EliteCommander

The Cradle

Nirann, for a few moments, observed in silence. He watched the smallest details of Freyr’s body language, not that one would really need an electronic eye to see what she was feeling in her expression. In any case, given the context, it was easy to infer what sorts of thoughts were likely running through her mind. Reaching out, he took her hand carefully in his own. His hand might have been cold metal, with the strength to crush a metal bar as if it were a tin can, but his touch was as measured and precise as a surgeon. They were already close to the water, so he gently guided her along with him as he took a seat on the edge of the vessel, his feet hanging off into the water below.

“I want to show you something real quick.” Nirann remarked. He brought up a holographic screen in front of himself. He loaded a short video clip, then pushed it over in front of Freyr. Front and center in the frame was Marae. The distinctive mosaic on her scales had a different pattern, but it was still unmistakably her. It was nighttime in the video, though it was still clear enough for Freyr to see that she was sitting in the sand on a beach, holding another Rothian close to her. They were both looking up to the sky, in which they could see the Milky Way galaxy…from outside of the galactic plane. The video seemed to have been recorded on a Rothian colony in one of the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies. Aside from the location, there was nothing in the video that would stand out to the average person, but Freyr would easily notice the fact that the other Rothian looked exactly like the holographic avatar Nirann had used when they had first met him back on Rothia. Yet, the pair of them were clearly in contact with one another in the recording, even nuzzling one another quite affectionately. He clearly was no hologram.

“I don’t spend most of my time back home walking around as an armored death machine.” Nirann remarked, still messaging Freyr directly. “We can make synthetic bodies that are quite remarkable. I mean, that one is centuries old, and Marae still didn’t have any idea there was metal instead of muscle under my scales until our first date. Even then, that was only because I told her myself. Point is, you’ve been through a lot Freyr, and I know it isn’t easy. I know you have a lot to fear when it comes to bringing back your family, but if we do find their minds, you shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not we can even bring them back at all. I can’t say for sure if their minds will still be compatible with their original bodies, but since their minds have already been digitized, well…I wouldn’t need to pull too many strings to have a pair of Human bodies fabricated. Take it from me, the experience of being in one of those bodies is outright identical to being in an organic one. Or at least, it can be.”

The Cradle

Marae laughed, turning around as she stopped herself in front of Freyr. She reached out and placed a hand on both of her cheeks, though for hands her size, it was more like she was grabbing her entire head. “Freyr, do you ever stop working? Seriously, we are at a party, Freyr. We can have a meeting with the others to talk about that later. Just stop a moment and enjoy yourself.” Marae smiled. As she released Freyr, she immediately turned and brought her hands up over her head to dive off the edge into the water.

Nirann did not follow. For a moment, his gaze seemed to go out over the water, but it only took Freyr a few seconds to hear his voice. He did not bother trying to shout over the music or the crowd, but rather simply messaged Freyr’s implants directly. “It isn’t healthy what you’re doing, you know?” He said. The tone Freyr heard was perhaps uncharacteristically serious from him. “You have an obsession. Now, you do have a very good reason to be obsessed, mind you, but that doesn’t make the effects any better. You don’t even know how many times I’ve seen this play out among my people. In my city. I experience every part of their lives; the good, the bad, all the successes and failures. I’ve seen millions upon millions of variations of their stories, so I can see what’s happening in you. You Humans aren’t all that different. You’re not failing them if you’re not spending every waking moment trying to bring them back. You’re not turning your back on them by spending a few hours relaxing. For your sake and theirs, you need to let your mind rest. This obsession, it’s not going to help them. It never does. What it can do is narrow your mind. Limit your perspective. It can hamper your judgement until you get to the point where you can only see what you want to see.”

Nirann held out one hand between them, offering it to her. “Close your eyes and listen. Not to your own thoughts, not to your fears, but to this place. This moment. The music, the people, the waves crashing up against the side of the boats. Let yourself seize this moment.”

The Cradle

Nirann would have been grinning if he could, as he decided to take Freyr’s call for help perhaps more literally than she intended. He pulled her out of the crowd, then simply swept her up to carry her in his arms. “Hmm, so now do I get to be your knight made of shining armor?”

Marae chuckled, walking right alongside them. “I don’t think that’s the phrase.”

“Close enough.”

Once again, Nirann and Marae navigated the crowd, now carrying Freyr along with them. Especially now that they were moving against the general direction of the mob, they moved with caution and patience closer to the outside of the crowd. They wandered around the edge of their platform near the water, moving in the direction of the flotilla. Even still, there were plenty of obstacles to navigate between those dancing more and more enthusiastically to the music, and those occasionally running in front of them to dive into the water.

