This sticky will be used for keeping track of previous large store-wide metaplots and events that have been run. Its means that large meta stories can be broken down in easy to digest sections for new members so they can catch up and see how the world is progressing. There will be a beginning, middle and end to all meta plots placed in this thread with who died, who emerged, and other large plot points.
ALTERNIAN NEWS BLOTTER
Trolls from around the world will be able to access the information one way or another, through bold and brave Paperkids, the grubtube, or any other form of media. Some information recorded here is not public knowledge. Secrets revealed during meta-events and goings on in secret societies should not be known by trolls outside the loop.
Information is recorded from oldest to newest events!
If you have quotes, additional moments or links to plot relevant RPs that you would like to share, please PM the mule.
Aprife could only wish this big guy lived up to his spectacular size in snark or something. If he had been berated and purposefully beaten up, he felt like he could have fought back with the same vigor as a good investigation. But no, instead he just felt… bad. It was a weird, uncomfortable feeling he rarely felt.
Unlike Sarcel, she hadn't come to the gathering with anyone. Not even her own lusus had accompanied her. She was only fighting for herself, and only to get out of the competition one way or another. She didn't really care if she lost or won, as long as she could walk away alive.
Oh, that had hurt. It had awakened within him a spark of rage that often accompanied pain. Losing himself, he snarled at the yellowblood and went after her with a fury that he hadn't held before.
If this is legitimately all you can do, you're not suited to fight me." she hissed into her foe's ear, still maintaining a firm grip on the collar of her shirt. "Either step up, or quit while you still have some trace of dignity left.
"Don't embarrass us highbloods," she chirped, grinning just as vibrantly as before. Was he holding back because her blood was a few shades later? The tell tale scars of battle across his face said yes. "Show me what you're really made of!"
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“By your orders, ma'am." Determination renewed, he surged forward, attacking with both trench knives now. He took pride in a job well done, after all.
Point was, the gall of this greenblood, to speak to him the way he, well, spoke to others, was astounding. He had liked her for her brashness before, but now, Sempur decided he hated her. Hated her for being too damn good, too damn close to perfect.
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She'd never been filled with such admiration, really. There was a troll who had enough defiance to stand up to him, and then back up those words with force, and good god was she backing up those words.
Sir was losing.
Forget it, he needed the beating. Sir had to learn that he wasn't ******** perfect, because no one is, and he surely wasn't. She was rooting for the greenblood, if even only mentally.
Sorry, Sir.
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“You're a disgrace." No attempts at being witty. No effort invested in getting under his skin. A flat statement, infused with as much repulsion and derision as three words could possibly contain. She curled her lip at him, her blind rage starting to subside. "I don't recommend ******** with those too timid to put you in your place anymore, pathetic."
What were the odds of landing another shovel-wielding opponent right after the first? His poor, poor face… it burned with the memory of the hard shot that had nearly knocked him out early. Whyyyyy?
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She couldn't help but let out a little sigh of relief. There wasn't time to linger, though. As much as she wanted to just stand there blissfully motionless, she knew that it would be a bad idea. Maybe she could sneak back into the medical hive later. Yeah, that's what she'd do.
Zeffer laughed like a hyena, practically spinning around the poor recruit with a look of near-murderous intent in his sunset eyes. He was doing his best to be the embodiment of what he loved, of chaos, of his mad electrical storms, and he was succeeding, for the moment at any rate.
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Okay. Calm. Okay. You're in the middle of a fight. A fight against a kid that the queen is expecting you to win and you're losing and you may have just had your heart fried into irreg--okay no, that is not calm. Okay. Fight.
The blueblood laughed as Pyre scolded Aprife. The guy had been so tense throughout the entire match, but Zeffer couldn't blame him, he supposed. They were all equally vicious opponents, and fighting both had been a real treat.
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It was all he could get out before Pyruet pulled the trigger, bringing Zeffer down in a blaze he felt was appropriate for the blueblood, but still- That had been overkill. That made him feel even more that the idea of teaming up with your enemy could only end badly… "I was never on your side. Or Zeffer's," he added for good measure. "I'm on my own side and that's it!"
The result of the Mother Grub’s illness lead to a split in the population of Alternia – rebels and royalists alike searched for the solution in their own way, leading to a hazardous trail for those brave enough to set off on the expedition.
Rebels and royalists alike set up camp to train their recruits for the oncoming adventure, and soon both groups set off.
Life on the desert was dangerous, but the trolls made their stand for what they believed in.
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Whoever said that a desert is an infertile expanse of wasteland, devoid of life and thriving ecosystems would be the biggest liar Edtrex Janzek had ever met.
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"Y'here for trainin', miss?" the troll questioned. Odette, at a loss for words, nodded swiftly. The trainer offered her a hand, and she nervously took hold of it. She took a deep breath and reminded herself why she was here.
Do it for the other lowbloods. Do it for the rebellion. Do it for the entire troll race. They're counting on you.
Friendships were made.
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Zeffer plopped down into the empty seat next to Aprife, and waved Rero over… This is Torero...Rero, meet Aprife. I think us three would make a pretty kick a** team. They said four, but a lot of trolls have already begun to team up..." he smiled hopefully.
Some friendships… Were avoided.
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It was a bit more difficult to concentrate this time around, but he stuck it through. Stuck it out, learned a thing, still quite and anti-social as ever. Avoiding the other trolls, the class is over, dismissed, time to go back to your respiteblock quarters. Another thing he didn't really enjoy. Hell, he didn't enjoy this place at all. They'd better hop to his own personal benefits soon!
And some “friendships” were… Well...
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Mercifully, Ophion set the tool down and backed away from Muerte to stand behind him (not much better but still now he wasn’t breathing down his neck). “Genetics is the key to cloning. Imagine, sequencing the genome of a mother grub…to have the blueprint to make your own.” Ophion grasped the back of his chair and leaned forward until his lips were nearly brushing his ear. “To have your own, persssonal, troll factory,”
In the underground camp, some royalists found the chain of command a new and challenging ordeal.
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WHAT THE F*** YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, CADET!?" Roared one of the Technical Officers suddenly, causing Talymn to fumble with his instrument. Even with the guy bearing down on him, the indigo blood could scarce believe he was being given orders. Actual orders.
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The whole reason she had even agreed to sign up for all of this in the first place was because Hazzan had promised the most delicious FLARPs ever. The highblood had agreed that the temptation of playing in the caverns was great; but she never agreed to do classes or any extra work.
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The whistle blared, signalling the end of the run. A voice demanded that she walk, so she walked. Until her knees gave out. The last thing she remembered was the face of a very angry highblood before everything went black.
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HEY!" A soldier had spotted her just as she was about to turn around. "Get your lazy a** over here, recruit!" Like hell I will.
The training was militaristic and tight, but for some, the task became a worthwhile necessity and even a pleasure.
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Even if it involved this sort of training daily - he'd have money, he thought. Money was nice to have, when he didn't have the time to hunt for himself or the time to walk all the way down the Busthind Mountains to the Four Fronds. He would like money. Perhaps he could purchase more books with it, too.
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Um, i-if I may, do... Do you have anything more on stars..? I would love to um, review them some more..." The soldier stared at her like she was a complete fool for talking like that. Maihue became flustered as the soldier stared at her, and then they nodded. They shoved some papers into her hands and shooed her away. Maihue walked back to her spot smiling. Oh how she really did like learning about the stars.
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The blueblood spent a considerable amount of time with her compared to the rest of the primarily lowblooded class- much to Frossa's pleasure. What a great ending to an alright few weeks!
Groups, at first, held together with their bonds of friendship and a will for adventure.
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His whole life had been leading up to his moment, his coming-of-age story! It would have everything, just like his novels—drama, intrigue... romance?
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"Do you need any other clothing besides the sweater? You really do look cold." She gestured to the mittens she had and started digging into her bag for something to keep the other girl warm.
But, as the adventure took place, hardships befell the groups.
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What had happened? The team's food rations were low? This was a concept that Odette was familiar with, but Athene obviously was not.
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Odd conclusion there. Insanity was already being proven in this act of wandering the desert. You try to convince yourself otherwise but then circular logic just adds more to the insanity clause. You really should stop thinking about that topic in general. It's just not healthy. So is a lack of water. That's definitely not healthy at all. And neither is mindless rambling which is being done by some other entity that you're not really sure about, but it keeps going on and on, dictating your actions like a narrator of sorts. It's really getting annoying. You try to tell the 'narrator' to stop then realise you're just shouting out at nothing.
Well. So much for that 'not being insane' thing.
Finally, the rebels encountered a hidden hive in the desert. Rumors of a mother grub with a fresh matriorb fresh for the taking seemed true, and further investigation lead the group to the owner of a house – Aendal, a jadeblood.
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What age they were wasn't important though. The important part was that they were here. At his hive. In those numbers. Something was going on, and Aendal didn't much care for that…. "You wouldn't be the first ones to fall here to keep this place hidden, there've been others scouting me out for their own agendas." He was talking a big game, but they'd never come in numbers quite like this. Even if most of them were kids, a dozen versus one were still some pretty stiff odds. "...So why should I trust you, when it'd be so much easier and wiser to silence you?"
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Then came the threat. And if it hadn’t been for the drone speaking up again, the highblood probably would have barked out a laugh in his face. Which…probably would have gotten his vocal cords intimately acquainted with that machete. So maybe the little hornless b*****d was worth the space he took up after all.
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He listened as the others tried to speak, and grinned a bit at Taquin. "Yeah! You're suppose to be real important. We're more on your side than against you." Zeffer offered. There was always a time and place for violence, but this was surely not it.
His gaze turned, one by one, to each of the trolls piping up their own ideas. No consistency. Vague threats. No, they weren't allies, they were only here for themselves, just like all the rest. And they'd die here. Just like all the rest.
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Oh my gog this is bad. He's going to kill us all and not even break a sweat! Odette felt faint, more heat rose to her face and her head pounded as if a herd of hoofbeasts were migrating across her brain. The first explosion shocked her out of her momentary lapse of concentration, instincts kicking in.
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She couldn't think... Fire. Fire... Oh gog... Whimpering, she looked towards the jadeblood, whom was smirking at them.
She huffed, calming herself down enough to compose herself.
She dashed into battle, looking out for any fires that might singe or hurt her, and attacked the jade blood.
She needed to be strong. Just this once. For herself and her friends.
She wanted what was best for them. She wanted to live.
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Seriously.. if I get out of this alive, I am taking all of this guy's research. All. Of. It. Weaving back and forth between the exploding pods, Janzek wasn't sure what the Hell was even keeping him moving. “
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Keep going. She kept telling herself. It'll be worth it in the end.
In his kneeling position, the oil-secreting weeds were up to his chest. Good enough. A spark, just as small and insignificant as the first, and the entire field was bathed in flames. "I'm sorry."”
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His fists clenched, and he bore his teeth in an expression of anger. Some expedition to further hemo-equality this had turned out to be.
"Good job, assholes! I hope you all burn!!" he snarled, before turning to dart back out into the desert and away from those who had fought without so much as a glance back.
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Odette remained outside on the verge of fainting, not having enough strength to follow the others. It was an awful sight to see. Just before she was a powerhouse, dealing damage like it was nothing in order to save her and her friend's lives. Now she was laying on her side like a wiggler, in a pool of blood, tears, and throw-up, sobbing quietly.
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Everything hurt. Everything in her mind screamed at the injustice and burned at the fact she had killed a troll for no good reason at all. Nothing was worth him dying, nothing justified this crime. And for once Athene cried, clutching a troll much smaller in her lap, trying to figure out the world.
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Whatever the reason, Janzek and what few others that had found their way into the basement gathered in contemplative, respectful silence as they waited for her to breath her last.
When the silence became complete, Janzek was the first to act, carefully slicing open her midsection to procure the matriorb at last.
The intact matriorb was pulled from the now-dying virgin grub, and is currently in the possession of the rebel forces.
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"Now that we have the Matriorb, the entire troll populace isn't controlled by the royal one anymore. I think it goes without saying how significant this is. What's more, is that it seems like Marian's troops are pulling from the brooding caverns. Intel says they have managed to keep their grip on their own Mother Grub- which is great news for us, as they won't come looking for this." The leader jutted a thumb over to the dripping ball of horns. "We thank you for all your efforts. As I've said none of this will be in vain; in fact, this is a huge step forward. Without you-"
A sudden beam falling caused a sudden latent ability to rise in the young Odette Cygnet -- with her newfound powers she saved the lives of her fellow friends.
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She wasn't flattened like roadkill, in fact she didn't even feel the beam touch her at all. She peeped her eyes open slightly, and witnessed a most miraculous sight. An immense gust of wind was slowly pushing the beam backwards, but Odette didn't feel the wind behind her, so where was it coming from? Am I doing that? she wondered. No, I can't be, that's just not possible!
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"I don't know... what happened... All I know is we're alive, and... and that's all that counts." She looked to Odette with a thankful smile, wiping away her tears of joy. She was grateful. She was so, so grateful.
She owed Odette her life. Even if it was a short one.
When they finally set out, Alifax was a little surprised. It was incredibly dark in the caverns - and sure, he was nocturnal just like any other proper troll, but it was a lot darker than the night. It was...pitch black, actually, and he could barely make anything out, which was bad. He liked being able to see.
He wasn't paying much mind to the other groups of trolls, but with Hazzan and Frossa at his side he felt a lot more confident.
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But now. Now. Now it was business time. They were in the caves. Hunting a Mother Grub. And OK, sure, there was a rock slide, but that was in the past. All she had to do was get through it and it was back to saving the world.
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"God Almighty, shut the hell up." She was practically growling at this point. Holy damn, she was beyond sick of his voice.
The cave held incredible dangers, some coming from within the groups themselves.
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Just when she thought they were going to make it across no problem the bridge gave way under their weight. She was able to reach out and grab onto the rock to drag herself up on the other side. However, the drone that had accompanied Abrila and herself was not quite so lucky.
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Fighting it had never even occurred to her. This was real life. Fighting s**t was for when you had specifically engineered the situation and didn't have more important things like ill mother grubs to worry about.
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What was that noise? Oh, did he even want to know?
He could face an anonymous beast, no matter how big it was! That was what FLARPing had been training them for, right? That was what the army had been training them for. He could - oh, oh no. It was a boulder.
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She cared a whole ******** lot and she. Did not. Want him. To touch her.
The scream Zeylla released was probably not sane sounding. Someone might think she was being killed or something, but really. If anyone was going to die, gogs let it be Sempur. It would make sense, at least, seeing as Zeylla had gripped his offending hand at the wrist and elbow with her hands(her pile of clothing -along with squished fluffbeast gogs damn it- lay on the ground) and threw him off the cliff face.
Tensions exploded between the group, but finally they emerged in time to see a note left for them by the scout.
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Gaining scars, why, that was to be celebrated. Marks of courage and experience. To lose a whole horn? That was it, he had lost. To the greyblood.
“f he couldn't very well take his anger out on the one he wanted, verbal abuse had to do. Sempur never would have yelled at a higherblood, heavens no, but the fact hardly seemed to register to him as he turned his attention onto Talymn now, drawing his own knives on himself, cutting through the cloth of his uniform to run the blade down his trembling arm. "ARE YOU ENTERTAINED? ARE YOU ENJOYING THIS?"
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“Oh for ******** s--...close your eyes, fluffy, I don't want you to see this." she muttered, stalking up to him, revolver drawn. She spun it on her finger, twirling it around and catching it by the barrel.
CRACK.
For the second time, Sempur Livora was knocked unconscious by one Pyruet Tropos.
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This wasn't a fight she could easily win, she knew it deep down. She would try though, try as best as she could. She was going to redeem herself; standing in line to sign up for this little slice of hell, promising that she would do just that. Sir might of been the tenacious one, but Sarcel was tenacious too.
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"Well, that was interestin'..." He said casually, looking over to Minist with a sideways glance while pulling out a packet of granola from his survival kit. "Ya know either o' 'em?
There's a huge abomination suddenly erupting out a guttural bellow and monstrous sound. Flapping its wings, terrifying, her eyes are wide. Her nerves are shot, and they aren't reacting well to the new rush of adrenaline. It was making her sick now, not energized or renewed, just sick with the fear and rush of it all.
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Alifax frowned. The last thing he wanted to do was expose his powers. But the leech didn't seem like it was going down. He bit his lip, and set his meteors on fire before aiming them at the leech.
He could say, at least, that he'd helped.
