The Center of Time

[Guest 11456]

Ohm Eleven, A Mechanical Nano who Talks to Machines

[sblock=At the Marketplace the other day]The merchant strokes his chin. "Sixteen for the both, and luck be on you."[/sblock]

[sblock=Yesterday]Ohm Eleven nods and then count out sixteen shins. Then he takes possession of the two items. Finally after looking at the options for sleeping he decides to splurge and get a room at The Floating Bed for 6 shins.[/sblock]

 

[Shayuri]

"Are you returning to the city where time stops?" Echo asks. Her voice is still toneless, still hard. She hasn't forgiven the Augur yet.

"If so, then you don't need to hurt this man to find the destination. We're going there as well."

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"Are you returning to the city where time stops?" Echo asks. Her voice is still toneless, still hard. She hasn't forgiven the Augur yet.

"If so, then you don't need to hurt this man to find the destination. We're going there as well."

"Go there?" The Augur actually laughs, a bitter, hateful sound. "Child of forbidden mercury, I am running for what little remains of my life before it can take it all away!"

"We're running," the duracha echoes, his voice faint, airy, breathless. "Running away, can't do anything else, fading. We're running away, only part of us will get away..."

---------------------

[sblock=Yesterday]Ohm Eleven nods and then count out sixteen shins. Then he takes possession of the two items. Finally after looking at the options for sleeping he decides to splurge and get a room at The Floating Bed for 6 shins.[/sblock]

[sblock=The Other Day]The Floating Bed is worth every shin. The room is plush, the chairs and bed looking like clouds, hovering above the floor with no visible means of support, and conforming to the contours of your body very comfortably. You have three personal attendants to cater to your every whim - one to run the bathing chamber, another to bring you food and drink, and a third to provide you with entertainment (reading material, music, projections to view). The food is called "smoke food," a curious variety of pellets that are lit in a particular order, depending upon the dish, the thick smoke making exquisite flavors on your tongue and satisfying your hunger quite handily.[/sblock]

 

[doghead]

Wisco, a Tough Nano who Lives in the Wilderness

The Augur shows visible shock when Echo names the manikin of light by its proper name, and clutches his hands to the middle of his chest, stilling his fingers from plucking at the threads of light still connecting his hands to the duracha's head.

"It is needful," the Augur says. "Very needful. There is no chance of being able to get to my destination without extracting whatever processes I left within my duracha's head. If I cannot get to where I need to go, both of us will suffer beyond anything you thought you saw."

The Augur gets some of his color back as Seregal talks, and takes a long, careful breath.

"I... was there. I... am, was a deep scholar of the city. I ran. We all ran. I was trying... to find... something. A solution? Or a new power source? But I could not remember, could not travel, could not... I do not remember my own name..."

The duracha sits up a little straighter as the Augur stops plucking on the bands of light, clutching at Antor's arms more to sit himself up than out of fear.

"Are you returning to the city where time stops?" Echo asks. Her voice is still toneless, still hard. She hasn't forgiven the Augur yet.

"If so, then you don't need to hurt this man to find the destination. We're going there as well."

"Go there?" The Augur actually laughs, a bitter, hateful sound. "Child of forbidden mercury, I am running for what little remains of my life before it can take it all away!"

"We're running," the duracha echoes, his voice faint, airy, breathless. "Running away, can't do anything else, fading. We're running away, only part of us will get away..."

Wisco can't conceal the shudder as the husk of duracha echos the Augur's words. He is tempted to Mindslice the Augur, but is not sure how it will affect the duracha.

"Needful or not, you have no right to deny the duracha the protection of the sheb-sun. You have lost the right to demand anything of him. Release him, and then we will help you as best we can. Wislayn is not too far from here.

"And maybe, if what you say is correct, and you restore the protection of the sheb-sun, he will agree to share his mind once more. But it has to be his decision."

 

[Shayuri]

"Besides, you can't run away from this," Echo points out. "It has to be stopped at the source. That's what we are going to do."

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Wisco can't conceal the shudder as the husk of duracha echos the Augur's words. He is tempted to Mindslice the Augur, but is not sure how it will affect the duracha.

"Needful or not, you have no right to deny the duracha the protection of the sheb-sun. You have lost the right to demand anything of him. Release him, and then we will help you as best we can. Wislayn is not too far from here.

"And maybe, if what you say is correct, and you restore the protection of the sheb-sun, he will agree to share his mind once more. But it has to be his decision."

The Augur looks around, and his eyes alight on Echo. "She is the sheb-sun now, the child of mercury. It took a host..."

"Besides, you can't run away from this," Echo points out. "It has to be stopped at the source. That's what we are going to do."

The Augur and the duracha laugh, though the duracha's laugh seems to be more of an echo than anything from within himself.

"Then say good-bye to your minds, and weep for your will, because the city will eat you!" he says, a note of hysteria in his voice.

The duracha sits up straight in Antor's arms, looks over at Echo, at Wisco, Seregal, and up at Antor, and suddenly yanks on the threads of light coming from his temples. The Augur, staggers, tumbling to the ground, and the duracha pulls harder.

"It took your courage first. It didn't take mine. At least they're going to try!" he howls.

[sblock=Seregal]GM Intrusion - the rod you were given begins to blink - it's activating by itself, trying to bring you and yours across the teleport point marked by the braided river. Pay me 1 XP to say "hell, no" or get 2 XP (one of which must be given to another player) if you take it.[/sblock]

 

[iamrpgdm]

Antor seeing what the duracha is trying to do, helps him pull on the threads of light.

1d20=16

 

[doghead]

Wisco, a Tough Nano who Lives in the Wilderness

The Augur looks around, and his eyes alight on Echo. "She is the sheb-sun now, the child of mercury. It took a host..."

Wisco glances at Echo. 'Child of Mercury'. That's twice he has called her that. And it sounds like it's more than just a comment on her appearance.

The duracha sits up straight in Antor's arms, looks over at Echo, at Wisco, Seregal, and up at Antor, and suddenly yanks on the threads of light coming from his temples. The Augur, staggers, tumbling to the ground, and the duracha pulls harder.

"It took your courage first. It didn't take mine. At least they're going to try!" he howls.

"Enough already!" Wisco growls, getting a bit tired of it all. Wisco considers Mindslicing one, or both of them to try and break the link when he remembers something.

"Echo, the Augur said that you were now the sheb-sun. Perhaps you can put an end to this."

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Antor seeing what the duracha is trying to do, helps him pull on the threads of light.

1d20=16

Antor lends his strength to the duracha's efforts, wrapping his hands around the threads of light and giving a might heave. The Augur screams as the strands part company from his palms, flowing into the duracha's temples.

The Augur looks surprised, blinking at Antor, at Echo, then at the duracha.

And then falls over with his eyes open, chest still.

Dead.

"Oh," the duracha says mildly. Then he looks at the others, his pupils dilating sharply. "You're going. You're being called. You're stronger than we were. I don't think you're to its taste." He pauses and adds, "At least I hope not."

 

[doghead]

Wisco, a Tough Nano who Lives in the Wilderness

Dead.

"Well. That could have gone better. For the Augur at least.

Wisco steps over to the body and proceeds to search it. What Wisco is looking for is anything that might help them learn more about what lies ahead. He has no interest in the stuff per se. Coin, bling bling, whatever, he hands over to the duracha.

"Oh," the duracha says mildly. Then he looks at the others, his pupils dilating sharply. "You're going. You're being called. You're stronger than we were. I don't think you're to its taste." He pauses and adds, "At least I hope not."

"Hmmm."