers.
"I am Caelestis," explained the youth with the wild grin and crescent moons in his eyes, "and this is my brother, Amadeus."
"And," said Amadeus, looking dourly down his nose at the forumers, "this is the Boss."
The enthusiasm behind reversing the effects of the techno-mage's power quite inexplicably flagged among the forumers.
"...I'm... feeling a faint sense of deja vu, here." Ash remarked, a shiver running down his spine as he looked at the dark silver-furred fox stood between the two jesters. "Not a nice one, either."
[html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">That does not surprise me.</span>[/html] the fox replied, casting his gaze over the assembled group. It was a disquieting feeling; it was obvious they were being looked down upon in some regard, but as the owner of the eyes (which were themselves oddly coloured, being black where white would show for most people, and with silvery irises) was of fairly average height - no more than about 5'9", at a guess - he had to look up at some of them. And in spite of that, he was still somehow managing to look down on them.
[html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">However, that is neither here nor there.</span>[/html] he continued. [html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">What matters right now is that I ascertain the purpose of your journey. Granted, I have my suspicions. But I would have you confirm them, first.</span>[/html]
Now that the shock of suddenly being wrenched out of their journey was wearing off, the surroundings the forumers found themselves in slowly began to sink in.
GM: Paradox Soundtrack #3 - This Is Gallifrey - Our Childhood, Our Home.
They were stood at the foot of a large mountain, grassy plains dotted with patches of forest stretching away to the sides. Overhead, the sky was a pale blue, with nary a cloud to be seen. A warm breeze was blowing, gently ruffling the hair, fur and feathers of the assembled forumers. Yet, despite this warmth, it was difficult to avoid a shiver. Perhaps it was the feeling of coming so suddenly out of their journey, or perhaps it was the cold gaze of their interrogator upon them that wrought it. Nevertheless, the question was posed. Answers were needed.
"...our world is in danger." Jason stated, simply. "Time's stopped moving properly."
"What he said." Ash chimed in. "Travelling back to a time beyond our enemy's influence is our only hope of stopping it."
[html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">...I see. As I suspected.</span>[/html] the fox replied, nodding slowly. [html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">Listen well to my words, then - what I will now impart to you is of vital importance.</span>[/html]
[html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">Your destination is not without its dangers. You seek a time and place far back in the memory of your world. That alone would make it perilous, but you face a second danger too: your foe is gradually extending his grasp into that epoch also. The threads that hold together the tapestry of your world's history are beginning to fray. However, the very fact that you yourselves are heading into that territory hinders his assault. Do not be misled into thinking, however, that this means that you need not act with due urgency.</span>[/html]
"I don't think we planned to dawdle." Kairus noted.
[html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">Quite.</span>[/html] the fox agreed. [html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">I shall, of course, permit your passing. Your cause is noble - and in the best-case scenario, it would mean a lessened need for action on the part of myself or my charges.</span>[/html]
"Hang on just a moment." Hukos started, with a frown. "Whatcha mean by that? Are you saying you could help clean this mess up?"
[html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">In a manner of speaking.</span>[/html] the figure replied. [html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">However. At this juncture, would you really want my kind of help?</span>[/html] The way in which it was said carried a chill with it that was enough to assure all concerned that they quite probably didn't. He continued on before any more questions could be raised.
[html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">I have but one condition to your passing. My charges, Amadeus and Caelestis, will accompany you on your journey. Thus will it be ensured that there is less damage done to your world's history, as they shall have permission to advise of potential catastrophic changes. Take heed, they are merely advisors - they are not your allies. They will watch over you in a primarily incorporeal state for the duration of your exploits.</span>[/html]
That gleaned a quiet groan from Jason, along with a look of delight on the face of Caelestis. Amadeus's expression remained simply unchanged.
[html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">This is all that needs to be said.</span>[/html] the fox continued. [html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">Or rather, almost all.</span>[/html] He took, from a pocket somewhere under his cloak, a small pocket watch, and looked at it expectantly.
[html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">In your tongue, it is best rendered as "SilverShadow".</span>[/html] he said, right as Ramza began to say "You didn't give us your name--"
[html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">And now, all is said and done.</span>[/html] stated SilverShadow as he tucked the watch away. [html]<span style="font-variant:small-caps">I shall return you to your journey. And for what it is worth... I wish you every success.</span>[/html] he finished. Then he raised a hand, pointing at the group. There was a bright blue-white flash of light, and every sound was muted...