Finally, the creature was defeated. The group, beaten and embittered, proved a victory for Alternia.
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She highly doubted a little blood would make the medicine any less effective and she didn't care for cleaning out fluffbeast guts right now.
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Swinging her flail-mace up over her shoulder, the petite girl made her way over to the barely heaving body of the leech wyvern. Frossa paused a moment, cocking her head as she studied the creature; it seemed so pathetic and harmless now. As she gave it a couple good kicks to the side to assure it was down for the count, a smile began to return to the highblood's face- revenge was sweet.
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"Ya think ya got enough o' that paint splattered e'ery where? I mean.. this rock 'ere still looks clean t'me.
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Maihue was still on the ground. She could feel everything. She could hear everything. She heard someone say that the beast wasn't dead. She heard something being smashed. Others scuttling around, and sometimes there was just silence. Wait, what is this feeling? Something wet.. She couldn't tell what, she felt like she was dead already. There was no way she was going to give up on her life, though.
The herb was delivered to the royalists by Sarcel Cincil, who experienced the evolution of her latent powers of invisibility, and restored the Mother Grub’s health for future posterity.
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It was a pity that the remedy would have to have a delayed arrival back at camp, but if the result was ridding the world of one more highblood scum, she would gladly pay the price.
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Sarcel was none the wiser.
She had been given a task, rather, she had taken charge and stood up to a task at hand. Deep down, the blueblood girl wanted nothing more then to prove herself. Prove she wasn't a failure, that she wasn't completely pathetic, that she was worthy of the blue hue that embellished the winged shoe displayed on her shirt….Today was easily the longest, worst, and most... exciting night in her life.
Teams were broken up into blood color, and the Purpleblooded team reigned victorious (appropriately so!). The leaders of the group included Khanda Zitisi, Frossa Fyrste and Talymn Vylius. The Yellowblooded team emerged in second, lead by Aprife Invasi, Minist Outill and Vremea Everai, and the Redblooded team came in third with a strong showing by Odette Cygnet and Alifax Bunsem.
Highlights: (Quotes and moments from Bloodfest needed! Please PM the mule if you would like to submit a favorite snippet from the event, and add it to this most historical timeline!)
After a long and arduous search for the perpetrator of the mysterious elixir, sleuthing trolls found the culprit. The bounty set by one aged-down Regina Marian was very tempting, as well as finding the cure. Finally, his location was discovered, and a battle took place to find the cure and claim the reward.
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"Wanted?! W w why you, you all owe your glorious transformations to me! How could you even think of wanting to harm me?? With your adorably precious fists, even! You should be thanking me for this, instead of growing old and ugly, you c c can stay young and cute forever! Well I won't come willingly, I I I'll show you exactly what you get for taking on a level 99 Games Master like myself! C c come to me, my precious waifus!"
Highlights: (Quotes and moments from the Miracle Elixir event needed! Please PM the mule if you would like to submit a favorite snippet from the event, and add it to this most historical timeline!)
After odd weather patterns interrupted the trial of New Hemisect’s trial of B.I.G.S.I.S., a video surveillance unit throughout the city, tragedy struck. A series of earthquakes shook the city, causing massive structural damage and eliciting an immediate government response.
A relief station was set up in order to assuage the situation, leading to a successful Dictys Glauci earning the relief workers extra morale and supplies with eir influence. But after a while, looters lead by self-interest and dissidence began to take over. Fights broke out all over the city, some incredibly bloody.
As a result of the events that took place following the earthquake, New Hemisect was devastated. The success of the looters overcame the relief force, and reconstruction and assistance in the city was delayed severely.
She didn't feel loyal to the Queen anymore, she just felt... well, intimidated. She pursed her lips, frowning. Why did I have to realize this now? Now, of all times?
Oh well, she was still helping, that was all that mattered.
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It's the thrill of the game, plunder, loot, booty! Conquering and capturing! Though to be honest, it just don't feel right without having to fight for your loot. So hey, turns out you're good for something!
“KRRRRIKOW!" He sounded off, the vibration of his voice and his keytar ringing explosively loud. Louder than even Talymn expected (Well at least the mechanic got that thing right...), which consequently ended up sending shockwaves to run straight through the precariously standing buildings, causing a minor landslide to come roaring down towards the red blood.
"... Oops."
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Torero would remember this troll, becoming a black knight in his mind, a foe to later conquer when he wasn't valiantly backing off.
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No, there was nothing to gain from something so selfish. And, look – all those thoughtless looters had forced Dictys into this position. Supply delivery...how beneath em!
Throwing the last of her energy into the mix, despite the pain, she felt a warmth ripple over her skin as she (or at least she hoped) became transparent once again, grabbing her gun and running.
It was cowardly to run, but Sarcel was nothing if not Pathetic.
Pyruet smirked at Eostre. Cold enough to steal from others and beat people with metal knuckles, but still thought getting blood on her face was icky? "Childish."
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Aandes smirked. His intuition was right. The hooded blueblood was dynamite. He rapped his fingers against the wall as she jabbed at her opponent. He would definitely have to follow her later. He could really get used to her style!
After the success of the the Summer Bloodfest two years prior, plans were made to celebrate a second Bloodfest. Hosted in winter once more in Old Hemisect, there were a variety of seasonal activities such as snow troll building, sled racing, and of course a massive snowball fight. Strangely enough, the mild weather of Old Hemisect managed to clear up and resulted in a sudden and unexplained dumping of snow just prior to the event. Regina Marian made another appearance and stated in her opening speech that any profit made from the event went directly to rebuilding the city.
Like the previous Bloodfest, teams were decided by blood color. The bluebloods took first place, with purplebloods receiving what was definitely the grand prize and not losing whatsoever. Leaders were Zeffer Siroco for winning the sled race though he also performed admirably in the eating competition, Eostre Diazzi for winning the eating competition, Dictys Glauci for winning in ballads, and Regina Marian for her efforts in the eating competition. The orangebloods followed in second place with Zariah Rutace winning the snowball fight, and Vremea Everai and Dairah Vacche excelling in the present-making contest and ballad performance respectively. Finally, in third place were the greenbloods. Notable contests were Ganyma Callow for winning the snowtroll competition, Larque Skopos for his dexterity in both the sled race and snowball fight, and Rasali Panaka and Kursha Vidari for their efforts in the snowball fight and snowtroll competition respectively.
Highlights from the competition:
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Despite having gotten off to rough start, Zeffer Siroco did not allow difficulties to discourage him. Instead he brazenly forged on.
Well, that hadn't been a very promising start, but Zeffer was no stranger to being battered about, and found it added some much needed excitement. After a rough tumble through the snow, he got right back onto his disk (easily retrieved as always), and forged along, kicking a few other kids over whenever he saw the opening. He pointedly avoided the, ahem, more pointed sleds, however, and laughed a manic little laugh when he came to the next big hill. Here was a thrill he hadn't expected to get in participating in Bloodfest, and he took the dive without hesitation.
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The plushest of snowy rumps caught Ganyma's vision. He looked up from his lumpy potato rump to see, in the plot adjacent to his, a young troll (a redblood? He was so bundled up it was hard to tell!) finishing off the biggest and most spherical snowball he'd ever seen. He nearly gaped, hopping up and down (and kicking off another piece of his mediocre snowtroll's poor posterior).
"Wow!" He exclaimed. "Nice rump!!"
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Sinter startled and nearly tripped over his snowball. His blush was well-hidden beneath a layer of scarf and a perpetually-reddened face, cold weather notwithstanding, but Sinter felt the burn in his ears all the same.
He looked around in an accusatory manner before zeroing in on the bulky teal-blood building his own (less successful) snowtroll not far away. Sinter spared a few looks back to his own progress to reaffirm this stranger was talking to him. Why would a midblood bother complimenting him in the middle of a competition? Sinter was confused.
"Are you- Are you making fun of me!?" Sinter snapped before he could think better of it.
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Alifax always came prepared to eat as much free food as possible...but it looked like the sweet baked good he reached for first was far too rich for a troll who dieted on unseasoned meat and raw greens.
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tackling another huge plate, regi - uh - the mysterious troll leaned back in their chair and used the advanced technique of opening their mouth, tilting the plate, and letting everything slide into its mouth.
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Rasali saw Aandes' face and gagged. Unfortunately her mouth was full at the time and the results were, safe to say, tragic.
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Eostre stands up suddenly and quickly exits. It is time to leave this contest right now. Holy s**t she has eaten so much and needs to punch something for twenty years until she burns off all the calories.
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As Kursha prepares to hurl another snowball, he suddenly loses his balance and somehow manages to hit HIMSELF with his own snowball. He suffers eternal shame and really hopes that no one else saw that. He also suffers being cold and wet.
(Have a favorite Bloodfest moment? Submit it to the mule!)
Deep within a royal laboratory, the Weather And Cloud Kinesis Yoohicky (known as the WACKY) was pursued by rebels. After an unsuccessful test of the device resulting in the tragic New Hemisect Earthquake, and a show of success during the Winter Bloodfest event, it became apparent as the cause of the unusual seasonal weather. Four Fronds and New Hemisect saw mild and pleasant weather patterns, while Chittentown received wildly differing weather and flooding, and Busthind experienced a melting of its frozen caps.
However, before the rebels could reach the WACKY, a huge lusus stormed through the laboratory, taking the machine with it. Rebels and royalists both had means to take the device, and advertised rewards for the first search group to bring it back to their side.
Through thick and thin, the groups wore down the lusus and suffered through very peculiar weather from ice storms to fish rain. The local fauna, little desert gerbils, found new homes as their habitats were uprooted by the weather. Ultimately, the battle came down to a final blow. Capturing the lusus was a rebel team: The Birds. Led by Ganyma Callow, the group consisting of Didero Salons and Luxara Seleni delivered the WACKY to the rebels after a week’s worth of harsh conditions.
"Do you know why I have designated us as the Bleeders?" Oh, how clever he had felt when he had sprung that name on Pathetic. "Because I expect us to BLEED and make OTHERS bleed but mostly WE WILL BE BLEEDING and it will be A LOT." Sempur would have continued yelling along these long-winded lines, but a roar to rival his own interrupted—there was their chance to bleed and make bleed as the charging lusus appeared, kicking up choking red dust in its wake, and the militant blueblood did not even hesitate.
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It wasn't the lizard he was frightened of, but Sempur's approach as he moved to pounce on the poor beast.
"Don't kill it! We probably just startled it is all!!" He cried, and launched a shot at the beast's tail.
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And thus, she tried to remain optimistic. Something in the back of her mind screamed FUTILE, but another part did genuinely hope for the best.
Regina adjusted the hooded cloak that covered her face, and tugged a little at her poncho. The symbol on it was dark blue, just a few swirls and splotches she had vaguely painted on before scaling down the window from her royal block and running off to join the fun. As always, she was in cognito, posing as one "Comuta Habtum". She had figured that her blood colour would be high enough, but to her (rather disgruntled) surprise, one of the little grub babies left in her care was a purpleblood. Well. Whatever. Fine.
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Kabukidad made a peculiar motion, dipping his torso down to the sandy terrain. The hole in his neck gaped above his paws -- it soon appeared as though he was laying down, hunched over his front. After a moment and an idle, bloody bat to a floppy ear, Kabukidad sat back on his hind legs. Threat resolved. No more bouncebeast.
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Tamiya bent down idly to pick up something odd in the sand, and outright beamed. Balancing the group paid off! She gasped happily, clutching the lucky beetle. "O, Mirthful Salvation! ********, look! A good sign!" She held out the beetles for all to see. "There's enough for each of us, thank the Messiahs,"
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"H... Hello..." Sinter stopped walking suddenly--group forgotten. He knelt down in the sand and shuffled around a little. When he stood back up, Sinter was positively beaming.
"Look, a gerbil!" Sinter held up his new little friend, cupped gently in both hands. Then, upon remembering his company, Sinter shied back away and returned the gerbil to his chest protectively.
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Their eyes were shining as the beast ran off trailing blood, and they bounced up and down excitedly as they ran to retrieve the net ; a little torn around the edges from the lusus' flailing, but otherwise intact!
"That was awesome!"
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Regina had a large soft spot for her own caste, but sometimes they could be a little too bizarre for her tastes. "Someone make sure she doesn't like - bite her tongue off or something. I don't want to be responsible for bringing back an injured purpleblood wiggler, got it?"
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Whilst they weren't the strongest of trolls (...weedy, was the word that came to mind) their fingers were quick enough, and they passed out the tangled nets back to everyone with a smile ; shy for Tamiya and a bigger grin for Sinter and Commy's was even accompanied with a salute~
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Before Sinter could allow himself to fall into fantasies of being invited to highblood parties, he was interrupted by an earthquake.
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Something appeared in the distance -- lusus bones? No, wait. Troll bones as well. Tamiya sighed and crossed herself. No desert ghosts today. Fortunately, long deceased corpses were an easy fix as long as their places of death were local to their remains. "Excuse me, bitches," Tamiya requested.
She hopped up to the spot, investigating for a moment any signs of foul play, and determined cause of death by natural causes. It was a beautiful crime scene - she could just cry. The ritual was quick and painless -- only a half hour's time lost!
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Next thing they knew they'd been beaned by a trout, making them fall over. Owch! Struggling back to his feet, he tossed the net at the lusus, with a lovely word about fish too.
"Dear Tierte, do be sure to keep close to me. The desert is vast and absolutely crawling with dangerous rebels, I'd bet. I'd hate to see anything happen to you, you know." Eostre side-eyed Tierte's huge lusus, always accompanying the paranoid child. "I'll keep an eye out for anything, of course,"
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Still, she didn't want to be caught by rebels, or get stranded in this awful desert. Tierte just wanted to go home, which she apparently couldn't do until they fixed the weather.
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The fast beast was back, and now that Tierte knew she got her rope back, she was less reluctant. It was almost exciting. She threw the rope at the lusus again with a grunt, so that the blueblood could go hit it again, while she safely retreated to Lynxmom's side.
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She had a piece of junk (didn't she have enough of that at her hive?) and seemed pleased with it for whatever reason. Eostre picked up another piece of it (a smaller one) and put it in her pocket. She figured it was part of the WACKY, and maybe she'd need to fix it? Or make Tierte do that, since that's what lowbloods are for.
He eyed the scene. There was something next to the bones. Was that a...? Oh dear.
"Umm! Hey, kids, nothing this way! Let's move along! No need to look over there, just super ancient stuff."
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"I dunno, I think it's more important to DO the thing than WRITE about it. If it's so rare you'll remember it later when it's not so much of a silly idea to have writing stuff along on a HUNTING trip!" She shook her head with a chuckle and continued on. "HAVE you ever hunted before? I sure have and I wouldn't be caught DEAD with any of that. I mean it's nice to find paper on a corpse, who can say no to free paper, but..." she shrugged. "Maybe you can stab the lusus with that pen. That'd be neat!"
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Didero sniffled and frowned at Luxara. "You don't really strike me as an avid reader..." he mumbled and sniffed again.
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"OH MAN YOU -BIT- IT!" Luxara couldn't help but yell in amazement as she used the time it was stunned to assist with her net. If it wasn't such a big and cumbersome lusus, she would be the biggest distraction by firing her mouth off at just how COOL that was.
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Didero was pleased as punch with the notes he'd taken thus far. Hopefully they'd make sense when read back later. The pages were mostly filled with detailed descriptions of Ganyma's various fighting stances, eventually degrading into childish pictures when Didero ran out of adjectives.
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"You're welcome to join me!" he announced good naturedly. "I'll be keeping an eye out if you'd like to nap, and we'll continue after nightfall. Luxara, you're my second pair of eyes, got it?"
Delegating tasks? Hell yeah. Ganyma threw in a leaderly wink to seal the deal. He beckoned for Didero and his rather flighty looking lusus to come join him under his wing
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"Good distraction Mr. Pigeon!" Yelled Ganyma. Didero had some impressive synergy with his very flappy lusus.
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It was exciting to find little squeaky beasts outside of the cave, but then there was...more of them? "I think we're going to be overrun, guys." Luxara chuckled with a slight tinge of worry as she tip-toed over the little mass of fluff. It was like two hoards came upon them back to back!
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The moment it was able, Hatoful Dad swooped in under Ganyma's boots and tore into the lizard spectacularly. While it was on its way to being thoroughly crushed to begin with, thanks to Ganyma, the lizard was completely eviscerated by the time Hatoful Dad was done with it.
Threat annihilated, Hatoful Dad clicked its beak and set to work preening the blood out of his feathers.