“So where shall we ‘wander’ to, Freyr? More towards the dancing, the swimming, the drugs, the drinking? Something else? All of the above?” Nirann asked.

Marae crossed her arms. “You know you could actually put her down so you don’t have to ask.”

“I mean, I could, but then the crowd might wash her away like a wave. Though, that would be funny…”

The Cradle

Both Marae and Nirann were moderately surprised about how their grand entrance was unfolding. Not only did they approach the party, but Wallace actually allowed the party to come to them. Freyr ducked back inside almost immediately, which got a chuckle out of Marae. It felt like Freyr was not quite accustomed to this sort of environment. They had not been quite sure how this evening was going to play out, but Marae and Nirann both shared a knowing look; at this point, they both knew what they were going to do next.

At first, the pair slipped over to the side of the platform as the crowd advanced. They knew well-enough not to be in their way, though Freyr was quite firmly in their path. From what they could observe, it seemed like the idea of “inhibitions” was a foreign one to much of the crowd at the moment. One of them required no invitation to fall on Freyr’s bean bag chair and embrace her like a long-lost friend.

Nirann nudged Marae beside him. “About what kind of dosage you think she has right now?’

“Now that’s just rude.”

“But not inaccurate.”

Both exchanged a nod before deciding to approach, and they were both surprisingly adept at navigating even such a chaotic crowd. They knew not to try to move against it, instead moving with the flow of people as if they were navigating a river. They just nudged themselves in their desired direction whenever the opportunity presented itself. They ended up taking an indirect path, so Freyr may not have even seen them walk up behind her and take a seat on either side of her, crowding her bean bag chair rather thoroughly. She suddenly found herself with a scaly hand resting on her left shoulder, a metal hand on her right, and both of them talking to her one after another.

“Well, seems like you’re not wasting any time.”

“I see you’ve already made a friend.”

“That’s nice.”

“Seems like our host is mostly focused on entertaining her swarm of guests right now.”

“If we play it right, we can probably just slip away into the party.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The power of Vile’s magic battered Spellbreaker’s ward, glowing with such intensity that Fendros could hardly see beyond it. Still, he was able to press forward. Each step was like an insult to Vile, growing his indignation towards the audacity of the mortal before him. Vile raised his other hand high as Fendros stepped close to him, but whatever intentions the Prince had, they were cut short when Hircine’s spear pierced through his shoulder. Hircine drove the weapon clean through Vile’s body while grabbing and pulling back his arm with his other hand. It stopped Vile for only a moment, but it was enough. When Fendros was finally able to take his swing, it found its mark on Vile’s hip.

As soon as the axe made contact, the power Molag Bal had infused within the relic struck at the core of Vile’s essence. A blinding light accompanied a force that sent Fendros, and everything else around them, to the ground. All at once, the sounds of battle around them ceased as everything seemed to focus upon the two Princes at the center of their arena. As the light faded, Clavicus Vile was on his knees, seeming to struggle just to hold himself together. Every moment that weakened him, it seemed as if Hircine grew stronger. The Huntsman stood tall over his foe as he stepped around behind him. Vile could hear his approach, he could feel him looming over him, but it was as if he was paralyzed as Hircine raised his weapon high.

Hircine’s voice did not seem to be particularly loud, yet it could be easily heard by everyone in view. “The Hunt has found its prey.” He said just before driving his spear downwards, impaling it straight through the center of Vile’s body and into the stone floor beneath. A mortal might have screamed in pain, but all that Vile seemed to show was rage.

Vile’s piercing gaze settled directly on Fendros. “Insolent insects, meddling in affairs you cannot comprehend. You will burn no matter what happens here, and you will beg to have a master as worthy as me.” For a moment, he gave a very slight grin. “Order shall consume you.”

Hircine twisted his spear and pushed Vile’s body forward slightly, presenting Vile’s neck as he looked down upon Fendros. “Make your kill…Champion.”

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael heeded the advice of the others. A sudden shift in the storm could easily worsen their situation, so they needed to act quickly. ”Come, follow quickly. There are some rocks closer, at the base of the ridge, we may use for cover.” He ordered.

Visibility was particularly terrible, but a combination of sensors and multiple perspectives from the team did reveal some about the area ahead as they moved down the ridge. Obviously, the most prominent feature was the anti-air cannon itself. The weapon was massive, as it had to be powerful enough to be able to damage capital ships. Given the rough, uneven terrain of the mountains, it was placed on a large, artificial platform. They could also make out multiple structures on the platform as well, in which most of the guards were likely taking shelter from the storm. If, for any reason, they ended up alerting the enemy, it was from there that they would need to expect reinforcements.

