The Elder Invasion: CHAPTER 2 - Shapeshift Town

[Obskeree]

Re: Shapeshift Town - CHAPTER 2

Obskeree snapped her fingers and grinned ferally.

"We need a distraction if they're following us!" she pointed out. "I'll go!" And with that she darted into the trees, leaving a faint trail of blue light behind her from her wings. A split second later she was back, pointing acusingly at the Neake. "No killing Mr Jack while I'm gone! I mean it!"

The Neake shook his head. "I shall not kill Jack at this time. Are you sure you are capable of a suitable distraction?

Obskeree gave him as hard a glare as she could muster which - admittedly - wasn't very threatening, but she tried. "Yes. I'll see you in a bit - stay here and stay quiet please~"

She disappeared once more into the density around them to carry out her non-descript 'distraction'.

The Neake turned to Jack and Palonis and, in a slightly hard-pressed tone, sighed, "Did you too misunderstand my intention? Do I need to explain it in a more simple fashion?"

Meanwhile, Obskeree spied the noobs from between some branches and wondered what to do. The only thing she had on them, probably, was speed. She hoped it was the case as she placed her hands on the tree in front of her and concentrated all her telekinetic power.

The tree fell abnormally fast and she quickly darted off to another to begin a trail of brushes and trees, not sparing a moment to look back. She could hear them stalking her quickly, and that was enough.

She only had to go far enough to make them think they were in that direction. Then, she'd follow her own fairytrail back to the others.

At least, she hoped it would be that simple, she really did - but there was a strange nag she had never felt before, a negative feeling at the back of her mind. She didn't recognise it, but in retrospect she would. Doubt.


[Obskeree, determined to show her worth, charges off to distract the noobs with a rather half-baked plan. The Neake fails to recognise that now isn't the time to discuss his intent.]

 

[Palonis]

Re: Shapeshift Town - CHAPTER 2

"Hmm, she's got some moves, that one," Palonis remarked as Obskeree took off into the trees. He afforded the Neake a sideways glance when he remarked about killing Porg, but his stride did not change.

A sudden shaking in the trees to the right of the group caused them to skid to a halt. "More of them?" remarked the Neake. "Why am I not surprised?"

"We've got to hide!" Porg exclaimed, before recoiling in shock when something slimy and wet struck him in his back. Behind him, Palonis was spurting out a jet of black goo from his outstretched palm, covering Porg and the Neake in it, much to Porg's horror and the Neake's displeasure. "Pal, what the heck are you-"

"Shut up and get down!" the ninja growled, clearly straining from the effort of pouring out this gunk. Porg and the Neake, unsure about how to interpret this, simply complied, throwing themselves on the damp forest floor. The ninja following shortly afterward, covered in his own film of the stuff.

In a short amount of time, two trolls came striding through the trees, pushing them apart for a mixed group of other noob soldiers. Walking near the center, flanked by pimprats, the group's hijacker mumbled something indistinct to the rest of the group, and they walked onward, unaware of the trio's presence other than a brief whiff of death and decay. What the three prone people couldn't see, due to having their vision obscured by total blackness, was that the goo had changed its color to reflect their surroundings, creating the illusion of three small raised piles of dirt and dust. This trick was not used often, because the illusion was quite easy to see through once you knew it was there.

A few seconds after the crunching and crashing died down, the group stood once more to their feet, shivering. "Ninja, this is disgusting!" commented the Neake. "Surely you cannot expect me to-"

"It's water soluble," Palonis replied, cutting him off. "And if we don't find a body of water, it will fade by itself in time." The ninja had had some time for meditation whilst laying on the ground, but he would need much more meditation to get back the energy he lost. And since the young lady had told them to stay put, now was the best time to do so.

 

[Porg]

Re: Shapeshift Town - CHAPTER 2

Wiping some of the gunk from his face Jack observed the meditating ninja and decided it was best to leave him for now. "Don't worry Neake, I understand where you're coming from.. I think Obskeree is just.. a bit confused by the new emotions. I getcha though Neake."