Didero whimpered quietly in the background.
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"Is everyone-is everyone okay? Did? Boss?" She checked her pockets quick and, yep, the little munchkins were perfectly healthy, if not a little shaken up.
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Didero was still standing at least, if not slightly hunched over, petting his security gerbil carefully.
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The fact that the kids were relying on him was overwhelming. Ganyma could have picked up Luxara and hugged her right then and there.
He was indispensable! He was important! And to think this all came about in the desert, of all places. Ganyma had gained his second wind immediately. Confidence inspired and muscles shining with sweat, Ganyma shook off the rest of most of the sand caked to his back and tied his hoodie around his waist.
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More shards shattered against Ganyma's arms. This was just not right. "Everyone get together! We'll pile everything up as a shield!" He shouted. Handing off his hoodie to one of the kids, Ganyma grabbed his backpack and emptied the contents on the ground to completely unzip. It could be used as extra cover -- he swapped the bag for the hoodie and resumed his position, huddling with the two greenbloods in the storm.
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Still, Ganyma could carry Didero, and he did. Just like a princess. By the time Didero had realized what was going on, they were already halfway up a pile of craggy rocks. With all the water seeping out of the ground, it was practically a bluff.
Didero blushed at his predicament, but wasn't about to throw himself back into the water. He... quite liked it up here, actually.
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Once they finally stopped for a rest, she still kind of clung to Stagdad, shivering wet and cold. The gerbils were okay, though. SOMEHOW they were doing better than she did despite all the madness they kept being thrown into. And they couldn't even SEE it.
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When the coast was clear (of any other potential threats), Ganyma leapt. It was an impressive stagedive off of the face-- shoeless, shirtless, Ganyma wasn't really thinking of much other than the thrill of the fight. He slammed his elbow into the creature's back and sent it sprawling.
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Didero was only just now realizing he couldn't be looking as pretty as he usually did. It was embarrassing.
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Ganyma jabbed one last time at the lusus, hoping to take it the hell down. He was exhausted and wanted to collapse-- but the kids were watching. With a burst of strength, he hurled his arm around the neck of the beast and squeezed.
And squeezed.
Ganyma felt the huge writhing force come to a shuddering halt. He held on for a moment longer, as much making sure it was really down as hanging in disbelief.
Time was more than enough to dull those jagged, hurtful memories, and the prize this time was too alluring to ignore.
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Instantly the streets had lit up with new rumors, ones he could really sink his teeth into, and the yellowblood had been in the middle of reviewing the night's notes when a letter from Zeffer showed up at his door. A grin had stretched across his face then, the same sharp, slightly too excited one he wore now as they trudged through thick sands and occasional winds towards what would hopefully be the mystery lusus and the weather device that had his blueblooded bff all atwitter.
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"QUICK APRIFE, WE GOTTA GET IT!!!" He roared with laughter as he leapt down the slope, whipping his batons out and giving chase. The thing was big, and fast, and it probably wouldn't give the prize up so easily. The blueblood didn't mind at all, and found the whole situation quite exhilarating.
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The sand never quite slowed enough right away for him to risk lowering his arm from his eyes, but he could hear Zeffer and nodded, too busy trying to blink the offending stuff from his eyes to try and find his voice in the storm. His friend's large lusus afforded them some shelter they otherwise didn't have, too, and that certainly helped until the windstorm snuffed out as quickly as it had come. The bouts of weather had seemed like they'd lessened some, but this only proved they weren't gone for good.
Hair tossed back, Lunear adopted a rather arrogant pose. "Lune. That's all you'll get from me I'm afraid. Have to keep some secrets given the ah, situation you know."
Uncolored eyes looked to the vast open terrain. "So uh, nice to meet you all I suppose. Like minded intellectuals." In his mind he added 'peasants'.
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Vremea squinted, was that...? "Oh, Milieu!" She said, a slightly surprised expression on her face. She didn't think the girl would be on their side... The rebellion. Even Vremea wasn't sure... And she was so young...
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Oh gog.....all this crazy weather was making him so nervous....but he needed it to stop! It was one thing for the highbloods to occasionally be bothered by the insane weather, but on the mountain he and Kei lived on the weather changing so drastically....it could seriously damage their hive!
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No. Why was it looking at him like that. "Uh-"
It hopped closer. "Uhhhh-"
Closer. "UHHHHHHH-"
It was ontop of his boot. Doing things to it. Ruining it.
Lunear hated the desert.
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Vremea had gotten a bit flushed in the face for having led them astray. She also grew even more flushed from anger in hearing the young blue blood talking. She just wanted him to shut his mouth hole. Stuff something in there. Maybe a sock or something.
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Running over to Vremea, she gave her a tight hug before stepping back, an uncharacteristic smile on her face. Grabbing her white board, she bit the cap off and started to write quickly | CONGRATS! You did so good. You did soooo goood!!!
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Vremea nearly fell over from exhaustion... She tried for one last hit. Just one more... and instead, fell over, so exhausted, she just wanted to sleep...
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The bugs refused to let up, nipping and nashing on whatever they could find. In Lunear's case, it was his boots. They were ruined, now they were ruined even worse. Worser ruined. He kicked and stomped and got rid of many, but not all of them.
Ey was emself carting Mommydaddy about in an efficient little wagon (although little to Dictys' knowledge it'd have to be quickly abandoned on the sandy terrain; wheels did not much like sand). When the tealblood finally arrived, ey opened eir mouth to quickly take command - ey deserved it, after all - but the tealblood started walking off before Dictys could try.
How dare they?
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"Target spotted!" Trusci blurted out, almost dropping her things in the process as she rushed back to her lusus, struggling to swap the items in her hands with one of the large nets they brought along for the journey.
"Curtsi, stop gawking and help me with the net! You too fishkid!" she said, all anger resolved and replaced with an enthusiastic glee. This was their chance!
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It was not Curtsi's finest moment, especially because he had left the camera slung around his neck completely untouched as he threw his hands over his eyes instead (see, he really had been telling the truth) but, well, he only had to hope the others had been too caught up in the tussle to have noticed his lack of participation or even a conciliatory photograph of their bravery. Once it was over, his lusus soothed him out from under her awkward bulk, indicating to him the new little many-legged friend that surely would not judge him as harshly as everyone else must have been!
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"We can head this way," ey said breezily, as though Atiqua had not just implied that she, of all trolls, was the captain of this group, pointing in the direction the little creature had come from. Perhaps it'd been running from the lusus. Or something.
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So Curtsi was still in high spirits when he dared sidle up closer to the other two, tickled especially by how Atiqua called them her crew, and he looked between them smitten and obediently following along, until the sudden quake had him crying out in surprise "Earthquake!"
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If her little attempt at discussion did anything it was create sound, which drew out one hopbeast. "........" It came at her, red rom in it's beady little eyes.
"Oh no, I don't have time for any of THAT nonsense."
Just as she thought, there was a lucky bouncebeast hoof! She wanted to secretly pocket it and then hawk it for a good sum of beetles, but her conscience got the better of her and she announced her find to the group instead. "Look, everyone! A lucky bouncebeast hoof! I'll manage the group's inventory, if no one minds."
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"I'm, ah, Alifax," he said by way of greeting. It was becoming easier not to address trolls of higher blood colors by 'sir' or 'madam' now. He certainly outranked these fellows in experience, he thought, if not hemochrome.
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He was beginning to get the impression that his team-mates were either too shy, too laid-back, or too passive to take charge. Dairah had shown some initiative in assuming responsibility for the inventory, and was therefore the largest threat, but perhaps he could use that against her. Alifax in the meantime, while admittedly older, seemed uncomfortable with taking the lead. It would be easy to wrest any power from him.
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Forera totally wanted to see him fight again. Also snaring things was one of her strengths yes yes!! Forera quickly threw her snare at the lusus, tangling it. "Hell YEAH!" She pumped her tiny fist in the air, a bundle of energy filled with excitement.
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Staying close to the inventory, Dairah pitched her net at the lusus to make it easier for Alifax to attack. "Go get 'em, cowboy!" she shouted, not caring whether that was an appropriate epithet or not.
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A moment later, the greenblood sat perched on the enormous beast's back.
It was a very dangerous position.
“Yahoo!” Kursha whooped. Somewhere above him he heard the Colonel let out an angry scream.
"Heroic knights do not slack off! We train day after day!" she stood proudly, a hand on her sword hilt, absolutely quaking in excitement and delight. She was just so happy to be out doing knightly things, finally and officially!
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"Let's get going. Let's not break our current streak of lu--" Plop "What was th--" PLAP! No.....no....no no no.......nonononononononononono!!!!!
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A rather terrified shriek rendered the air as the highblood quickly ducked his head under his blanket (One he'd brought with just in case of excessive sand), he hated to think it would be ruined by fish.....but he could always just trash it.....he couldn't let his wardrobe be ruined obviously!
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Wallas cracked a tiny smile when Keionx came over to inspect the creature. What was that saying about cute Lusii and chick magnets again? "I'll decide if it's still around when this is over," he said, tucking the hamster a bit deeper into his pocket.
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"Great job, fellow companions!" she said, offering a canteen of musclebeast milk around - carefully packed up and poured by her Lusus to sustain her on on her Incredible Quest.
After the events caused by the WACKY weather device gerbils could be found far and wide across Alternia, having been smuggled back home by the trolls that stumbled upon them in the desert. NummCorp, smelling a chance for profit, decided to take advantage of the rodents’ sudden flux in popularity; they hosted Alternia’s very first Gerbil Race in Chittentown’s old fairgrounds.
Volunteers were recruited throughout the week prior, both to help with publicity as well as train the gerbils to be as fit as possible. By the time the races rolled around NummCorp had amassed a large audience, a pack of superior racing gerbils, and of course more than a few beetles as well. In first place came the unlikely Chevelier De Torre owned by Vremea Everai. Next up was Milieau Aojiro’s Mercedes. Finally, in third place was Sinter Heilig’s Theodore. Notably, the seemingly sure-to-win gerbil, Laureate, owned by Dictys Glauci came nearly in dead last.
NummCorp's success led to the company gaining more ground in Chittentown, perhaps even on a scale larger than the desert city.
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Training the gerbils was not always easy. Some days they proved the stuff of legends; such as the day Laureate literally broke the Wheel of Fire training device.
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If Dictys was a cat, ey'd be purring.
Since ey wasn't, well. Ey was simply appreciating. And Laureate was running its little heart out. So many treats.
...Other days not so much.
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Time for test subject number two. Aandes crept over to the sleeping gerbil carefully and plucked it from its pen. It wiggled and wobbled in his hand as he dropped it into the wheel with little ceremony. "Let's see how you compare..." He cooed threateningly.
The poor thing piddled on the ground and refused to run its course. Aandes cursed. He supposed he'd have to put on a friendly facade, even for a gerbil.
On the day of the races, trolls got busy cheering on their favourites.
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Frowning at the trolls crowded around her, Etsali realized no one was going to pay much attention to her cheering from where she was. It took a moment to find something to climb up for added height, but soon she had a better view and the perfect spot to start her chant!
"EEEELCAPN! WIN WIN WIN!" It wasn't terribly inspired, perhaps, but chant it enough and it was pretty catchy!
In order to better encourage their racers, trolls wrote inspirational haikus.
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That chant, while honest, wasn't terribly catchy. Didero decided to take a break from yelling to do something he was actually good at: writing.
"Most Hippos are fat, But can also reach speeds of, Nineteen miles per hour."
Yup. Beautiful.
Tensions were running high, and a few trolls might have gotten a bit carried away.
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As the camera swiveled to him Lunear got on his knee and waved his flat. "For the glory of the empire! MARIAN ALL THE WAY!" He turned to the nearest troll- Milieu and planted a kiss on them, helping to wave her sign as well.
He was a bit caught up in the moment.
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 8:24 pm
The Alternian News Blotter clicks on. A previous broadcast of post-Gerbil Race news reveals itself. Chittentown appears on screen – still soggy and somewhat dilapidated from the WACKY weather incident, it remains in relative disrepair. A reporter gives an explanation:
“The Alternian Military is currently looking into reconstruction options for Chittentown. Current projects, including the rebuilding of Old Hemisect City and reconstruction of New Hemisect City due to earthquake damage, are taking priority. Chittentown residents are assured that the flooding of their hives is temporary, and all infrastructure issues will be met with due diligence.
Meanwhile, the Chittentown Edification Outlet of Higher Schoolfeeding would like to remind residents of Chittentown that local efforts to repair the city are being fronted by the institution, and that a can drive will be taking place for the next month.”
NEWSFLASH! The news anchor sits solemnly behind her desk.
“Tragic news today in New Hemisect City. The foundations of The Root, a major hivestem rebuilt after the New Hemisect Earthquake collapsed suddenly, leaving many habitants and their lusii dead. The Military has released a statement suggesting that the drones in charge of this construction have been dealt with, and that this was an isolated incident. Meanwhile, trolls affected by the hivestem collapse have received beetles compensation to pay for the loss of lusii and hives.” The Root ruins are now available to explore!
“Great news, Alternians! Movement in the reconstruction machines of Old Hemisect City has returned full force! Since Bloodfest and the strange weather happenings, reconstruction has been a rocky road. But finally, there is hope for Old Hemisect.
The Alternian Military humbly offers for trolls of all ages and colors to participate in this grand event! More than ever we need your help to return the city to its former glory – pick up a flyer from your local Equivocal Bulletin board today to learn how! Be a part of the majesty of this soon-to-be royally blessed city, and help take back Old Hemisect from the forces that threaten our strong community. This is –“
“Kicking out the lowbloods and reestablishing dominance as an oppressive force, crushing the populace and giving the military another nest to keep us under their watch –“
“Come down to Old Hemisect’s Recovery Station today to volunteer for the military!”
After the spot, and the strange staticky message that interrupted it, there is silence. Momentarily a brief warning signal plays, and an explanatory message assuring listeners to ignore messages from uninformed hijackers.
Espionage. It was a lot like those spy flicks he enjoyed, though he tried to play it cool, since this was serious business and all, most definitely not a movie. When they had begun recruiting for this job, though, he ate it up in a noticeable way, his shark toothed grin never fading, his energy at peak. It spoke to him in that strange, internal voice he'd been following since he got here. As dangerous as it could be, and he knew it was, this was the direction he thought for sure he had to go tonight.
Unfortunately, despite his claims of strength in sneaking and gathering information, somehow he had ended up shackled to the camp and going over charts with a few other teens that looked somewhat weathered. This wasn't their first time among the rebels, either, that he could tell.
There likely were many things to be gleaned from the papers spread out at their fingertips, important things, notes that would win this battle and take them one step closer to winning the war. As likely as it was, Aprife simply wasn't feeling it. This was not where he'd seen himself when he signed up for this. While he was able to contribute to the strategy as a whole, he certainly wasn't sailing at 100% this time.
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All in all, Stryke had spent enough time in his own town that he felt useful. Reading and studying just so happened to be one of his favorite pass times to top it off. Sitting down with an old map, the yellow blood studied the details, and little notes scrawled out. Grabbing a pen, he quickly added his own little notes frowning when he realized that perhaps some kind of recent update with exact locations of the royalist camps would be helpful. This included several, but without actually exploring it felt incomplete. Unlike yesterday’s task he was much better suited to this intellectualized work. In fact he preferred it, as it was right up his alley.
If there was to be any kind of sneaking or spying, he didn’t want to do it on his own. However the amount of curiosity burning on the back of his mind was rather infuriating. Pursing his lips, Stryke sighed shaking his head slightly. No, it was too dangerous to go alone, what if he was caught? The studious troll gave pause, tapping his pen against one of the maps out lost in thought.
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Kursha returned to the yellowblood the following day. He hated to rely on someone of a lower caste, but it was obvious the older troll knew what he was doing. The yellowblood spared him little more than a glance before scooting over. Kursha sat down, careful to leave a a bit of space between him and his mentor, and dragged some of the supplies closer. He had only been working maybe ten minutes when the yellowblood spoke up.
“You should probably recast your binder.”
Kursha scowled. “I know what I'm doing,” he said tersely.
“Sure.” The older troll rolled his eyes. “That is if you want to create a volatile device that will put everyone else around you at risk. Look at how thin the sides are.” He gave his pupil a long, hard stare. The greenblood fidgeted and then finally met his gaze. “Recast your binder.”
Grumpily, Kursha began to rework the binder as the yellowblood asked. Even though he knew the troll was right, it was still irritating.