***
...and now, as the blinding light receded, the group found themselves stood on more familiar-feeling terrain. It was impossible to pin down why it felt familiar, but...
"I think we're back on our home turf." Kairus noted.
"Yeah... this somehow feels more familiar." Kayla agreed. "Hey, look!" she said, pointing.
Around them were many trees - they were in what seemed to be the middle of a forest. But what was both immediately noticeable and at once reassuring was the fact that, as Kayla was now pointing out, there were animals. Moving animals, scurrying around through the trees and across the forest floor. There were even birds singing in the trees as well, and...
"...something's not right, though." Mobius pointed out. "I mean yeah, this is an improvement, but... doesn't something still feel... wrong?"
"Guy's got a point." agreed Ash. "Something still feels off..." he continued, trailing off as he looked upward. "...aaaand I think I see what." he finished. "Look up."
The sky was a perfect shade of blue, with fluffy white clouds here and there - clouds which were immobile.
"...there's no wind, either." Swanson pointed out, suddenly.
"Shouldn't this stream be, well, flowing?" Srol called to the others from where he'd strolled over a bit after a reflection of water had caught his eye.
"Yeah." Ash agreed, returning his gaze to the others. "We're not out of the woods yet."
"...Captain, did you have to?" his hedgehog friend sighed. Ash grinned, the same snerrk sound of repressed mirth escaping his nose again.
"Sorry Jase." he replied, before his expression became more serious.
"So... what's the plan?"
Shylarah's wings flare to help her keep her balance, and she stares at the tall fox through slitted eyes. In her vision he shines with power. She listens quietly to what he has to say, only really understanding the basic ideas behind his words and not the words themselves.
Now in the forest, she feels much more at home. But the way things are not moving... "Has also here technoh-mage?" she asks. "Stream frozen, like...people. And skhy. Need we find...you say Cozmik Ikhy-stikhs? Are here?"
GM: Paradox BGM #4 - Crystal World
The birds were chirping, the insects were buzzing, and the wolves were howling. But the air did not move, the water did not flow, and the very trees seemed to be suffocating in the dead still earth. Jade could feel it all. All of the latent suffering that the planet felt channeled through her. She covered her ears, attempting to drown it out.
Meanwhile, the others were still trying to get their bearings. "So, we're back on our home turf. That was a really short trip. I could of held it in longer." stated a disappointed Srol.
"Does this look like the HQ Tower to you? Past or present? We're off our mark. Where are we?" questioned Jason, looking around them at the strange and somewhat familiar forest.
"I took logs of the whole of the MFW before we left, but... everything seems to have moved." commented Ramza, removing his helmet, "I doubt our old knowledge of Sega City will be of any use here." Just then, there was a sound from one of the nearby bushes. Before long, a child jumped out and fell flat on his face. He was human, no older than ten.
"Hey, hey, hey! You should ID yourself before getting any closer." started Mobius, placing a hand on his gun.
"He's just a kid. Cut him some slack." finished Kayla, chastising the bird. The child stood up and approached Ramza and Cobalt.
"Are you two legionnaires?" asked the child, "You gotta help the village! The wind god's been attacking and making stuff on fire! My sis is getting everyone out of town! Please!"
"Fascinating, and so life-like!" quipped Cobalt as he knelt down, staring at the kid, "Perry! Take notes!"
Jamie put her hands on her hips. Her head was still spinning, still trying to get a bearing on their surroundings. Everything had happened so soon and quickly that she couldn't possibly take it all in. All she knew is that she was going to need another vacation after this. Hearing the little boy mention a wind god caused her to pause. She looked around at her companions, none of whom seemed capable of dealing with a wind god. Of course it also depended on what consisted as a god in this world but still. He seemed like a good kid but she was such a sucker for them that she couldn't really tell. "We should help out. I'm not sure how we're going to deal with a wind god, if it is even a god but...yea."
Maybe her allies would agree with her, or at least some of them at least.
" Wind god? " Mobius finally said, smirking as he looks around the group with an amused chuckle - this was just getting so much more interesting with every passing moment, and the eagle was getting into the adventurous mood. " Oh man, that sounds like fun...I'm game for that. "
He looks towards the kid and raises an eyebrow...clearing his throat as he approaches curiously.
Perhaps there was more knowledge that could be gotten in order to help progress the situation along more effectively!