Currently, there were only a few hostiles out patrolling on the platform. All seemed to be Unggoy that were unlucky enough to be burdened with the duty in the storm, and even they were trying to take cover as best as they could against the winds. The storm certainly would impact their perception, but unfortunately, it also meant that they would be more alert than they might have otherwise been, if only for the fact that they could not sleep if they wanted to. The winds and rain would severely limit the effectiveness of active camouflage, so it would not be effortless to walk past them unseen. There were only a sparse few objects surrounding the cannon at the moment. Anything not secured to the platform had likely been moved inside before the storm. For the most part, it was an open, flat area.

”We must decide how to sabotage the weapon. Anything we do cannot be detected before it is time for the attack on the Keep. Your…engineer can do this, yes?” Vael said, glancing down to Flint. ”Or we can simply plant a powerful enough remote explosive, if we can place it somewhere it will not be seen.”

The Cradle

Nirann shrugged his shoulders. “Hmm, I suppose we could use holographic masking. It does kind of kill some of the fun, though. I do like it when I can just be part of the crowd, especially when I spend so much time watching them as it is. It’s nice to just…explore a crowd naturally. Never know what you might find. Like a mate, for instance. I met Marae in the crowd at a party.”

In any case, neither of the pair directly objected to Wallace’s suggestion. Even if they hid their identities, Marae had not expected her to want to make them the center of attention. Still, she was curious enough to want to see what she had in mind. When the ship opened up, both Marae and Nirann walked side-by-side along with Freyr, while mostly trying to keep out of Wallace’s way. There seemed to be little doubt that she quite enjoyed having all the eyes on her.

Marae grinned as they stepped out towards the flotilla, while Nirann would have if he could. “You sure you don’t want to go for a swim? Because it seems like the alternative is being center stage.” Nirann commented with a chuckle towards Freyr.

The new song was just as alien as the previous to the pair of Rothians. Regardless of their opinions on it, though, they were far more occupied by this grand entrance than they were the concert itself.

The Cradle

The glances Nirann and Marae shared suggested they were both quite interested in Wallace’s suggestions. They did not need to speak so much as a word to come to agreement on that. Though, Wallace’s last suggestion did get a laugh out of Nirann. “Heh, hide your face as much as you want, but I don’t think there’s any mask that’s going to keep a two plus meter tall metal lizard from sticking out like the sorest thumb in a crowd of Humans. Don’t take that as a ‘no’, though. This sounds like the most fun I’ve had in weeks.”

Marae had already stood to her feet and walked closer to the edge of the orb. The music was certainly entirely new to her, but she had not yet given much of a sign on whether or not she actually even liked it. Still, she seemed perhaps surprisingly eager to sneak into the concert of a niche band she had never heard of before. The experience was more important than the music.

Marae held up a hand against the orb. From where they were, she could see all the people both above and below the water line. Even being Rothian, there was so much activity that it would be easy to get lost within it. The crowd was mostly human, but not completely. In all likelihood, she would stand out as nothing more than a tourist. She was only famous in certain academic circles, after all. “Well, what are we waiting for, then? We could swim out to them right now.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

When Fendros charged forward, he did not charge alone. Each and every member of his pack would throw everything they had at their enemy to get him just a step closer. Ahnasha’s thralls kept the Daedra from getting in too quickly on their flanks, allowing them to focus most of their attention ahead. While Fendros attacked in a flurry of unrivaled speed and savagery, Kaleeth was to high right as a nigh unstoppable force. Smaller Daedra could do nothing but be crushed under her weight, and could bring to their knees even Daedra who were accustomed to having overwhelming power on their side. But, every step taken added more to the damage she had accumulated. Battle after battle, one attack after another, she had been at the front to face down the enemy ever since they had set foot in Vile’s realm. Hit after hit chipped and weakened her armor as much as it bruised and weakened her body. Blood dripped from several gaps in her armor. Still, no concern mattered more than bringing Fendros to his prey. She kept at his side, her claws rending every foe his own could not reach until, finally, something of hers broke under all the strain. The sharpened spike on the end of a frost atronach’s arm found its way past her guard and pierced through her weakened armor just below her right knee. The magical ice impaled clean through one side of her leg and out the other, pinning her to the ground.