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As soon as Luxara was given the opportunity to get the hell out of dodge, she did. A part of her still felt off-kilter, but she wasn't quite skipping town. The military base was so stiff, authoritative, and...CLEAN. She had seen her rooming quarters and everything!
It was terrifying.
Wandering into Old Hemisect made her feel so much more at ease. It was so quiet. Eerie. Lots of nice hidey-holes, she figured. Definitely her kind of scene. And the buildings were so TALL. Granted, many had lost a few stories or had flat-out toppled. But that was still much bigger than the trees back home.
Stagdad trekked after her. He was a good way to get a slightly better view of things from afar. A nice boost to make up for her short height. The lusus sure liked sniffing at her walkie-talkie, though. Every time a voice came through, he jumped. That was good for a chuckle.
Luxara covered a pretty nice amount of distance her first night, but nerves and not getting enough rest after the first big meeting was wearing her out sooner than she'd like. Noting some dilapidated buildings she'd like to explore tomorrow, Luxara rode Stagdad back to base after a refreshing first look-over.
There were so many adventures waiting in the near future. How exciting!
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The photoshoot had taken so long the previous night. Dictys lifted eir little arms above eir head as ey walked back over to the recruitment offices.
Okay, so tonight, walking there was actually the easy part. Dictys never thought ey'd ever say that! But it turned out not everyone wanted to see eir glorious face up close, especially not on military recruitment posters. And it was true: while Dictys was probably an ideal poster child, the poster probably did need to show em in some military-esque pose, rather than a headshot of em proudly proclaiming You can do it! So Dictys conceded that much.
The posters still needed far more of eir blood color, though.
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Tierte decided if she had to do something in this forsaken murder-camp, it might as well be something she liked anyway. In this case, they called it 'construction' but to the feral redblood... well, she always had her own way of doing things.
Tierte looked at the blueprints provided, eagerly poring through machinations and machinery outlines in particular for the buildings. How exciting! You couldn't find stuff like this in a library... She slipped a few extras under her sweater for later keeping.
As well, she decided gathering material was a great way to score free ropes. She was a natural at this!
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ATTENTION ALTERNIANS
A news anchor pops onto the blotter, looking solemn.
“Rumors of rebel activity have been proven today as a construction zone in Old Hemisect City was clearly sabotaged by dissenters over the course of the early evening. As I speak, reconstruction territory is being strategically impaired and overrun by rebels, and reports of makeshift rebel bases serving as militia waypoints are on the rise. Be aware! Those who are assisting in the reconstruction are told to report immediately to the Old Hemisect Coastal Base for debriefing.
Here is a map – Sandra, do we have a map of Old Hemisect City?” He hesitates, mouths ‘No?’ offscreen, and clears his throat. There is a moment of dead air as he shuffles his papers and looks back up at the camera. “Here is a map of Old Hemisect City for reference,”
“During this conflict, activity will be displayed on this map. You heard it here first – this is the only station that will be broadcasting this information until further notice. We promise to give you a balanced look at the event as it happens!”
Suddenly, an outbreak of violence. The military responded quickly. The opportunistic Captain Puchen converted the construction camp into a military operation to try and oust the rebels, while both sides fought tooth, horn and nail for control of the city.
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There had been a lot of explosions around the mall since Luxara had been there last! Lots of squawking on other royalist channels about how there was a REBEL base there! Oh. Hm.
After keeping Etsali and Vulpin company for a while, Luxara decided to check it out. Their team even had some extra friends to send to help! How nice. Looking the base over, it seemed rather...lacking. Like, falling apart. Skin and bones, really. Luxara walked up to it, looked it over one last time, and kicked it.
And so the whole thing came CRASHING down. She ducked and covered her head as the large pieces fell down all around her. So much dirt and smoke, loud clangs of metal, wood dust in the air... A quick and easy way to get VERY dirty. Letting everything settle, Luxara checked to make sure she wasn't hurt. Nope, she decided while patting herself down, everything seemed hunky-dory! And she had HELPED THE CAUSE! Good work, team!
Luxara dusted herself off before stepping over to call her team about the recent victory. As she was rifling around for her radio, there was a lump not too far off, almost as dirty as she was. It was like some sort of strange deja vu, and actually helped her recognize...
"Gan? CAP? Oh man I was HOPING I'd find you! First For's on my team and now YOU'RE here? Were you gonna help with the base? I got here first! Aren't you proud of me? I KICKED it and it just came down like that! Did you see? Huh? Huh?" She was almost jumping up and down in excitement, hoping to impress her old captain. Maybe they could even catch up or team up or something! "...Where IS your team, anyways?"
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Keionx wasn't sure how she felt about capturing and hurting rebels. It seemed... dishonorable, somehow.
And yet, she knew that pain was a perfectly acceptable method of convincing, especially if it involved blackrom... Keionx was not allowed to read books where that happened yet, though. Beastdad specifically put them on a shelf too high for her, or in Zariah's room, or under things, or even turned them in to the library himself when he could. She was not, apparently, ready to read such exploits.
Not that she hadn't snuck a peek here or there, but she hadn't understood most of it anyway, so she supposed Beastdad had a point.
“I will await you, then!” she said. She... didn't actually like how he was leaving the relative safety of the construction pit. He needed to be protected, clearly, and she couldn't protect him in transit. So it was with some hidden anxiety – relieved by some attacking the structure and some push up – and intense badly hidden relief that she saw the redblood approaching with the drones.
“Excellent!” she said, waving at him and watching his... somewhat sad... efforts to pick up a sledgehammer.
“Here, friend.” she said, putting down her own sledgehammer, “Remember, pick up from thy legs.” she advised, demonstrating, “Then heft over thine shoulder...” she did so, “Walk over to the structure...” she arched back, readying a swing, “Move thine hands as so and, using thy chest and stomach muscles, swing!” she hit the structure with a thunderous crack. It shook under her blow. She leaned on the hammer and smiled pleasantly at Ephias. “... As so.”
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Sinter hacked and coughed as he steadied himself against the rock. Before he knew it, Larque, too was off and running after Tamiya. Sinter was left behind once again. Even if he could catch up, Sinter didn't even know where Tamiya would even think to go, much less end up at a time like this.
Sinter grounds his bleeding palms into fists. This wasn't... This wasn't right! It wasn't fair! Tamiya hadn't done anything wrong! None of them had! What right did these rebels have to go around parading their "justice" when in reality they were just indiscriminately hurting children! They were no better than the empire. Sinter didn't know if they were liars, or just that ignorant.
It didn't matter to Sinter anyway. He'd spent his entire time in Old Hemisect being scared. Now he was angry.
Sinter clicked on his radio. "Take the rail station."
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Dictys had gotten separated from eir teammates somehow during the day.
Ey frowned, and headed off to where ey'd last seen them. "Sunsetters, how are you doing tonight?" ey asked, speaking into the microphone of eir walkie talkie as ey did. It looked like direct rebel activity was beginning to die down, but that didn't mean they weren't still constructing bombs and bases, or actively recruiting: neither of which were good things.
Wait - ouu, was that a mall?
It was such a pity that businesses were closed for this silly conflict. Didn't the rebels understand that life could go on as normal once they ceased?
While the destruction of the city was the primary source of violence, harm befell many trolls caught in the center of the conflict -- young and old alike. Some came to realize the ills of the world, while others embraced the destruction.
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Zeffer snarled as he bashed an attacker with his baton. He wasn't sure if the troll was a royalist or just a squatter, but they certainly weren't too happy with the way he was planting his explosives. The base was big, though, and would need more charges than he'd estimated at first. The initial blast had mostly done the job, but there were still a few areas that needed to be taken care of.
As he rounded the corner, another squatter came at him, and he treated them to a similarly brutal attack, the electricity from his batons humming sinisterly.
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“All right, you pathetic wigglers!” Kursha called, standing twenty feet or so from the front of the Aiguma Theatre. His voice was beginning to grow hoarse from the constant yelling. “If any of you imperialist scum are hiding out in there you better take cover, 'cause this place is going down~!” He twirled a stick of dynamite. Behind him, he caught a glimpse of Ganyma in his peripheral vision. This is what the tealblood wanted, right? For him to give the enemy a fair chance.
“Consider this you're only warning. I'll give you 'til the count of ten. One... two... three... four... five...” He struck a match and lit the end of the fuse. “Six-seven-eight-nine-ten!” He finished in a rush and pitched the explosive towards the building.
It was fair enough.
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Their walk had been quiet between them. All around poured in the sounds of strife and fighting. That was more than enough to fill their ears until they sang in pain. Milieu shuddered as they slunk through the shadows, allowing them to guide a zigzagged pattern through the war torn buildings. These used to be homes. Places people lived and loved in... Now they're wrecked. Everything is destroyed, all because the Royalists... Such dark thoughts bubbled deep below the surface. Whoever was stupid enough to join those Loyalists really needed a swift kick in the a**.
The train station was busy, with more trolls and defenders milling around, gathering supplies, and relaying messages. Tugging down her scarf, she moved with Stryke to a nice quieter area and sat down. Pulling the book from her pocket and wrote down a few thoughts and presented them to the other troll, | I have such a hard time seeing the town as it is... Trolls lived here and now it's basically all but destroyed. I almost went to OHC, instead of NHC... If I had, my home would be gone right now. |
Taking out her walkie talkie, Mili flipped it on and began to tap
Odette pressed herself against the corner wall, body convulsing in fear. She had never been encountered by a highblood like this. Never before had she been so alone, and unable to run away. Where was Just Vigilance? Weren’t they supposed to be here? Ganyma, where was Ganyma? She realized her worst fear. It was a set-up, a trap. It was a trap and they had caught her red-handed.
She clung to the walls as if they provided some form of protection. She was at a total loss for what to do. She couldn’t fight back. She was without her weapon. It was much too heavy to fly with, and she left it back at the sanctuary. And let’s face it, she wasn’t going to win in hand-to-hand combat here. Her blood pusher was pumping at an alarming rate, making her face flush brighter and made her sweat in her gliding suit. With a wave of her hand she wiped the sweat off her brow.
Her goggles fogged up with her rapid breaths, which made it increasingly difficult to see. The features of the highblood and her lusus were muddled through the dark, foggy lenses. The girl's face was not gray. She had paint on it— a lot like the ones on the masks in the theatre. It clicked in her head. She knew exactly what this insane troll wanted.
“I’m so sorry!” she pleaded with the girl. “I-if this is about the m-masks… I can give them back!” She dropped to her knees and took off her bag. Swanmom waddled out beside her charge while the girl dug through her materials. Radio, maps… no it had to be in here somewhere... Ah, there! She retrieved the masks from the bottom of the bag. With both hands, she held the three masks out to the girl. Her hands shook with every fearful second. “P-please take them!” She said. She pleaded with her eyes. Take them and let me go. You will never see me again.
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Tamiya hissed with pain and reared her now bloodied teeth to the sky. She took a shuddering breath and looked into the face of Odette. She was screaming, pleading, foolishly. It was not her time to die – had she more knowledge she would know that. The fact that she didn’t understand made Tamiya even more furious, and blinded with vigor she turned to her lusus.
He was atop Swanmom, head flopped over to look upside down and backwards at his charge. There was a moment between them, and Tamiya blinked. Momentarily, her fury dissolved. He never waited to finish his prey. He was waiting for her. Tamiya sucked in a breath and straightened in front of her most revered father. She had finally earned his respect. Tamiya was now the head of her family – the guardian’s duties had been passed to her. With her power bubbling up inside of her, and suddenly interrupted with a desperate scream from Odette, Tamiya spoke up.
“End it.”
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Attention Alternians!
Breaking news in Old Hemisect! The mysterious group that may or may not have been a dissent-sympathizer group have been pushed back by our fine royalist guard, led by Captain Mapuye Puchen! The group, which we have heard may be a small group of hiveless layabouts and deranged leftovers in Old Hemisect City, was no match for the force of the Captain, who has begun her strategic relocation strategy in the city. Everyone on Alternia should be proud of our great Military; history is being made here, folks, and soon Old Hemisect City will be a monument to be talked of for sweeps to come.
No. Seeing his protector bleeding because he'd been stupid enough to look when a crazy woman was busy shooting off a spray of bullets just didn't work in his books. Stryke wasn't ready to give up, nor in and without his lusus he was useless in combat. Putting his energy into it, and effort, putting his time and resources..all those trolls he'd tried to talk into recruiting..all the practice he'd done back at the Wood Sanctuary into this task.
It was risky to stop and try and do anything and everything within his power to keep SkinkDad safe..his push biscuit thudded like a dull roar. Leaning back he admired his handy work feeling guilty but glad at least the creature didn't look so weak. Satisfied they both were as safe as it was going to get, the pair moved away to a safer location behind a transporter
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It was happening. They had reached the coastal base. Milieu trudged up the side of the mountain, her body aching and battered. Whatever happened now... it was meant to be. So many friends were gone, or harmed. There were bodies everywhere. Was this really the legacy they wanted to leave behind? Could Alternia only be changed through violence?
What of the trolls on this side, anyway? What about Stryke and Kursha? Hadn't they been teammates, friends, compatriots? And yet... Kursha had attacked Stryke. Had used slurs and bloodracism against him. Wasn't the initiative about abolishing the system? Yet those inside of it, inside the initiative, were still upholding it.
There she was. The Queen b***h, sitting on her hive of broken dreams. Grounding her teeth, Milieu grasped the short stick she had been using to fight with. Owl mom hooted angrily beside her. The leader of the royalists was strong. Her firepower and aim were impressive. Bullets grazed over Milieu's skin. She'd never been shot at or shot before. It was terrifying.
In a moment when the captain reloaded, Owl mom swung in to land a blow. It was just a gaze, but it was better than nothing.
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Rage coursed through her veins each time she was hit, eyes burning with passion when she raised her scythe, hair flowing freely-- she looked almost like a scary ghost, with her hair flying infront of her face dangerously, body poised to attack. With her battle cry she helped more people gain energy and fight-- fight for their rights, fight for their liberty...
Fight for themselves. Because normally we cannot.
And this will change everything, even if we lose. Because it will SHOW that us rebels are capable of more. That we ARE stronger than the Royalists believe. That our movement of trolls that could never voice our opinions has become something to be frightened of-- we had been susceptible to their rough ways, easily manipulated...
But not anymore.
We want change.
And one way or another, we will get it.
But when they reached their destinations, the results of their fighting would be bittersweet. The royals, having found the rebel base, managed to clear out the dissent and reveal the presence of a mutant blood in the ranks of the Phoenix Initiative.
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“It seems like I have no need to lecture you pathetically misguided wrigglers,” the rebel lifted a palm into the air, motioning for her troops to flee the smouldering ruins of their camp. Their victory was to be extremely short lived... “As once again Marian has proven my point rather efficiently.” One of the faceless rebels bounded up next to Byakko atop their llamabear lusus, and she promptly slid onto the back of their mount. “I suggest you fools evacuate the area immediately. Your Queen has decided to abandon you and deal with this issue the only way the coward knows how: utter destruction. A bomb strike in Old Hemisect... run. Run fast.” With her parting warning the lusus and its riders tore off, with a few loyalists managing to catch the last few syllables of the rebel leader hissing 'good luck'.
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At the word of danger, Sly scooped up the troll and rushed off the base. The rebel leader's words sat heavy in Vulpin's head. He wasn't choosy about sides in this battle. He just wanted to get something, anything out of it. Was there really a right side? He heard the leader's threat. Mapuye was going to wipe them out, with all of her soldiers still on the field. That was just... dumb. She had plenty of strong trolls for the army here. And any children young enough, how could they announce their allegiance to a leader who tried to kill them? When they were on the same side.
Maybe it was a rebel scheme, maybe they were just covering their asses. Vulpin didn't trust either of them. Now he understood his teammates' conflicting motives. Sure, they were more concerned about their "friends" but what did it matter? He wasn't concerned about friends, but then again he didn't have any. Wait, there was one.
"Sly! We have to stop!" He yelled to his lusus. Sly obliged. "Turn around, we can't forget Etsali!" Sly barked happily at his troll, and rushed off back to the base.
"Etsali!" He cried out in the sea of trolls. Everyone was leaving so quickly, the waves of trolls nearly pushing him back out. He kept his eyes peeled for the orangeblood girl, hoping he could find her.