Jack shook his hand some of the gunk flying off and hitting the trees. "Jeez this stuff is rank" He commented to himself. "Hope she's ok" Jack stared back into the forest, and noticed the little blue moving shape. He smiled.

"Come on Pal, time to go!" Jack said cheerfully, smiling to the fairy as she came back.

"Oh my.. Mr Jack, Mr Ninja, Mr Neake.. what happened to you all?" she asked, confused.

"Long story" Jack responded, as he marched forwards "This way!" He called before darting off, expecting the others to follow. It was weird though, as he moved through the forest, it was almost as though he could hear it talking to him, as though it was telling him where to go.

He jumped a root and ducked a branch, and almost fell down a hole. He stood on the edge of the great hole in the ground and observed it casually "Found it guys!" he called back.

Where there should have been forest was what appeared to be a lake, though it was sunk about 200 feet into the ground. Great rocky cliffs surrounded it and a stone stairway wound down to a small shore at the bottom where there was a rickety jhetti and a single row boat. The far edge of the lake was obscured by mist, though Jack could see that the cliffs curled round to form a perfectly circular perimeter.

He turned as his companions caught up to he and smiled "Welcome!" he said "To the Brigadoon"

[Jack takes everyone to the Brigadoon]

 

[Palonis]

Re: Shapeshift Town - CHAPTER 2

Of all the things that a Brigadoon could have been, Palonis did not expect it to be a giant hole in the ground. Clearly, for something like this to go undetected in this forest, there had to have been something magical about it, but for all appearances, it just seemed to the ninja like a hole, albeit a hole that looked like a sea cliff, complete with rocky spires. Something had to be there that was not visible to the naked eye, and the fact that he couldn't detect what that was made the ninja uneasy. And so, standing on the edge of the stairs, he gingerly tapped his foot on the first step, then stepped on it and hopped back. Nothing happened, so the ninja took a couple steps down, then hopped back again.

"Oh, don't be a sissy!" Porg insisted, amused by the ninja's behavior. "I've used the Brigadoon before, and it's completely harmless."

"So you say," the ninja replied, "but all the same, I've been in the business long enough to know that saying something is harmless for one person doesn't necessarily mean it's harmless for all."

"If you're so leery about using stairs, ninja," the Neake offered, "then I could give you a helping shove." And as Palonis once again tested out the stairs, this time managing to hop back up five steps, the Neake did just that, knocking the ninja off balance and resulting in him tumbling down the entire length. "Hmm, not as heavy as I expected," the Neake commented as the noise of bumping and smashing faded away into the distance far below.

The shove notwithstanding, Palonis was relieved to find, as he slowly rose to his feet, that none of the stairs had been cursed or booby trapped. Hearing the noises of the rest of the group slowly descending, he took the time to look at the boat and examine its myriad features. It seemed to be in excellent shape, surprisingly enough. No leaks, no loose nails, not even any splinters. It looked like it had just been constructed that day. Conveniently enough, the boat came with an oarlock and a large oar, so that solved the problem of whether or not someone would be rowing.

"Cool, huh?" asked Porg as he descended down the last few steps.

Turning around, his hand still running across the edge of the boat, Palonis said, "I suppose it'll work. I hope though that you don't expect me to row."

"Nor me," chimed in the Neake.

"Not it!" Obskeree exclaimed.

"But...ah, fine!" Porg sputtered. As the group settled into the boat, Porg taking the oarsman's post, he said to the group, "But on the way back, someone else is rowing."

(Summary: Everyone gets on the boat.)

 

[Porg]

Re: Shapeshift Town - CHAPTER 2

"Wait a sec" Jack said, standing back up and clambering over Palonis who had gotten into the boat last. He walked down the jhetti a little and turned to the group, who were still sitting in the boat "Gimme a sec, just wanna.." He pointed to the lake to his right and twirled his finger a little, and a small whirlwind began to form, picking up some of the water and directing it to himself.