" Maybe you could tell us a little more about this God - where'd he come from, how long has this been going on...is there anything about him that you may be able to tell us that can assist in figuring out how we can help you out. I mean, information is the strongest weapon we have in a situation like this, and if you have anything that'd prove useful then by all means...give it to us now if you can - we might need anything you can share with us about this l'il situation! "
"God?" Shylarah echoes , confused by the new word. Some of the resonances she picks up from the others make things clearer, however. "Oh, big spirit. Spirits not nice sometimes. Am help!" she says earnestly, one hand dropping to rest on the hilt of her sword. "Where village is?" Fire was bad -- they needed to move quickly.
The boy looked pleased that these strangers, or even anyone for that matter, was willing to help. "It's a really big birdy! But... it's feathers are made out of that stuff that my dad's sword is made of! My daddy's a legionnaire! He's all like 'roar' and rushed in to save everyone! But he fell down and hasn't gotten back up yet. He keeps saying he'll be fine, though. My daddy's tough! He's a legionnaire! Um... are you as brave as my daddy?"
The constant stream of words filtering through the child's mouth were enough to make one's head spin.
Ramza nodded at the request for aid, but at the moment was more concerned with his sister. "Why? Why couldn't you just stay in the tower?"
"I... I just didn't want to..."
"No buts! It is going to be dangerous here. I might not always be able to watch over you." stated the fox, sighing, "It's to late to do anything about it now... Stay close."
Kairus cracked his knuckles. "Big metal bird, eh?" He looked down at the child. "Trust me, child. We are." He looked back at the group. "Talking gets us nowhere. Every second we waste someone could...." He let that sentence trail off, noting the fearful look in the child's eyes. "We move." He motioned to follow. "Tell me. This 'wind god' of yours. He usually a nice fellow?" He then inwardly grimaced at the words his mind said: [We may end up having to break wind.]
Swanson had just regained his bearings from the time traveling when some kid comes out of nowhere and asks for their help? That's more than a little annoying to the young man.
"So how exactly is this going to help in our quest? I mean I'm all for beating up metal birds and saving villages but we kind of have to save time itself. Unless you all really believe that a giant metal bird will lead us to the problem at hand." Swanson shrugged, the kid's story was sad and all, but they had a much more important mission at hand.
99Cy, that's terrible.))
Kairus looked over at Swanson, and his eyes lit up as he made a brief mental link. [Think on this,] came Kairus' voice into Swanson's head without bothering with its ears, [Giant metal bird. To a culture with primitive technology...this giant metal bird attacking the village could in fact be an assault aircraft of some sort. If you'd never seen a plane before, nor had a word for it, what would you call a fighter jet or an airliner? If such an anachronism is here, then this just may be a lead for us.]
While Swanson was more than a little freaked out all he did was shrug. "Fine then, let's go kick some metal bird ass!" Swanson started walking with the rest of the group, not saying much and possibly confusing those who were unaware of Kairus' powers.
"Already ahead of you, my boy," commented Cobalt to Swanson as he strode on ahead. Cobalt's long legs were mostly concealed by the glimmering blue cloak, but that didn't help his gait from looking like a flamingo's as he hurried ahead. "If danger is present, then discovery is not far behind! Besides, it's not every day you get to meet a god."
"Analysis complete, sir," reported Periwinkle as it hovered at Cobalt's shoulder. "The boy is not exhibiting any symptoms of chronospatial tampering, similar to the other animals we have seen so far here. But it seems that more elemental configurations, like water and air, are indeed being affected much like the people were back in the original timesphere prior to our displacement to here."
"Bring up any and all references to wind or air gods, and prepare to compare them to whatever it is attacking the village," ordered Cobalt. "And reconfigure the portable deflectors for maximum protection against heat-based projectiles or flame - I want to set up a defensive line for our fellows as soon as we reach the site, so that we may determine the best course of action after some observation."
"Yes, sir."
The Past
The child waved the group onward.
"This way!"
Watching Cobalt walk, for want of a better word, in that direction, Jason scratched his head and followed the child. He was content, at least for the time being, to let the others set the pace of what was going to happen. The hedgehog was more curious about their setting, and he allowed himself the chance to survey the environs. Wide, sweeping expanses of thick woods spread across the landscape, reaching off into the far distance. Clawing their way into the cyan sky were purple mountains whose white caps were haloed with a mythic mist. The scenery suggested that, in more conventional times, one might reasonably expect to see nymphs at play in the forests while young men went off to hunt stags and were turned into bears because they happened upon Rubenesque goddesses bathing in ponds. It was difficult to believe that this was the past of Sega City.