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Her annoyance faded in the wake of fear and disbelief, though, as the next announcements came. A bomb strike? Here? But they were still here! She stumbled as trolls began to push past in their frantic run to escape, and reached desperately for her radio. Maybe it was a mistake, they had the wrong coordinate and didn't realize people were here, she'd accidentally gotten numbers wrong like that before, so she'd just- Another shove sent the radio flying, and without thinking she went after it before her lusus could catch hold of her.
Though she did her best to duck and dodge around trolls and lusii, the orangeblood was still jostled and pulled along with the crowd until she didn't have a clue where she was in relation to her target. She hadn't seen Vulpin either and she couldn't see Keeper anymore and oh no. Oh no where was Keeper? Whimpering, she whirled, looking around frantically, but she couldn't see her. Oh no, oh no, oh no, she'd never make it out without Keeper! She should have called out, but she was so scared she couldn't think.
And then she heard her name and her head shot up as she turned. "Vulpin!" Etsali shoved through the crowd towards him. "Vulpin, I can't find-" Keeper smashed through the trolls nearest them, eyed Vulpin and Sly, and then moved to grab hold of Etsali and deposit her on her back. Letting out a hysterical little laugh of relief, the thief realized her lusus must have heard him calling too. He'd come back and he'd saved her. "C-come on! We can still make it out!"
Meanwhile, the rebellion's struggle against Captain Puchen was hard-fought. In the heat of the battle, three trolls uncovered abilities within themselves: the nurturing Vremea Everai discovered a supportive healing aura just in time to rescue Odette Cygnet from a poisonous fate, while Kursha's newfound augmented vision allowed him a direct hit upon the Captain. Unfortunately, the shot was blocked by Ganyma Callow, who betrayed the Phoenix Initiative and fled with Puchen.
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NO!
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO THIS IS NOT OKAY. Vremea COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE. She was losing someone who helped her through thick and thin, since the beginning-- she could almost remember her nervous expression when they'd met that fateful day in the woods, when they established their friendship by joining the same team-- when they mourned for someone they had no connection to together... Her heart was breaking, and all she could feel was a comforting warmth on her fingers. She was wailing in pain, hands clutching her friend, not even looking to see that her cuts were growing smaller, the bullets were sliding out of her... all she could feel was this warm, warm, warmth when the tears flooded down her cheeks. She was holding onto her so tightly she might've hurt her if she was alive and sobbed into her arms, an unnoticed, soft, yellow glow appearing at her fingertips.
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Hefting the large firearm up by his shoulder, Kursha stood and took aim. There was no scope but he had no trouble finding his target. Despite the vast distance between them, he could see her as though she stood no more than five feet away. The individual hairs that lay flat across her forehead, the tiny cuts across her cheeks, the sweat that dripped down her chin; he could see every detail on her stupid, smug face. He lowered the muzzle of the weapon a fraction to fixate on her arm. The same arm that he had been shot in. That was no accident.
"You underestimated the wrong troll, you hag. Let me help you to see the error of that..."
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Mapuye looked amused. “That was interesting.” She held up the needle gun to Ganyma’s head. “Shall we see if you can regenerate your entire head? Or was there something behind that sudden motion of betrayal?”
Ganyma sputtered. “N-no.” he moved slowly to take off his mask. Ganyma Callow surrendered. “I’m coming with you.”
She smiled. She felt the tinge of her own poison dissipate – it was no surprise that she’d built an immunity after all, so while the tip would have done some damage, the big brute had soaked up most of it for her. She gruffly grabbed the tealblood by the arm and stepped into the heli-lift elevator, still pointing the gun to his head. The tealblood was quiet as he became her permanent shield for the duration of the travel. They ascended. The heli-lift transporter flew out of sight, leaving the only sounds to be those of the wounded, and the blaring alarm bell still ringing in the Coastal Base.
The alarm sounded. “EVACUATE ALL TROOPS IMMEDIATELY. EVACUATE ALL TROOPS IMMEDIATELY. INCOMING EXPLOSIVE. INCOMING EXPLOSIVE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”
Mapuye Puchen threatened one last coordinate.
After the destruction, a cover-up immediately began spurred by the chaos of the events.
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Attention Alternians:
“Breaking news in Old Hemisect. Due to a takeover by appointed head of construction and Alternian Military Captain Mapuye Puchen, an immense amount of damage has been dealt to Old Hemisect City. Unnecessary military action has led to loss of property and life, as well as questionable strategic practices which have put cultural landmarks in danger of complete destruction.
Previously, we reported that a unified force of rebels could have been in charge of disturbances and sabotages of the Old Hemisect reconstruction equipment. Now that more information is available, we can confirm: that group was not a rebellion group. While there may have been rebel forces involved in the sabotage and struggle of the reconstruction, the bulk of dissent was said to come from reactionary militia and precocious members of the Old Hemisect community with roots in the city. This small force was an unexpected obstacle, but the disproportionate response by Captain Puchen caused a significant loss of integrity of the city and a number of lives – both of locals and of volunteer restoration recruits. Alternians: be reassured that this threat has been dealt with. The small uprising has been quelled. Likewise, Captain Puchen faces charges and will be reviewed accordingly. Meanwhile, the reconstruction of the city is moving full speed ahead!”
The evidence of the Phoenix Initiative was completely removed from the remains of Old Hemisect. For days, drones swept through every nook and cranny, carefully removing all traces of dissent. Captain Puchen had removed the Coastal Base and the Wooded Sanctuary. The rest of Old Hemisect remained as it was at the end of the struggle – in utter disarray, half built and destroyed once again. The royalists won the land, but the Military was on edge. The rebellion had put up a bigger fight than could have ever been suspected, and the populace couldn’t know. Meanwhile, beaten back but not defeated, the rebellion retreated back into every shadow and corner of Alternia. Both sides were now forced to pick up the pieces with the realization that the conflict had gotten out of hand. With the removal of Captain Puchen and halting of her destruction of the city, an uneasy ceasefire had been initiated. Both sides needed time to rebuild and recover – and rebuild they did.
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2014 9:07 pm
The Rise of Civisect City
It was a time of peace as Old Hemisect City was constructed, better and brighter than before. It was an ostentatious sight.
The city itself would become a bustling metropolis in no time. Advertisements and travel ads popped up immediately – and investing in building in the city was none other than NummCorp. The company took a firm grasp of businesses in the area, and planted its roots. It was no longer a local Chittentown establishment – bigger and better things had developed.
Trolls on the warm end of the hemospectrum were not as lucky. As a result of the new city being built, ordinances were put in place that firmly stuck in the tradition of Hemisect. Many affluent and highblooded trolls were assigned new hives within the hivestems and mansions of the new city, while trolls of shades below green were “strongly suggested” to relocate. Vouchers for building drone assistance in locales such as Chittentown and New Hemisect were handed out in droves to hungry, homeless lowbloods. There was no place to go or hide from the sun, and temporary lodgings for the freshly homeless was limited. Long lines for assistance were set far away from construction, down the beach – where the rubble of the conflict was still fresh and where these rejects of society could be pushed aside.
Just weeks after the disaster, an unheard of government rehabilitation facility was erected. Rebels and royalists alike trickled into the establishment out of curiosity and in the interest of infiltration, but little conflict arose after the battle of Old Hemisect. Trolls left with peace of mind and the government eye on any trolls who had been mentioned off hand during "therapy" sessions.
The streets, freshly paved and free of grime, dirt and rustbloods, would harbor military scuttlebuggies and the likes of the Military patrolling the construction zone for any “disgruntled Old Hemisect residents”. Soon, Skyrises were constructed. Malls. Palaces. Mansions. Theatres. The hub of Alternian Culture was restored to its former glory. And more than that, the new city became a hub of high-tech transportation. Alternia's military and the imminent expansion into space was now in sight. The city could not be named Old Hemisect any more – it had outgrown the term. The yet-to-be-named city was deserving of a new title. Surely Hemisect’s history would be forgotten with a change of name.
A call for the new name spread throughout Alternia, until finally it was decided: Old Hemisect City looked to the future as Civisect City.
"Reporting for Hail Our Merciful And Just Queen Please Don't Slaughter Us News, I am now live at the center of Chittentown, where there has been a sudden and abrupt stoppage of all water and water-based services. As you can see, citizens are currently coping with this disaster in various different ways, from packing up and leaving, to looting each other's water reserves. Not only has the public water system completely failed the trolls here, but even private wells are turning up dry. Our glorious ruler maysheliveforever has already sent five teams of trolls into the city's sewers and surrounding cavern systems, but so far we have no reports back on what exactly is going on. As you all know, Chittentown is a dry city in the best of times, and right now citizens are being tested to their limits! As always, some trolls are quick to claim WACKY miss-use, but royal sources claim that the WACKY project was fully halted after the previous disaster. While the military is shipping in water, none of it is available for citizens, which of course, is totally understandable and the right choice. However, some trolls are beginning to put together emergency deliveries, and of course, charging a premium price. If you want to get rich quick, this reporter would advise filling your shoes with water and trekking out to make a killing."
And so, intrepid adventurers and protesters alike headed to Chittentown. The oft-beleaguered city was at the heart of a deadly drought, and most fingers were pointed at the WACKY device gone awry. Many trolls flocked to protest in Chittentown's Fluid Redistribution Center.
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With a growl, Vremea joined the group of protesters, pumping her fist into the air and yelling out the chant, hoping she looked like one of the crowd and not someone who was looking for attention.
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"This unholy sign is a danger that must immediately be investigated by you sludgepeddlers," she hissed. Her eyes tensed and opened as she analyzed their expressions. "There are lost souls in Chittentown -- DO YOU INTEND TO ADD TO THE PAIL OF SOULS? IT IS A FINE AND DEBAUCHEROUS SLURRY HERE IN MOTHERGRUBBING CHITTENTOWN!"
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Mili gripped the edge of her whiteboard and stared at the crowd. Their anger spilt over and rubbed against her, and it quickly made her want to join. Nodding, she wrote a quick message and held it aloft so that that guards could read it:
|GIVE US OUR WATER!|
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“A little,” he admitted. “Though I don't know if it's the most effective choice of action. The p-people in charge might not be able to hear from in there and even if they can, there's no telling that they'll actually listen. I would like to think th-they will but...” Ephias sounded doubtful. He continued, “Everything just gets worse and worse. Our 'Merciful' Empress is too far removed to care and the same goes for the most of the highbloods. If we wait, nothing will happen. Nothing will change. So, we have to t-take matters into our own hands. O-or at least make them lis-listen,” he added hurriedly. He had begun to sound borderline treasonous.
Here, some children opted to sneak into the facility through a hole in the back wall, finding some answers and some very intriguing evidence at the source of the drought...
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Out of the corner of her eye, she had noticed a few small trolls sneaking off in the back and climbing some fence. She realized even from this vantage point her lusus wouldn't be able to fit into the hole, much to the she-beasts dismay. Now that sounded like a lot more fun than shouting at a bunch of drones!
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Her eyes scanned the cavernous room, but only darkness, shadows, and silence met her senses. No, it would not be that easy, would it. ”They are significant, but surely, if they cloggeth the pipes, then the water would hath found another way out...” she mused, puzzled. The plants were relevant... but how?
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The machinery was also a super neat something! He had no idea what it did, or possibly could do. "Whoa...." He sniffed some of it, then pulled back with a snort. Nice to look at, but don't get too close, apparently. Reemus turned to the pipes again instead, then looked at Nervit. He pointed at some of the greenery pushing through the cracks. "Did ya see this mate?" He started flicking at the leaves a little. "We're in the bloody desert n' stuff's managin' to grow! Isn't it amazin'?"
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Sascha took his sweet time looking around the room. He pulled books off of shelves, rooted through drawers and rattled locked cabinets. He put the bare amount of effort into returning objects to their rightful place. He didn't believe the employees would be in the position to hunt them down once they'd left. At the same time didn't want to make it too obvious he was going through their stuff. He had some class.
Sascha pocketed a heavy glass paperweight and threw a look over his shoulder to Aandes. "Yeah. Nothing interesting in here we haven't already looked at."
A while after the protests, initial investigations and business opportunities, orders and familiar missives began to surface. Trolls affiliated with the Alternian Military received official orders to assist in the investigation in the desert processing facility. Those who had previously made alliances with the Phoenix Initiative found themselves receiving orders to search a facility to uncover a perceived government threat. Even more intriguing, a simple letter written to those trolls who had participated in the fight for the Mother Grub was penned anonymously, beseeching curious trolls to meet in a remote desert location. The three paths were set out, and as trolls chose their fates they split up for a hopeful victory.
Wary groups traveled to an unobtrusive building in the middle of a desert, where they descended into an underground station. Here, their charge was to survey the deep caverns of the water processing plant, hoping to find the source of the drought. And so, the groups set off.
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“Walkways should take you to the main lines, but they only go so far. Since the flood, the caverns have reclaimed some of our infrastructure, but now that the drought’s happening… Who knows what’s happening down there.” The strobing of the light cast on her face gave her an eerie white glow. The drone dusted off her uniform and vaguely attempted to inject enthusiasm into her briefing.
“Alternia thanks you for volunteering. Good luck.”
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And so, while the other highbloods in her party looked at each other, then her, with barely concealed surprise, she gave a smug smile and grin back at them. Whatever. She was out and around as herself, for the first time in too long. Regina Marian, out to kick a** and take names.
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Voscil grinned then, a wide smile at her companions. Everyone seemed to be in mixed spirits, she’d work with what was going on. “I mean, it’s not like we’re chicken right?” She bolstered, ensuring everyone was good and fired up for the trip.
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UGH! Who in their right mind would follow those FILTHY pipes?! Gross....the walkway wasn't looking any better. Miache was a practical troll, he preferred a direct route, and a straight line just always felt more....orderly. However...one MUST make compromises somewhere.
As the trolls searched deeper, the path became more treacherous. The desert heat and perilous obstacles were a source of pain for some, and soon enough some groups found that their accompanying lusii had become separated from the party.
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He could hear some barking echo back to him, but he couldn't tell where from. After a few more minutes, she didn't come back. As he wandered a little and called, then waited, then called again, there was no response. "She'll-she'll catch up later," he said as he turned back to his team. But he was whimpering and doing a terrible job at keeping up that gusto he had started out with. He had led the team to a dead end, and now his lusus was gone. This wasn't going the way he thought at all. "Uh..um..."
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The walk back was slow and tiring, and as soon as they headed down the walkway Klymen started - what. What. Touching the walls? Dictys frowned, but at the same time there was no other source of light. What else could ey do?
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Meanwhile, Reemus (+Nervit) vaulted the pit. Sinter, wide-eyed, watched them dart past before bolting in pursuit.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"
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Ephias plopped down, hiding his face in his knees. He couldn't. They had already lost one lusus and could not afford another. Besides, there was no telling if he would be able to meet up with Wolly later. Or if Wolly would even be able survive the day's heat. Ephias could not just leave him here. Not all alone.
“G-go on without us,” the redblood mumbled through his legs. “If you find any-anything... or another way around...”
The lush underground began to take shape. Ominous, blooming flora began to appear, and the adventure turned deadly when these mysterious forces began to antagonize the groups. Lusii were separated until there were none left.
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"NO! No no no!" He yelped, and proceeded to attempt to stomp the life out of whatever was underfoot. Aandes was seeing red. There was no way he'd let some sneaky snake (or whatever it was) play dirty like that.
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Eyes wide, they darted around fearfully until he saw the small white bird being dragged away. Clenching his jaw, Zindel almost ran back to get her-- when he realized this was her sacrifice-- she was doing this so he could leave. He quickly ran away, biting back the tears that wanted to bud in his eyes-- oh, great.
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”No time to stop now. Let’s go! We'll go sliding and see where that takes us~!” They’d just have to rush the situation. No sense in passing up a perfectly good sliding opportunity. Nothing could go wrong with a plan like that right?
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As Dictys offered a slightly more hesitant choice she had strode past, gripping the wall certainly and with irritation, taking the lead of the group. Someone had failed their test in the eyes of the queen. Eventually she stopped at the end of the tunnel, looking out over the sea of flora ahead.
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The cloud of spores made Eostre uneasy. Who knew what the heck was in them? It could be some weird sort of toxic thing or something else that'll kill them in an instant. Besides, the thicket had something moving inside of it.
"Come on, there's no sense dawdling at this point. Whatever's in there, I'm gonna punch it in the face!" she said, pulling her knuckledusters out of her pocket.