Porg sighed as the wind subsided, leaving him soaked but no longer covered in the ninja's gunk. "You look like a drowned rat" Palonis quipped , obviously content to let the slime degrade itself away.

"Yeah thanks Pal" Jack replied, clicking his fingers, calling another wind, this one whipping up around him, his cape flapping up in the make-shift blow-dry. The wind subsided, and he was still wet, but less so. "Neake? fancy the same?" Jack asked before committing himself to being finished.

"I am fine thank you Jack. I feel I shall just cope with this.. substance." The Neake replied, triggering a giggle from Obskeree.

"Fair enough! Guess it's time to go then!" Jack said this while doing a few overly theatrical stretched, pulling his arm up over his head and stretching it a few times.

"Wait a second.. what are you doing!?" Palonis asked, noticing Jack's strange behaviour, a small hint of panic and worry in his voice.

"Oh.. I decided not to row" Jack grinned, before bolting directly towards the small boat.

"No! nononono!" Palonis yelled as the young man ran towards him, but he was too late to stop him. Jack impacted the back of the boat, planting his feet firmly in it as the momentum of his run sent it skimming off over the lake. Jack held out a palm and scooped Obskeree, who had been flying above the craft and so wasn't carried along with the momentum, up in it as gently as he could.

After a short distance the boat slowed considerably and came to a slow drift, at which point Obskeree flew away from her seat in Jack's hand and Jack himself stepped back over Palonis to take a seat sideways in the boat. "And now we wait a bit" he said with a slight sigh.

"We wait?" The Neake asked, obviously puzzled "Why not row?"

"Yeah.. why not row?" Palonis agreed.

"That would be because it wont get us there any faster." Jack replied, and then, seeing all three of his companion's perplexed expressions leaned back a bit to give the explanation. "Right, well.. The Brigadoon only has one entrance, and one exit, an exit we just left. You see at this point The Brigadoon is no longer in Anirune forest. Right now.. it's nowhere.. I guess, look I don't know quite how it works, but currently the only place for us to go is this mist. You see how we can't see the shore anymore? Well soon we will, when we start drifting back towards it."

"But wont rowing get us through the mist faster?"Obskeree asked, still confused.

"Ah right.. yeah sorry I'm not explaining this well. Right now, there is nowhere to row to. The Brigadoon can only be in one place at a time, so it has to move. Eventually the mist will clear a bit and we'll be back at the same jhetti, but in a different place, if you get me?"

"Ah oki I getcha~" Obskeree replied with a smile.

"So where are we going?" Palonis asked sceptically.

Jack looked at him without turning his head "No idea!" He replied jovially.

"Ugh, really..?"

"Look, the way I see it right now the cycle is in overdrive, a lot of things are happening, a lot of people are dying. Dunno if you'd noticed but the Brigadoon is a coastal place, it's not usually found in the middle of a forest. I'm guessing that the Brigadoon is more attuned to the happenings of Iwaku right now, and as a result I think it's gonna take us somewhere important, somewhere something's happening, somewhere we might be needed."

"I.. see…" The Ninja replied, a little put off by the amount of speculation.

"So for now.. we just have to wait a little while. And I have some questions to ask you Palonis.." Jack looked down a bit, his expression taking on a slightly graver tone.

"Hmm? and those questions would be?"

Porg sighed heavily and paused for a second before speaking, during which time Obskeree, who was perched on the rim of the boat leaned in to listen. "What happened Pal? I mean.. back at Shapeshift town, what happened? You had so many people, so many big names how on earth did you lose that fight? I know Asmo was out of action but really? I.. I don't understand Pal.. please.. explain this to me." Jack looked the ninja in the eye, a thin glimmer of tears glazing his eyes.

[Jack cleans the gunk off and they take the boat out into the mist where Jack explains how the Brigadoon works (he thinks) and while they wait for the boat to drift back to shore asks Palonis a question about the events at SS town.]