At last, Kaleeth’s unstoppable charge had been brought to a halt. The atronach tried to plunge its other spike into her neck, but Kaleeth managed to lash out and dig her claws into its arm. Not only did she force the spike aside, but with a roar, she ripped its arm off of its body, killing it instantly. Its body fell apart as its essence was disrupted, though it still left Kaleeth crippled. She could not stand, and could not move near quickly enough to keep pace with Fendros. Lesser Daedra moved in and began to surround her, but without looking back, her struggle would fall outside of his view.

There was not a moment’s hesitation from the others. There was a shout behind Fendros with one distinct word: Tiid. Yerig moved to Fendros’ right, swinging his blade with speed and precision that seemed impossible with the fatigue that gripped him. Do’rhajul remained close to Fendros’ left to be able to protect him at a moment’s notice. He was the warrior who had once brought Meesei a hair’s breadth from death, and despite all that had changed in that time, his skill and valor in battle had not. Fendros had all of the support he needed to get within striking distance of Vile.

With their combined efforts, they carved a path through most of the Daedra. As Fendros started to make his lunge towards Vile's hip, however, he would find himself struck by a creature even larger than himself and launched back a few feet. A four-armed ruinach, normally a Daedra in service of Mehrunes Dagon, had seemed to have fallen into the service of Vile. It wielded hammers in two of its hands, one of which it raised to try and finish Fendros off. Do’rhajul struck like lightning, with one precise swing, nearly severing the hand that held the weapon. However, with one of its lower hands, it struck hard to Do’rhajul’s center mass. He could raise his shield to intercept, but he could not avoid most of the force and was sent flying a few yards back, then tumbling a few more across the floor.

Fendros was not so injured that he could not fight the Daedric brute, but he did not have the time to waste with Vile’s underlings. So, it was Ahnasha that rushed forward. She had spent almost all the magicka she had left reanimating the bodies they had left behind. Even now, her thralls were holding back the flanks enough to keep them from being overwhelmed for a few more, precious moments. Still, even without spells to cast, she could fight all the same. An arrow flew over Fendros’ head to strike the ruinach in the chest, though it seemed like little more than a flesh wound to the brute. Dropping her bow, Ahnasha sprinted in with Daedric daggers drawn. She started a swing from her left, but then feinted and ducked under its hammer as she dashed to the right to get behind it. From there, she jumped up and stabbed both daggers into its back, using them to anchor her as she tried to climb up its back to get to its neck. Although, she could only barely hold on as the ruinach struggled to throw her off, until finally, it managed to reach one hand back and get a firm hold of her leg, then slammed her to the ground with a loud crack. Ahnasha had held on tightly to her daggers, so the ruinach bled profusely from the wounds after they were ripped out of its flesh, but anything that did not kill it just seemed to fuel its rage. She writhed in pain on the ground, though in silence as the breath had been knocked out of her. She clutched her daggers and bared her teeth up at the Daedra, issuing it a challenge through her gaze. Weakened as she was, she did not know how she would manage, but she had its attention, and in the midst of their fight, Fendros had plenty of opportunity to rush past.

The Daedra had still not closed off Fendros’ path to Vile…but Vile himself had found a chance to once again give Fendros his attention. As Hircine had been brought to his knees and was trying to recover, Vile held out his hand towards Fendros. Crimson magic swirled around the Daedric Prince’s, growing steadily in intensity. But, over the roar of the battle, Fendros would be able to hear a voice call to him.

“Fendros!” Do’rhajul shouted. He had not been fortunate when he took the hit, as his sword arm had twisted behind him and broken from the impact. He was cut off from the pack, Daedra closing to swarm him, but through it all, he knew what needed to be done. As he called out to Fendros, he threw Spellbreaker through the air, over the heads of the Daedra, and landed it within arm’s reach of his Champion.

The Cradle

The sound of the music was quite different from anything that was popular on Rothia, or even Outremer, for that matter. Even Nirann did not have the information available offhand, and had to perform a quick search to ascertain its origin. Knowing that was enough to give him a quick chuckle. “Well, this is not one I would have expected for a concert. It’s a real ancient one, isn’t it?”

Marae grinned over at Nirann. “We’re not the only ones who like to appreciate the classics.” She did not respond quite as obviously to the music as Freyr or Wallace, though one could at least see a claw tapping against her chair in time with the beat. “I would show you some of the classics from my childhood, but...uh, audio recording technology hadn’t been invented yet. Just imagine a lot of chanting, and something similar to a piano.”

After a few more moments, Marae leaned in a bit closer to Freyr. She was still grinning, but now with a look in her eyes not unlike Nirann tended to get from time to time whenever he was expressing himself as a holographic avatar. “Hmm, I’m curious. How would one dance to this? I don’t suppose you could show me?”