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"This is your fault!" She screeched, zeroing in on Dictys as the last to catch the blame. "She's gone and it's all your fault!" A hand lifted to point down into the water. "Go save her!" Her eyes darted from Dictys to Regina to Klymen, both pleading and demanding, and then she grit her teeth and suddenly ran off into the thicket. "I'll find someone who actually can!" It wasn't long at all until her foot came down on a twig, snapping it, and then a hand burst out to grab at her. With a yelp and no second thoughts, Lorata kept running.
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Ephias balled his hands into fists. His sobs grew into an angry roar. Suddenly, he took the branch in his hands and snapped it in two. He flung the pieces into the underbrush and the red began to recede from his vision. He was going to get Wolly back. No matter what, Ephias was going to find him. He took an unsteady breath, then turned to his group. “W-watch out for t-t-traps.” He did not trust himself to speak any more than that.
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A deep blue blush scattered across their face as they realised how awful they had acted, how much danger they had put the party in - in fact, they were in danger now, Alexin realised, as the plants were closing in.
"Quick! Upwards!"
Taking refuge in familiarity, Alexin began to climb the plants to escape, quick as a nutbeast across the vines thanks to practice in their forest home.
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As the spores settled on her skin, Nervit couldn't help but begin to cry, brown tears streaking silently down her cheeks. She didn't scream or anything - no, she'd learnt her lesson on noise after Sinter's scream had brought whatever that coiling thing had been down onto them - but her breath came in hiccups as the pain got to her.
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Eostre had to help him – she’d protected him all this time. But she wouldn’t – Koalapops was there first.
In a white blur, the lusus charged across the ground and climbed up to the drone’s shoulders. Low bellows accompanied sharp bites to the drone’s neck and face as Koalapops tore through skin. Aandes’ lip quivered, and shocked for a moment, he couldn’t move. Then, he found himself being pulled away. The thorns were closing in. They had to go. “POPS!! NO!! NO!”
At long last, the groups reached their destination at an underground lair of sorts -- controlled by none other than Aendal, the presumed dead jadeblood who had ignited his own hive during the Mother Grub emergency. He had resurrected as a rainbow drinker, and intended to choke off the life of Chittentown and destroy as much life as he could in retaliation for his and his lusus' demise.
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Descending from the serpentine masses, an adult troll stepped into the burning light. As he passed by the fronds and whips of his creation, the white hot glow of his skin illuminating plantlife bubbling up wherever he went. Tiny flowers formed and then wilted as he made his advance towards the party. He stepped over a body that had been released from its place in the tower, which now undulated slowly behind him. This was no living troll.
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Despite her dismissive attitude, Regina's eyes took in everything, and every inch of the troll in front of her. Already she was running through in her head all the ways she could think of to get him to come work for her. Strength was strength, after all.
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She glanced at the jadeblood monster quickly and she tried to move into the shadows with Aandes while he was distracted by... the Queen? Eostre didn't know the... was it a rainbowdrinker too? God, was anything right in this hellhole of a city?
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Silly games and small-time profit were nothing. He'd been so focused on avoiding trouble that he had no idea how to confront it. No matter what happened, Eostre was ready to fight. She had been this whole time, while he had acted like a wiggler. Aandes had to learn to stomach this.
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This is what Alternia's ruler has to offer? Pathetic.
Aendal opened his palm. The wall of drones began to shiver. Quick flicks of his fingers and the vines were on the move again. "You’re all the same to her: fodder. Did you come here for glory? Fame? The chance to kill? You’ll all end up like the rest of them.”
Path 2: Interview with a Vampire
Recipients of the cryptic note followed a series of riddles to a curious shop below Busthind. Inside, an eccentric but benevolent jadeblood named Vrykol met with the groups. She herself was a rainbow drinker, and with experience in undeath herself informed the groups of Aendal's presence. Sending the trolls forth to end his terror with a cure, she directed them to his lair where they would be instrumental in the battle.
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"Vell? Come in, come in! Do not take all night to stand in the doorvay, shuffling about like an imbecile!" The voice is snappy, imperious, and demanding, but not aggressive, and comes from the far end of the room, accompanied by the sound of objects clattering and a chair being scraped along the floor. After a few seconds, the voice floats back, sounding a little less impatient and more welcoming this time. "Enter into my domain young troll, you are velcome here. I promise, I vill not bite."
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Deciding to be brave despite the jadeblood's definite glowing quality, Keionx strode forward. ”Then let us discuss, good keeper of the shop!” she said, proudly, ”I am Keionx Rutace, knight in training!” she bowed theatrically. ”
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Even then, she seemed to read Athene's mind about the past and her drinking blood... thing. She was definitely a rainbow drinker, if there had been any doubt in Athene's mind before, but at this point it was more amazement than anything at this revelation. They did actually exist outside of the novels.
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Cerise poked her head out from behind Alifax, who was getting ready to leave for some reason, and saw cookies. "Wait why are you leaving look there's food! Food!!" she screeched, pulling at Alifax and Frossa. "I bet there's all sorts of cool things here then! Wow look!" she said, pushing past her friends to go run into the room.
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Many of Vrykol's heartfelt words fell to deaf ears on the lone purpleblood. Frossa didn't really care who their target was, nor was she particularly invested in the 'lives of many'. She didn't give a hoofbeast's a** about the many! The disillusioned girl did, however, have quite a strong interest in unfathomably mystical quests.
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"If the troll is who I think it is, they are a chlorokinetic jadeblood. This jadeblood is... Not affiliated with the crown. Or any side, really. They lived in seclusion from other trolls and avoided them when they could."
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"Whoever they've angered, whoever he'll kill...sorry, but I've spent too much time alive to want to attract any more negative attention from the crown than I already am by coming here."
It was, for Alifax, quite a bit more verbose than usual, but in his defense she was almost like a figure cut from wiggler's tales. She was hardly real - she was a jadeblood, and a rainbow drinker, at that.
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"As to how, it is a serum I have created. You vill each take one, he vill need multiple doses. If the body does not accept it, and I am certain his vill not, it must be administered multiple times. I am trusting each one of you to use vat I give you, or countless trolls vill die. Do you understand vat I am asking and saying? Vat you are agreeing to do should you help? Vat will happen if you turn around and leave? One life versus many?"
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"I will do everything I can, everything in my power- to protect you." She looked around the room, even to the newcomers, with an assurance in her eyes that her words applied to them as well. This wasn't about rebels or royals. Despite their affiliation they too, lowbloods and children, were innocent compared to her. And she wanted to protect them from the horrors of their last encounter with the jadeblood.
Path 3: Rebel fish in a barrel
Believing the government to be responsible for the drought with the utilization of the WACKY project, the rebels were organized into small squads and sent into the Chittentown Branch of the Imperial Research Facility of Natural Science with one goal: seize and destroy.
Skae bounced from the empty room into...another empty room. He gave the area a bland unimpressed look before backing out with a sigh. Bluh, what was this? All unlocked offices must hold nothing of interest day? He rocked on his heels and fiddled with his goggles, eyes drifting over to the two other trolls, having entirely missed their introductions.
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This was ridiculous. This was beyond ridiculous. Didero wasn't even worried about getting arrested at this point, because their little group was CLEARLY NOT A THREAT TO ANYONE.
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OH GOSH!!! Zariah fumbled nervously with the gun, almost dropping it before he could fire. Beastdad gently urged him forward into shooting the gun, surely eager to help him become heroic like his sister.
After he had taken her and Anguis to the area where the rebels were at, the tealblood had eagerly looked around-- only to see a FAMILAR KID lurking around. This brought Forera great pleasure-- she was now taller than stupid Vulpin. And cooler looking.
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Anguis hadn't expected to be dragged along to an adventure like this, to start off with. He just thought he was going to meet friends or shop in town or something else. Not sneaking around in a facility to find... something. He wasn't sure what they were finding, he hadn't been paying much attention to be truthful. This whole thing just screamed bad idea but when he tried to tell Forera, he couldn't find it in himself to turn down her excited look.
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He turned to leave the room when Sly came bounding at him, carrying a gerbil in his teeth. The gerbil, though seemingly unharmed, squeaked and squirmed under the woofbeast's jaws. Vulpin grimaced at the sight. He pointed at his lusus, firmly telling him, "NO."
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Seeing a he was AN ADULT, (or well, he wished he was), Lunear kept working at the signal jammer, smirking when one bot went down. "Ah, not the most effective of security I'd say. Even if they're onto us now."
The rebels were met with little resistance as they ventured deeper into the government facility. The teams were all unwittingly herded into the same room, where a deathly machine revealed itself and opened fire; capturing every last one of them.
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The place was swept empty, apart from a large glass chamber hanging from the ceiling in one corner, empty and not in use. Apart from that, no WACKY. No plans. Nothing, nothing at all to suggest any kind of foul play by the drones working at this station, or the highbloods that direct them. A group would decide to leave and continue searching, only to end up wandering back in, lost and confused a few minutes later. And eventually, the final remaining rebels stepped through the door.
The moment every single party arrived, tired and lost, the lights in the room flicked to red, and a low buzzer sounded, while each door slid smoothly shut and locked with a firm click.
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"STUPID, STUUPID VULPIN!! STUUU-PIIIDDD LUNE!! CAN'T YOU GUYS SHUT UP?!!" She snarled, angry at both of them. Lune, for his ANNOYING blood complex, Vulpin because he wasn't as aware of his surroundings.
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Their relationship had only just begun, after all, and with the looming threat of its sudden termination Zeffer regretted the fact that he'd taken it for granted. With every passing second, it was getting harder and harder to believe that they would all escape with their lives, and he couldn't deal with the thought of losing them, or with the idea of dying in a hole under the ground.
Of course, other thoughts had crossed his immature mind, like, wow, what a freaky ******** color.
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Their eyes connected, and for one fleeting moment, Akko felt hopeful about their current plight. He was soaked in his own blood, and he looked like ******** s**t, but he was okay. That brief moment came to a screeching halt when he froze, staring dumbfoundedly at her injuries- or rather, the hue of blood gushing from them. Only when she followed his gaze down to the bold pink soaking through her robe did the still woozy rebel fully connect the two together.
He's going to ******** kill me.
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Taldad tumbled through the air, twisting as he tried to not land on top of Skae when he landed. The corvus kree'd as they hit the ground, skidding and bouncing before momentum finally let go, and let the pair shudder to a hault.
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Without thinking too much longer on it—he wouldn't have gotten anywhere, anyway—he took off towards Akko and the little troll whose name he didn't know. He would defend his escape attempts, because Akko had asked him to, because he wasn't sure what else to do, and because he'd already failed to save Zeffer.
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Sly fell to the floor with a loud whimper. Vulpin, hearing this, scattered from the door and ran to his lusus' side. He watched the woofbeast. He was panting erratically, and his unfocused eyes teared up from the gas. Vulpin shook the dog's stomach. "Get back up!" He shouted, voice cracking. "I'm gonna get us out of here! Please!" Sly was unresponsive.
Meanwhile, the underground battle was coming to a head. Aendal's power was ferocious - kids who had lost their lusii were forced to reclaim them from his influence, and his terrifying control over plantlife allowed him supremacy in the battle.
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Mamaju stood in front of her charge, her body brushing against the small troll nuzzling her in reassurance. The display was brief but adequate enough to earn a sniff and eye clearing rub from Voscil. Mamaju stood ready to attack and defend her daughter with everything she had.
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“Wolly! Wolly!” He called again. He ducked under a scorpion's stinger. A massive hoof nearly crushed him. A talon raked at his hair and slashed open his cheek. Then Ephias saw him: a few tufts of wool poking out from a tangle of thorns. He surged forward and began to rip away the vines.
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Etsali, gritting her teeth, pressed closer to her lusus' side to avoid those teeth and kept working. "It's just me, I've got you! I'm gonna get you free, and we're gonna leave this stupid cave, and we'll find all the treasure in the world together, you'll see! Just a little more- If I just had a knife-" With a frustrated grunt, she dug her feet into the ground and put all her strength into another pull.
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Damnit, she injured a wing... "Wrenmom, you idiot, don't do that ever again!" He said angrily, tucking her in his sash carefully, jogging back to his group and looking at the crazy jadeblood in slight fear.
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Lususless, she was also defenseless, but Keionx didn't care. Why should she care? There were Lusii in agony and nothing in her, trained or otherwise – could allow her to ignore that. She had to save them. She had to be the hero. She charged in with her sword, realizing – too late – just where the screams were coming from.
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"F-father! You live!" Tamiya was overjoyed, even though he appeared to be attacking a child.
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Lorata had never heard them speak as one like that before, but she found she agreed with the sentiment. Turning to see the lusus fighting against them all and then lifting her eyes to Aendal, she raised an arm to point. "He's the one, MeduMa! Kill him!"
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Aandes howled. He shook his lusus hard, begging as the koalameleon's head lolled back and forth. Finally, Aandes rolled him onto his shoulder and screamed into his fur. He looked like he was sleeping. But he wasn't. Koalapops was dead.
Hhhnghgh--snork.
No, wait. Koalapops was sleeping.
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Etsali darted in beside one of the bigger lusus, fingers curling around a vine and pulling hard. It still wasn't giving way, but there had to be something she could- Ah, there was something else coming this way! She dropped the vine, starting to prepare to flee, then paused, eyeing its obviously sharp claws. Oh boy, Keeper was gonna be mad about this.
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"We need to -" Dictys began, and Mommydaddy opened eir little, little eyes. Dictys hadn't realized until now how miniscule eir own lusus was in comparison to some trolls'.
Fight, Mommydaddy said, and dove in.
That wasn't what Dictys had meant to say at all!
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Pyredad stirred. Injured yes, but not dead. Nervit began to sob in relief, collapsing to the floor, momentarily forgetting the battle around her - at least until a lumbering drone stood in front of her, when she stood up and ran the other way, carefully tucking Pyredad around her horn as she did so.
Blisters began to form on her skin from the whipping vines holding her in place. She gasped for air, squeezed thin as a rail. A vine crept up her neck and face, beckoned by the light. It scalded. Tamiya screamed.
"Messiahs. Do not let me die today. It is not my time... ********!" Her hand was ripped open and her weapon dropped to the ground. She cried and prayed, but couldn't loose herself. Her voice became a raspy whisper.
"Pl..please... Help... Me..."
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No way no how was she gonna get deep fried. Dunking down in the water, she sniffed as it hissed against her skin. What dish did that smell remind her of? For the moment, the lowbloods were out of her mind as she tended to her own injuries.
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She hurt, she hurt all over now, in more ways than one. If she had only hd her shield, then she could have shaded herself from the light, but it was missing, gone.
She couldn't just leave them. Not them. Not these heros.
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She flipped him over, and he quickly deflated in the ankle-deep pool of water. Kabukidad was quiet. You are in danger.
"Your teachings were not lost on me. The rainbow drinker's poison is making you ******** shitballs."
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Finally, Ephias had the sense to release the vines and the mantis raced on without him. He hoped that its claws found the jadeblood and not another troll. Sitting up, he spat out a mouthful of inky black water. It caught a familiar looking troll in the face.
“Etsali?!”
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Rubble and shrapnel fell from the cave walls and it slowly piled over Odette. Futilely, she pushed the rocks and debris aside, still pulling at her entanglements. A large, flat piece of rock fell from the ceiling of the cave, hitting squarely on the back of Odette's head. Almost instantly her world went fuzzy, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. She fell on her back with an ungracious thump, and the rubble continued to pile up on her limp body.
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Ephias slammed into her, his momentum carrying them both just far enough to avoid the stalactite that would have killed them. Etsali let out a choked sound, something caught between a sob and a laugh, and then wrapped her arms around the redblood for a quick, grateful hug. "T-thank you! I couldn't have-" She hadn't been able to move. Neither could Keeper. The thief's eyes widened and she pulled away to stumble to her feet.
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Mum, Mum, please get up. Please..." He rubbed her flank, willing it to get her pain to go away. At the very least, he could feel her side pushing in and out as she breathed. "Oh, Mum..." he sniffled. "I'm sorry." More dirt fell on his head, some nesting in his hair while others rolled off to fall onto the ground around them. Reemus pulled shards out of his lusus's fur in the meantime.
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The dammed-off water would be released; only the ceiling and walls quickly disintegrating were blocking off the flood. Aendal’s body had begun to separate, his howls crackling. Soon, they were stifled by vines that overtook him entirely. Jade blood trickled down pale branches and into the water. The last of his essence flowed into the cavern.