 

[Palonis]

Re: Shapeshift Town - CHAPTER 2

An underground lake that transported itself from place to place was not too unusual a concept, given the other oddities that occurred regularly in the world, but Palonis still had his doubts about it. It was most likely a question of whether or not the ninja could trust someone else's means of travel, and that gave him cause to wonder whether or not the people he worked with on a regular basis enjoyed being teleported around. It wasn't that pleasant an experience for the man himself, and he had become used to it by this point. Most people couldn't hold their lunch in at the conclusion of their first successful teleportation, and if it somehow went awry, food wouldn't be the only thing departing a person's insides. Never a pretty sight.

Palonis's introspection didn't last long, and as Porg bounced his questions off of the stoic man, he sat back and heaved a large sigh. He figured that this question would come up, but he was hoping that he would have assistance from someone more qualified when the time came. His limited knowledge of the events would have to suffice, he supposed.

After a short pause, he said in a professional tone, "I'm afraid that the only answer I can give is that the Elders had superior forces. It wasn't a failure of will, or even the result of a betrayal by a close comrade. There were simply more of them, they had better weaponry, and a superweapon entered the battle that turned the conflict into a hopeless cause. We underestimated them, Porg. We underestimated them, and that error cost us an entire city. There was literally nothing we could have done to prevent the outcome of that battle, no matter how hard we tried."

"That's ridiculous!" Porg exclaimed. "All those heroes, and you still couldn't win?! What, do you mean this war is hopeless?"

"I didn't say that. However, what I did mean is that open warfare is not going to work in this conflict. The only way we're going to win is if we whittle them down piece by piece." Drawing his sword, he gazed at his own reflection while mumbling, "Strike from behind, target their commanders, hit them while they sleep. A guerrilla war, in other words."

"Fascinating," the Neake replied. "This sounds like my sort of war."

"I'm glad to hear that, because that's the reality of things," Palonis said grimly. "Unless we get a miracle of some kind, we're going to be at this for a long long time. Or they'll roll over us like we're ants."

(Summary: During the lazy ride down the river, Palonis gives a pessimistic view of the war, saying that the Elders are too powerful, and the only way to win is by guerrilla warfare.)

 

[Obskeree]

Re: Shapeshift Town - CHAPTER 2

"Aw, don't worry, we're not ants!" Obskeree assured Palonis; he wasn't sure if she had missed the point of the analogy or not. "And we'll help you, won't we Mr Neake?" The Neake didn't respond, apparently having not heard her. He appeared deep in thought, staring out at the mist with an unreadable expression on his distorted face. She made a face and carried on, "Anyway. Enough about that depressing stuff. It's always important to keep an eye on the good things~ So, let's all get to know each other! I'll go first to get things started."

No one in the boat seemed overly enthusiastic with her idea, with the weight of the situation and war still hanging low over their heads. Determined, and a little bit desperate, Obskeree powered on with her speech.

"I've never been in a war," Obskeree confessed. "We fairies stay out of such things, unless the Angels call for us. The one war we have been directly involved in I missed, because I was at Mr Neake's Temple and... well... when you're in there, you have no idea what goes on outside." She paused, having accidently stumbled upon a topic she didn't think she was ready for. In a more serious tone, she explained to Palonis, "I've only recently developed negative emotions so I'm sorry if I'm not very good at handling them. Just humour me."

Another pause. Her plan to cheer everyone up was failing miserably - so far, she'd only managed to depress herself a little.

"So enough about me, how about Mr Neake goes next!"

He gave her a very firm look. "No." And turned back to the water.

She frowned. "Fine. Spoil-sport. I'm sure Mr Jack will go next! Give us a fact about you, please?"

[Obskeree is determined to have a nice conversation to kill time while they wait.]

 

[Porg]

Re: Shapeshift Town - CHAPTER 2

"H-huh?" Jack mumbled as he snapped out of his thought train "Oh.. uh.. yeah, of course I will.." He replied as his brain finally registered the question "Of course..uh.."

He looked upwards even though all there was to see was mist. "I've only been in one war. It's not really like I was there at all really. I left quite soon into it and I didn't accomplish much other than killing some demons.." He looked up to Obskeree's confused expression "It's not as interesting as it sounds.."