"Did anyone feel that?" asked Kayla as the group ascended a hill.
"It wasn't me," Srol quickly said.
"It felt like a brush of a breeze," Kayla continued, ignoring Srol.
Jason took a quick look down at his feet. Surprisingly, the grass underfoot rippled as if, indeed, there were a wind.
"We must be getting closer," said Ramza. Jason reached back and unsheathed his longsword.
***
The Present
"Well, it looks like it was a success," Vector said, scratching the underside of his snout.
"Um," Selph began. Vector turned to look at the technician questioningly.
"Yes?"
"This might be a bad time to ask, but how are they going to get back to the present?"
Vector remained silent for a time. Eventually, his answer was, "The restoration of the Figment Keys should provide all the remedies."
"So...you don't know?"
The crocodile sighed and beckoned Selph to follow him back into the Webmaster's Office. There, he selected a slim volume from the bookshelf, flipped it open to a dogeared page, and read. "The Figment Keys are the main source of power for the Admins and Mods. However, they have a resonance with every Forumer's imagination - the extent of this resonance is unknown, but experiments have indicated that the Figment Keys actually power everyone's imagination and this seems to be the source of the so-called 'insanity' of the MFW."
"So they just have to wish to come back to the present? I don't want to sound too sceptical, but I'd hate to think they're relying on the same stuff that Peter Pan would tell the children to use in order to fly."
Vector clapped the book closed. "There are some things we simply do not yet know. That isn't to say they are unknowable; they are just unknown to us right now. The powers of observation and reasoning are our greatest tools in these trying times. Since we have little else to do, I suppose now is a fine time to research the old archives on just what it is that is known about the Keys."
Selph sighed as Vector pointed a dismissive finger toward the stairs. "Down we go. I'm sure the others won't be back for a while."
"Is there nothing else we could be doing at a moment like this?"
"If you have a suggestion while we have no power and all people in this city are frozen in time, I am open to it."
The technician turned with drooping shoulders. "Okay. One thing, though: what do you think that guy meant by knowing ourselves better?"
"One more thing unknown to us right now, although if I had to speculate, I'd imagine that it's little more than a taunt designed to commit us to needless introspection, hoping to make us question ourselves and make a mistake while we are in the process of second-guessing ourselves."
"Don't you ever find it important to reconsider a plan?"
"Of course I do, but if you make a plan well enough the first time, you won't have need for reconsideration."
Selph nodded quietly as he pondered the Administrator's words. The two of them began descending the long stairways to the archives on one of the lower floors in HQ Tower.
Shylarah sticks close to the boy, one hand on her sword hilt, violet eyes sweeping the area. She also casts around with her mental senses, trying to pick up any magic in the area, or major energy anomalies. Talk of a metal bird makes her wonder what sort of creature the "wind god" really is. Metal made her think of dragons' scales, and the image she forms in her mind is quite different from the one Swanson and Kairus have come up with.
Hukos wasn't quite sure of what was going on, but he was definitely going to come along to see about kicking some metal bird ass.
(OOC: Blah, short post. I'm a bit confused as to what's going on through, so that's kind of expected)
Kairus sneered inwardly as black energy crackled across his shoulder blades. [A god, eh? I've faced off with a lot of so-called 'gods'. Most of the time they were kings who pulled double duty as monarch and deity. They proved mortal enough in the end.] The black energy solidified into a gold cylinder. Kairus grabbed it and unhooked it from his belt, a large macehead extending down a pole which shot out on both ends of the cylinder. The other pole sprouted a jet-black scythe blade with an axe-head on the other side. [If we can't talk whatever it is down...]
Shylarah tenses, wings flaring partially open. The dangerous feeling that crackled through the air as Kairus summoned his weapons has her on edge. "You," she addresses Kairus. "You..." she gropes for the right words, not getting any real resonances from him for her words. "You smell? feel? Um..." A frown creases her forehead. "Hard talking with you. You smell/feel like...like...." She casts about for the right word, but can't figure it out. "Nif!" An annoyed word, followed by a sentence in her native language. "Your mind-walls...word-stopping. No word-sense."