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Then like the hungry mouths of a hydra, a hundred vines erupted from his failing body to pierce the walls and ceiling. Ephias saw the first trickle of water before he heard the roar.
Back at the Imperial Research Facility the alive, but captured, members of the Phoenix Initiative were shipped off to a detainment facility somewhere on Busthind Mountain, marked as criminals with freshly implanted tracking devices and a barcode-like tattoo. However, the adults of the rebellion were not let off so easily.
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Shackles rattling, a few of the adult rebels are lead past your cells, in the direction you first arrived from. Some of them have their eyes closed, a few stare ahead or at the ground, faces furious. Some hum a old Alternian battle song, quietly together as they go. [/quote
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Inside, your left arm is grabbed by a drone and raised up, and a cruel looking device is stamped down on the inside of your wrist. There is a brief flare of pain then it is pulled away, leaving a fresh tattoo swelling in it's place. Beside it, a small drop of your blood blossoms where a close-range tracking device has been injected. You are now a branded criminal.
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Hell, he couldn’t even remember what had happened to himself, whether Akko had been taken by the machine or had escaped or... worse... he didn’t know. Once again he cursed himself for his lack knowledge. What good was he if he never knew anything important?
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"So, I'm assuming you guys didn't blow up that cube thing." It was the best attempt he could make toward humor, and the only thought he could think to keep the panic at bay.
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It was a tattoo, fresh and tender. Didero prodded at it gently, then swept a finger over the mark. He began to rub viciously at the blight, pain be damned. He was hyperventilating and crying, but the tattoo wouldn’t go away. It didn’t even smudge.
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A string of garbled curses erupted from his lips, and before he knew it something had a hold of him. The pain came quickly in a bright flash, and his protesting culminated into a high, angry shriek, before he was smacked again, and shoved back into the light. With his hand clutched to his chest, he wobbled in silence the rest of the way, waiting for the hurt to subside to a manageable level, which it did after a minute, allowing him to see what had happened. A tattoo??
As the weathered trolls made their escapes from Aendal's crumbling lair, some found solace in the preceding Hero's Parade -- the celebrations set immediately after the monstrous Aendal had perished and the water had returned. For many, however, it was a bittersweet victory.
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"Hey, when we get home, let's get some coffee together, alright?" she said suddenly. After all this disgusting heat and dehydration and tiredness, she craved something cold and tasty and filled with chocolate and stimulants, and what would be better than an iced coffee from the finest shops that home had to offer?
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“We’ll go as soon as we have everyone!” She stressed in reply, stamping her foot impatiently at her overly worried mother, not willing to budge and inch. Even with fleeing trolls and lusii, Voscil felt wrong to just turn tail and book it on her own. She was already walking in their direction without a second thought.
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”It's... it's Odette...” Keionx sobbed. Her accent was gone, a lot of her strength was gone, and everything was falling apart. Vines were everywhere, falling rock was everywhere, water was everywhere and it was bright. It was so bright.
Bright enough to reveal the red-stained limp hand that Keionx knew better than to pull. She knew she had to get the vines away, and to get ALL of Odette out, but she couldn't.
She couldn't...
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As her body relaxed and the rest of her meager amount of energy slid into Odette, Vremea's head felt woozy, and when she tried to move again-- a wave of dizziness slid over her, body instantly falling to the floor and passing out.
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Biting her lower lip, she looked back at Vremea and scooped her up in her arms, carrying her bridal style. It was easier than lifting the dead weight over her shoulder and going fireman. How the hell she even had the strength to do this was beyond the matchmaker. Magic? Science? Love? Maybe the last. When they weren't in mortal danger she'd be sure to contemplate it more.
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Everything was falling apart. Kabukidad finally removed himself, and stood by her side. Tamiya deflated. She whimpered, finally feeling the results of her wounds after his pressure had gone. Was this his punishment, or was more to come?
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Keionx felt cold, horribly cold, as she returned with Milieu to behold her friend – the kind, older troll who ran the library, who she had every reason to look up to, downed on the ground. Her throat clogged at the fact that Vremea could be dead too. She did not see Odette, but she didn't need to to know she had failed.
She had failed.
It was her fault.
As fate would have it, some of the Initiative-affiliated trolls who had answered Vrykol's summons overheard rumours of criminals being shipped off to Busthind. Fearing the worst for their comrades, they immediately set out on a rescue mission.
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"It was last night -- you must have been far out in the desert so you didn't hear the sirens. There were two ... no three! Three transport vehicles - Isn't that right Martee?" Pot-head nodded vigorously, their headgear threatening to slip down to their chin.
"Three transport vehicles that drove through town. Yes. Marked as holding criminals and outlaws."
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These trolls were too far gone, minds brainwashed by the queen. "Forget it. Would any of you happen to know were they taken?" With a little bit of reluctance, Vremea added on-- "I am sure they will get what they deserve, however. That sort of crime is not to be forgotten." It hurt her to say it, but they might get suspicious...
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The last thing Milieu expected to be was touched by her crush. A tingle of electricity ran up her arm....
Until she realized that the touches were morse. Rebels caught on Busthind. Oh no. Oh no no no no. Lunear, Zariah, Keionx's brother and beastdad... God, who else? Probably plenty more they knew of, have been snapped up. This was not good at all.
Two of the captured trolls, Vulpin Cadmea and Forera Serpan, had previously participated in a government rehabilitation program. They were offered a way out... and they both pinned their actions on Ganyma Callow, a previous rebel who had since defected. Judgement for all three trolls was to be passed in an official hunt.
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"Ah. Yes. Yes. Prisoner, we have records of you recently taking mental evaluations at one of our rehabilitation centres. As a member of our counselling services, I have been sent here today to act as an intermediary. You have reached out to us in the past, and now we will, ahem, reach out to you.
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“Ganyma Callow.” He said to the drone with distinct clarity. The tealblood was the perfect target, unintelligent and weak enough to never seek revenge.
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"C... Callow, Ganyma." Forera said, a little formally. Her voice lost the playful tint it normally had, cracking on the first syllable of his name. It was a hesitant statement, showing she felt bad for saying it— and for the second time that night, she felt her blood pusher hand hang heavy with guilt. "He... He was with us in the rehab center. We played together and... He inspired me. We met a while ago... And since then... Since I heard of him in the War... I didn't know he was a bad guy... "
The team of rebel scouts, (Vremea, Odette, Athene and Milieu), swiftly arrived at the Punishment Pits to free the other members of the Initiative, effectively freeing every last troll- except the culled adults and their leader, who was nowhere to be found. The lusii also remained imprisoned, to be freed another night.
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She gave a swift kick to the third drone's head, her foot contacting the skull with a resounding thwack. Oh no, she panicked, reaching out to catch his unconscious body. I hit him too hard, didn't I? She thought, reaching to check the drone's life signs. Alright, he wasn't dead. Breathing a sigh of relief, she gently released the drone and turned her sights back on the task at hand.
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She moved to the first Cell and inserted the picks, wiggling them as best she could. Her bloodpusher felt like it was going to bust from the moobeast hide suit any second.
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They were escaping torture, escaping death. As the lone infiltrator tossed their cell door open, he struggled to his feet, looking to Aprife for support. He didn't know how easy it would be to clear the prison, but he was willing to give it his best shot. "Looks like we're getting out early." The corners of his lips upturned faintly.
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The lock popped open and she pulled the door open, the kids rushing out. She pointed them towards the exit and then moved past them, on to the next cell.
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"Please, follow me." She said clearly, in a smooth, comforting voice, and soon— soon, she heard the others following her. With a gulp, she directed them to the door— the door they came from.
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Other children had realized what was happening before Didero, and pushed around him through the door before he had a chance to right himself. Eventually, he too managed to follow the small crowd out onto the platform before the cells. Even then, Didero wasn’t sure what had transpired. If he did, he didn’t want to jinx the situation by applying words to it like “freedom.” As far as he knew, he was just following the crowd with a wide-eyed stare.
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All the lusus have been marked with the same brand/chip, sedated, and sent to various power plants in the cities where they are being forced to jump on treadmills and run in various sized gerbil cages to generate energy.
With the defeat of Aendal and the end of the drought, everything on Alternia returned to what was essentially normal. For the members of the Phoenix Initiative, however, things were far from wrapped up...
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 4:03 pm
The Initiative's Betrayal
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Dear Brother/Sister of the rebellion, your presence is requested at a council to be held in five nights time. The intent of this conference is to address recent events, and to openly discuss the current state of affairs with your peers. Coordinates for the main base of the Phoenix Initiative's operations are listed below. If you stand with us, your involvement is strongly encouraged. We of the rebellion all share common ideals and goals, and those motivations are what have always propelled us through turmoil in the past. We can only hope it continues to drive you as well.
Immediately following the emergency in Chittentown, the Phoenix Initiative gathered at the rebellion's main headquarters to discuss the suspect nature of their capture. There, the rebel leader Byakko Mawiya explained the state of the rebellion, and her suspicions of traitors among their ranks.
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"Despite my best attempts, after the demise of most of our troops, the Initiative began to fall apart. The hit to our morale was monumental, I'm sure you could understand why, and the loss of our brothers and sisters was not taken lightly. Some began to go astray... and that's when the difficulties started. There are some, many perhaps, who have wandered greatly from our true cause. Unfortunately, I'm unaware to what extent the misconduct lays. There's civilian reports of banditry and extortion matching our descriptions, there are questionable discrepancies with our own information. My greatest fear is that the corruption is rooted deeply in the core of our operations, even within higher ranked members."
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Kursha turned his attention to the group in front of him. It was smaller than the last time though that was hardly surprising. Of course their numbers would dwindle after the fiasco in Chittentown. Aside from losing the ones who were captured, there were also those who would lose heart and bail after hearing about the initiative’s failure. Even so, more had gathered than Kursha would have expected. They looked a lot older too. Stubborn bastards. He grinned.
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Instead, he quickly jabbed Aprife in the side, his voice caught between a whisper and a sneer, "I thought you told me everyone had their s**t together."
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Zeffer's jaw fell open, and he nearly leapt to his feet, leaning hard on the table instead. His eyes were wild, rife with a multitude of emotions as her gaze locked with his own. Immediately his fist flew up to his mouth, and he had to bury his fangs into the leather of his gloved knuckles, in order to contain the raucous exclamations that threatened to escape. He was grinning by then, like some sort of deranged finbeast. That sly b***h. That crazy, leggy little harpy had been the one on top all along?
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Just as Byakko’s appearance brought Rasali hope and pride, her words brought a sourness to Rasali’s mouth. Betrayal. The slander of the Phoenix Initiative’s noble cause in the name of self-gain. Rasali’s fists curled against her legs. This faction had such potential. To have it abused was despicable.
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Just as Byakko’s appearance brought Rasali hope and pride, her words brought a sourness to Rasali’s mouth. Betrayal. The slander of the Phoenix Initiative’s noble cause in the name of self-gain. Rasali’s fists curled against her legs. This faction had such potential. To have it abused was despicable.
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They... they wanted to include them more. To get them... to be more involved. The adult's pump biscuit fluttered in her chest when Byakko stared directly at her, and her face went yellow with embarrassment, squeezing Odette's hand back hard when she watched the female look right next to her, onto Odette. We've been recognized. They were no longer faces in a crowd... This made a smile spread upon the older trolls face. She was changing. They were becoming... Important.
Agreeing to investigate the state of internal affairs themselves, unbeknownst to the adult members of the Initiative, the rebels split into four squads. Spreading across the base itself and the surrounding area, they began their search.
Highlights, sorted by location
The meeting cavern was a large room where, the Initiative held their meetings.
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"My name is Errade Etturi. I run the Intelligence Department, so if you have any questions about anything, feel free to ask." Her gaze trails to each member of your group slowly, as if sizing up each individual. "Most of us left are in the Intel Department, or at least used to be. We stayed behind to run things from ground control when the vast majority of our forces... well, y'know." She gestured loosely upwards, referring the the sudden demise of the majority of adult trolls just outside Alternia's atmosphere, both of rebels and royalists alike.
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Instead, the small doctor retreats away to his respective yellow and blue-blooded 'companions', grumbling about disorganized shitty organization this and stupid asinine imbeciles that. How dare anyone think they could just,—just meander up to him and speak. He looked both floored and exasperated but mostly annoyed.
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She was a welcomed sight among the strangers and when he neared her, he was quick to allow himself the opportunity to lay a chaste kiss on her neck.
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Eventually she stood and began to explore the room for more details, but her eyes locked on to the large map. It was old, but it appeared relatively up to date. It was OHC, or Civisect city. Seeing it made her heart hurt worse. Milieu gently thumped her forehead against the wall, her shoulders slumping in a gesture of defeat.
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A bright idea occurred to the kid when he pushed one of the tables aside. With a bit of effort and several taxed sounding grunts, he managed to turn the table it into a mobile wheelie transporter. Stryke almost felt silly for doing it, but the quick childish antic had made him chuckle while his lusus stared at him, hardly thrilled.
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In a fit of pique Kursha aimed a kick at the cabinet. With his foot. His sandalled foot.
Yeah, that was stupid.
Swearing, Kursha hopped around the room on one leg. “Seriously?” he exclaimed. “How ******** hard is it to design a drawer that actually opens?”
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"You ought to show your superiors a bit more respect." Zeffer offered a leering grin, and reached to shut the top drawer, which caused the mechanism inside to click and unlock the bottom level.
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She had expected, without a doubt, that the blueblood would relish in the fact trolls had adopted his pet name for her- not get protective and berate others for using it. An unfamiliar warmth rushed to her scarred cheeks, accompanied by a lurch in the pit of her protein sack. Byakko rose a hand to her face... it was hot. Was she ******** blushing?
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”I’m just gonna… Clues…” Rasali mumbled while pointing the direction she was heading. The opposite of Kursha and Zeffer.
Stacked full of files and reports, the intelligence office was an obvious place for many to start poking their sniffbumps around.
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"Yanno, it's common knowledge 'round 'ere that someone betrayed the Initiative back when our ships were launched into space. Sure, everyone up there choked anyway, but from down 'ere on our fancy dohickeys we could see that the first damage to the ships wus taken from somewhere that didn't make any sense given the situation." They wiggled their fingers in your direction ominously. "Planted bombs? That's my theory, anyway. And that Qinlon 'imself did it, the sneaky b*****d."
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Just barely seconds after she had placed it, a yellowblood came over and put it in the correct spot with an irritated hiss. Athene's face remainded neutral, but she gave the yellowblood an eye as they walked away. A shrill rude! resounded in her mind and she turned tightly on her heel, back to Odette and Vremea.
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Whatever this stuff was, the empire would probably love to get their fishy hands all over it. Hell, the empire wished Rasali was their secret agent. Too bad, purple villains! Rasali had already chosen her side, and that side was justice.
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Stryke came back to the intelligence office in part because he'd left the area with less than satisfactory results. In fact, he’d gotten emotional over some OHC data he'd come across, and had left the room frustrated. The small kid and his lusus trailed in together, with the intent of pouring over some of those other logs he'd meant to look at before he'd gotten his nose out of joint.
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She strided over to the shelf, delicate hands about to touch a file— when a troll suddenly stood in between them. She listened to his words, lips curling into a frown and crossing her arms indignantly. She sighed and turned away— she supposed not everything was something she could look over.
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Odette picked up the magazine tucked in the files. What was something like this doing in between the files. She opened to a random page and the centerfold unfolded before her, making her blush bright red. She stuffed the magazine back into its place and stuffed her head in her hands. This was too much for her. Maybe Athene would be interested in such a thing, but for Odette? It was unthinkably embarrassing.
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Mentally filing away some of the more interesting designs for later use Kursha prowled over to the bookshelf. He skimmed through the titles before selecting one and pulling it off the shelf. He was interrupted by what sounded like cough trying to be polite. Kursha turned. An orangeblood glowered at him. He slid the book a little further. There was a second, louder cough. This time it was accompanied by a gentle vocalisation. Rolling his eyes, Kursha replaced the book on the shelf. He then pushed all the books over.
The mess hall served not only to feed rumbling tummies, but inquiring minds; the adult rebels loved to gossip over a plate of unidentifiable mush.
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The squeakbeast slunk forward cautiously, whiskers twitching. When it finally reached his plate, it dipped its hands into his mash to grab a pea. Kursha moved. In a flash he had snatched up the squeakbeast, and held it with a his thumb under its chin.
“So thought any more on how to resolve your... 'rat' problem?” His grip tightened.