"Did then spend a year training though.. and now I'm back here.."

Palonis perked up a bit at this "A year? The Admin war was 18 years ago. How does that work?" He asked, a little distrusting.

"18 years? So that's how long it's been. I was in the real world Palonis.. a world of perfect confluence. I guess time passes differently because it that long for me." He looked back to the mist above them "I found out a lot there, about myself and about what I could achieve."

Obskeree seemed pleased at the positive direction of the conversation and decided to encourage it. "So what did you learn?" She asked with a smile.

"Huh? Oh.. well mostly I learned about SoulArts.."

"SoulArts?" Palonis and Obskeree both asked at once.

Jack smiled at Palonis "Yeah. That's the name I came up with for the fourth ability in Iwaku."

"The fourth?"

"Yeah it's one of those things a lot of people have, but noone really acknowledged. It goes alongside Confluence and Reality Bending and Dreamweaving, and though it's not as consistent as the others. It's kinda the opposite of Dreamweaving, which comes from other worlds and outside magics. You see, SoulArts is the power of the self, the power that comes from within people."

"Then your key-"

"My SoulBlade yeah, that's SoulArts. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at it, and as a little secret between us. I can use it in high reality."

"What?" Palonis replied, clearly shocked.

"Yeah, Asmo's confluence aint got nothing on me! I can summon my SoulBlade in high reality, though it takes a little effort. What I figure is that the power within people is something that's not affected by boundaries. You always hear stories about people who in times of crisis have pulled off amazing feats. I think that's SoulArts."

"Interesting. I did not expect you of all people to have enlightened me so." Palonis replied.

"H-heh.. yeah well I can't say I expected something like this from myself either.." Jack said, scratching the back of his head in mild embarrassment. "Hey.. I think we'll be there soon.." he pointed as the mist began to thin.

[Jack explains some things about the power he dubbed 'SoulArts' explaining what it is and how it compares to the other abilities. The mist begins to thin. suggesting that they are close to their destination.]

 

[Palonis]

Re: Shapeshift Town - CHAPTER 2

As the fog began to clear, Palonis realized that he was probably next in Obskeree's little character building round robin. Though he despised talking about himself, he also realized that if he did not do so, this little faerie would probably not let it go.

"I assume now that you want me to tell you a little bit about myself, so I'll indulge you," he said. "Understand though that this stays between the three of you."

Porg and Obskeree seemed hesitant at first, then they both agreed.

"Splendid. You see...I'm not a human being, at least not in the general sense anymore. In exchange for power and a prolonged life, I tapped into the deep depths of ninjitsu. It is a dark power, let me assure you, developed for murdering people."

"So...what are you then?" Porg asked.

"I can't say for sure. I guess the closest thing to it is a ghost, although I am solid enough. My body does decay slowly, but I'm not filled with an irresistable urge for destruction like the zombie would be. I don't age, nor do I need to sleep aside from my meditations. However, in exchange for this power, I am vulnerable to creatures or beings of magical or holy nature. If anybody good existed on this planet, I would be in a great amount of trouble." He chuckled at himself, though he noticed that the three others on the boat were starting to look uneasy. "Oh relax, I'm not going to eat you," he said, waving dismissively at them.

"Promise?" Obskeree said, hovering a distance away.

"For now. Whatever happens to me in the future, I'm on the side of the planet. If you work to keep it alive too, then I mean you no harm." Glancing behind him, he saw the bank coming closer. "Oh, that's a relief. Now I can stop talking to you people." Leaning back relaxively, he added, "Although I am glad to tell somebody that. I thought that I'd never get the chance to tell someone about my condition."

"Why? Is something going to happen?" Porg responded.

"Let's just say that I don't expect to live much longer, at least not in the way I'd like. Now then, looks like it's time to get off, so...shall we?"

(Summary: Palonis tells the three about his half-undead condition, dropping hints that he may be changing again soon)