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It really didn't help that Byakko wasn't very fond of peas. Why were they serving them so damned much lately? She wasn't normally a picker eater by any means, but there was just something about the texture of unmashed peas that made her skin crawl... Bluh.
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No matter what he did it was damn near impossible to hide the way his skin was pretty much putting on a dazzling light show and well, it wasn't exactly the hardest thing to miss when you were looking like a light bulb.
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Surely they had their own lives, their own motives, their own goals to try and constantly get head of one another in. Everyone was the same. They were all of the same fruit, borne from the same tree; selfish. A natural flaw that dictated everybody at one point or another.
So why did he feel this obligation?
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"I am so hungry... Athene, I might need to ask you to loosen the corset. I will stuff my self with so much food I will not be able to breathe!"
Although scarcely stocked itself, the supply rooms was full of clues for those trolls attentive enough to spot them.
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As you go for the gold, that mystery slip, Odavat picks up on your presence and turns on you, slamming his booted foot quickly down on the paper he dropped. "Don't think you can just take things that don't belong to you," he states ominously, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
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“'Legs', huh?” he asked with a grin. They had arrived at the first supply room. Carefully avoiding the nails strewn across the floor, Kursha made his way over to the arsenal crates. He lifted a lid out of curiousity. “Interesting title. Did it come with the gig or is it more personal than that?”
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Byakko went rigid. If it wasn't for the raspiness of the voice, she would have spun around and begun to spit obscenities befitting a subjuggulator at Zeffer. But no, it wasn't her blackcrush- the speaker was Kursha, who seemed more than happy to adopt the nickname for himself, much to Byakko's dismay.
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With a bit of effort, he managed to wrestle the box open and peeked in. His brow shot up in question, scowling with his usual hard-line frown when he realized that it wasn't relevant, and in fact a crap ton of canned veggies. Pea's to be exact.
"oh boy...no wonder they've had pea's on the menu constantly."
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Lunear was discovering that the dark was no longer an issue. Trolls were used to the dark to start with sure, but now? As his own light source navigating the dark unlit caverns was much easier than previously
Encircling the base of their operations, the defensive maze of underground tunnels granted some of the teams a little 'bonding' time.
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”You… wanna hit me?” Rasali tilted her head to the side. While Kursha had been the one to sneak up on her in the first place, but considering the damage she apparently dealt, Rasali could only shrug. He must’ve been pretty frail to have had that kind of reaction anyway. He was like, half her size to begin with. Rasali grinned herself and spread her arms out.
”Why not? Fair’s fair.”
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No, he was no longer having any of this. An unfortunate crate on the floor became his target, boot coming to kick the empty cube roughly into the cave wall. "It's more organized now—What the hell was it you said? We need trolls who know what they're doing; ******** obviously. Tell me—which was it?; the war or was it prison? Which was it that turned you stupid fools into complete ******** morons!?"
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"Shut the ******** up," he hissed, sharply shoving Muerte's right shoulder with obvious force. "You have no idea what you're even ******** prattling on about. I don't wanna hear another goddamn word." His chest heaved. Why couldn't he yell like he wanted? All that came out was a gravely voice he still didn't recognize.
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Akko silently thanked the gogs for the adult's curt response while simultaneously cursing it; she wasn't sure she was ready to hear gossip about Trolldad's relationship drama or why Errade would speak poorly of him, but she also realized the relevance to their investigation. When Akko thought back about it herself, she realized how little she actually knew about Trolldad's life outside of his time with her...
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He was considering the different questions he could ask, when up ahead a clump of figures appeared. As he and the others drew closer, it became apparent that the figures were lusii... playing cards. A tiny lizard beckoned them over.
For a moment, Kursha was thrown. Then a broad grin spread across his face.
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She sighed and nuzzled into the tealblood's shoulder. Her familiar smell filled Odette with warmth, tightening her hug. "I've missed you so much. I was worried that you might not show," Odette pulled away and looked up at Milieu, a genuine smile in her eyes.
Chittentown was the closest city to the rebel's base- it only made sense to go asking the local some questions.
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You strike up a conversation with a chatty tealblood about the rebellion as they helped lead you back into the base after your night's work at Chittentown, and eventually the topic wandered to the previous Initiative commanders and their downfall. "So it was like, Qinlon and Zhuque who were morails, right?" They prattled on, describing how the two originally shared the leadership position of the Initiative.
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Odette looked at the meowbeasts with Vremea, cherishing their cute features. They weren't anything like featherbeasts of course, but all little beasts were cute in their own right. Odette wanted to reach out and pet them, but their mother wasn't having any of that. Still, she could admire them from afar.
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Gossip. For once he found himself listening to their words, even if he didn't find what they said to be particularly interesting. Muerte wasn't one to be riled or excited over drama, unlike a particular yellowblood nearby who was practically salivating over the juicy tidbits.
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Rasali would definitely have to come back here later when she didn't have so many obligations. Sure it wasn't as fancy as Four Fronds, but there were so many convenient amenities! She was practically a highblood here!
...Emphasis on "practically," as Rasali was nearly run down by an enormous lusus while admiring the local fare.
"SIDEWALK'S FOR WALKING, PUNK!" Rasali shouted--though the lusus had already barreled down the street and around the corner.
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At least, that was how Vremea saw it-- after all, they were looking for a traitor. Someone was hiding among them in plain moonlight, and it... it made her nervous. What if that person had given information about her and her team?
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Reaching for a coffer he'd passed by on t he streets, the kid lifted the lid. Much to his horror and disgust flies came launching out at him. "oh dear god why?! what was i thinking, how grosss!" he shrieked in disdain, slamming the lid closed as he pulled away, making retching sounds. It took all his will-power to not throw up the pea's he'd had earlier. bluh.
Team ********, consisting of Zeffer Siroco, Aprife Invasi and Muerte Perist, managed to sniff out the hidden hive of Qinlon Aoguan himself during their investigation. Despite common belief, the old rebel leader was still breathing, and very much displeased to have visitors. Nonetheless, he bitterly shed a little light on the Initiative's situation.
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"So, what do you want? Are you here to drag me back to the Initiative to be culled, then?" The troll you could only assume was Qinlon seemed well aware of your affiliations. Had the troll from the sopor store tipped him off? His lip curled into a deep frown, raspy voice continuing before you could respond. "You kids don't even know what you've gotten yourselves into, do you? You have no idea the scale of what's really going on.
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"We believe there are informers in our midst, and I think you can help us single them out. You obviously still feel some connection to the organization." The blueblood pointedly eyed Qinlon's robe.
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"Errade Etturi, that name is familiar, isn't it? Honestly, from what we've found, it seems like she's working with the crown. She's putting the Initiative in real danger." Crossing his arms, Aprife let out a short sigh. "Is there anything you can tell us about her? If she's doing s**t like this now, I wouldn't be surprised if she was doing the same sorts of things back then."
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"You each get one more specific question before I kick your asses out. Use it wisely." He paused for a moment, turning back to Meurte. "Except you. You, shut the ******** up."
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Muerte seethed. There was a vehement passion brewing behind his glasses, hungry like a fire, itching to burn. What little kinship he felt with the hermit was long gone now, a speck of sand lost to the grainy desert.
Pettiness aside, Odette rose from her seat and gathered her documents. "Pardon me," She said, "I've collected all of the clues our team has discovered into a single document." She looked around the room, giving a glance to Vremea for confidence. She took a breath before continuing, "If any of you have clues or other information to add, I suggest you come up and do so."
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Milieu watched Stryke write down the new information. She had tried to read through the documents, but felt a haze of confusion surround her. Milieu was fairly certain she was getting a cold of some sort.
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"So... you all concur that not only is Errade responsible for the WACKY misinformation leading up to our recent capture, but also the sabotage of the previous generation of the Initiative?" Byakko marvelled aloud, verbally confirming once more that they were all in agreement. Her piercing stare trailed from face to face as she contemplated her next words.
While fingers were pointed at members Odavat Tresna and Poutzi Verela for minor crimes, it was evident that the Head of Intelligence herself, Errade Etturi, had been orchestrating the rebellion's failure for quite some time. With impeccable timing befitting the villain she was, Errade burst into the meeting, gloating over her deeds. A bloody battle for power over the Initiative ensued.
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"You didn't honestly think you could just poke around without consequence and things would just go smoothly, did you? I mean, come on. I'm the Head of Intelligence. I knew everything you pathetic lot were going to do before it even crossed your under developed minds!"
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"god damnit, you b***h." he growled, eyes watering. As impressive as Errade was, her dramatic entrance left a sour taste in the yellowbloods mouth.
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No, she was stronger than that now. She refused to go back. She picked herself up and swung her glaive, the tip colliding with something rigid. Odette felt a brief moment of joy, knowing that she wasn't completely useless.
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She was beauty. She was grace. She fell on her ******** face. Milieu struggled to sit up, huffing at the chair that had jumped out to attack her.
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Instantly he tasted blood in his mouth, dripping from his lips. He had managed to pull back at the last second—perhaps kept from losing his face entirely—though the blade had still carved a line in his skin. The fire that blossomed as pain instantly bristled into hatred, and he hissed with a vehement fury, "You...?! ...you son of A b***h!"
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The orangeblood was insane. Using grenades underground was suicide. An explosion in the wrong place could trigger an avalanche and then they would all be buried. Still, in a way Kursha could not help but respect her resolve.
Respect however, should not be confused for sympathy. Kursha had every intention of laying this b***h low and claiming victory for himself.
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Errade had visibly begun to lose her boastful composure, blood pouring down her face from some unseen head injury. "I'll ******** kill every single one of you, just like the others!"
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She was already rushing at Errade in a berserker-like frenzy, weapon in clutches. "You killed him," the mutant thundered as she swung at her elder in wide arcs, furiously advancing as she screamed and spat at Errade. "You killed him!!!" Errade surely knew who the adopted mutant was screeching about, and Byakko's wild expression for once held nothing back.
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Immediately tears rose to her eyes as she fully realized what she was holding. It was the scarf she made for that redblood so long ago, the one that had saved her during her time at the camp. It was incredibly well taken care of, only a few lose threads here and there, and she felt the tears roll down her face. He had recognized and saved her a second time now, she hadn't even known. Clutching the scarf, she got up and made an attack with her weapon. She absolutely had to win now.
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Rasali couldn’t scream. If she screamed, it meant she saw what was sprawled out across her legs—that it was real. It couldn’t have been. It wasn’t right. The parts of the corpse’s face that was still intact stared glassily up at Rasali who cried and wheezed in response. This troll saved her. They saved her life at the cost of their own. Rasali didn’t even know who they were. They were too scorched and broken to identify
The dissenters were defeated, but the only trolls left standing were those who had started the investigation in the first place. Everyone else in the Initiative, both loyal to Byakko and Errade, lay dead. Following a dying Errade's bitter confession over her betrayal, Zeffer swiftly acted and executed her. The survivors burst into an argument and abandoned the carnage, divided over the fate of Errade.
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She had single handedly destroyed the previous generation of the Initiative, and slowly but surely turned the survivors who felt uneasy with Byakko's leadership against her. She was responsible for the WACKY misinformation, and the rebels subsequent capture. Errade hadn't expected any survivors. "You have no ******** idea how many trolls I've picked off that could wipe the floor with you. You're insects in comparison!"
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"Tell me, what makes you so worthy of living, while others here far better than you have lost their lives. Tell me, why are you so valuable that we shouldn't kill you this instant?" She stepped closer to the adult, leaning in so close that she was practically spitting in her face.
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She wrote a simple message in her own blood on it and tossed it beside the adult. | USE HER. |
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After the deaths of the Initiative members on the ships, Akko had often turned to Errade for comfort, finding solace in whom she obliviously regarded as a friend and foster parent of sorts. A mentor, an advisor- Byakko had wholeheartedly trusted her. Looked up to her. Admired her.
Errade now lay bleeding before her, spitting and cursing through her blood up at Byakko and her allies, challenging them to kill her.
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"death is fitting for a traitor..or prison just don't let her bleed to death whatever we do." He looked away from the scene of orangeblood bleeding from the adult, translucent yellow tears rolling down his face as he backed away.
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Rasali had never met a person she would have considered a waste before. It was surreal. Errade appeared distinctly alien in those moments. Rasali felt as much sadness as she did disgust. As relieved as she was to have helped bring this woman down, she wished desperately it hadn’t been necessary in the first place.
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As her struggling grew more frantic, accompanied by further cries of hate, a furious roar tore from Zeffer's throat in response, and he wasted no more time in delivering the final blow. The axe came up before slamming back down in one swift, deliberate motion, and her crescendoing voice was cut short with a sickening crunch-thwack.
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Kursha threw a salute to the orangeblood. Her chapter had closed. Farewell.
The axe came down.
It was over in a flash. No needless dialogue or wanton abuse. Her screams were suddenly cut short in a spray of blood that signified the end. Errade Etturi was dead.
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"What is wrong with you?!" Odette screeched at Zeffer, doubled over and clutching her chest. For a moment, she was surprised by the sound of her own voice. She wasn't aware of how loud her voice could get. "What is wrong with all of you?" She screamed again, turning her attention to the room.
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Your fates were decided before you'd ever see a 'court room'. Here among the rebels it would, should be no different. War was war and you didn't let the enemy walk free, you didn't allow traitors to live.
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With a shaky breath, the yellowblood leaned onto her pole and turned to the others. It took her a little to be able to speak, and even then, it she was slurring and unfocused. "Is... d-death the only... option to you all?" She asked, voice cracking at the word death.
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There was only one regret in the orangeblood's demise, even if it was a small one, and it lay smudged in teal blood on the floor: USE HER. Ah, he would have agreed with that sentiment with unbelievable swiftness had the situation taken a different turn.
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Why would anyone want to show her mercy?
Did those two truly garner any sort of sympathy for her? Wasn't this war?
It seemed inane to him. For Errade to be how she was even strictly in personality and character... was there any way that they could fall to her level, as Vremea had mentioned?
A few nights after the jarring aftermath of their battle with Errade, the rebels were once again summoned- this time, to a desolate location near Busthind Mountain. What was inside would send them reeling, changing the course of life itself.
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A cave broke into view, mouth of the tunnel opening into a larger cavern. What was nestled in the centre surely would have thrown off even the most temperate of trolls. Byakko needn't say anything.
A mother grub lusus, impressive in both size and appearance, lulled it's horned head over to glance suspiciously at the trolls.
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"I just hope you feel some solace knowing what change you've actually made. Knowing you have made a difference, and will continue to do so in the lives of others, as long as this brooding cavern remains sacred."
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Fear and terror however squeezed at him as he tuned into their leaders words. It occurred to him, it was almost unheard of for there to be a mother grub outside the control of the military. Wriggler's of different hues, appearances and demeanor littered the make-shift brooding cavern.These children were free to grow and learn as all those born into this life truly deserved.
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A brooding cavern, a mother grub, how was it possible? Aprife had always believed that regardless of their actions and how much they accomplished, he'd never see truly deep-rooted social change in his lifetime. He'd help lay the foundation, but that was it, that was all he'd be able to do. Now, though, now he felt inspired.
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This was something they helped do. Something they helped save. The only good thing that came from that wretched battle.
And Vremea wasn't going to let it go.
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”There’s no other option.” Rasali announced. She nodded sharply, hoping her resolve would mask the tremors she was feeling build in her legs. This was too much, but she’d have to bear it. She had too much blood on her hands to back down now when she had the chance to do something truly, indisputably good.
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“I’m so sorry,” She said, repeating the words under her breath. Her head rang with pain, emotions causing a stir in her. She hadn’t felt this blissful in a long, long time. Here was something beautiful, something momentous, and something that she helped to create.
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"Akko, you're just gonna let these bitches off after just a simple 'sorry'?" The blueblood scoffed, his mismatched eyes shimmering dangerously as he continued to show them his teeth.
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There was so much war and bloodshed already... Maybe, with help and guidance from them, they would be peacemakers, and not warmongers. Or maybe that is too much wishful thinking.
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“I think,” Odette said, scanning the faces in the room because she was too angry to continue looking Zeffer in the eyes, “that most of us here have had our fill of infighting. It is inappropriate considering the recent events, and I will take no part in it.”
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"For the time being, anyway... you don't have to trust each other. You just have to trust in me, and in the Initiative."
While their main headquarters still lay in smouldering ruins, the reveal of the rebel-controlled brooding caverns and the lingering promotions of some of the more devout rebels helped mend broken spirits- they would continue on the legacy of the Phoenix Initiative together.
