The Evrensel Conflict: Act 1 -- Chapter 2, Mission: A Quest of Behemoth Proportions

[Wiggin]

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Vromia, The glowing moon
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Very little time had passed between the attack on thedas and the search for a powerful tool of destruction. Two days had gone by until the doctor had found some sort of signal that resonated with a weapon. Being the doctor that he was, he was disgruntled, but gave the location of the item anyway. There was very little known about the world that it was on, only that it was the moon to a gas giant in a far away universe. The Tardis had detected gigantic lifeforms on the planet, along with a very powerful energy source within one of them. The way in which the planet and creature functioned were unnatural, so the reading couldn't get the exact location of the item, only the general vicinity.

Meanwhile, on Vromia, the forest of Dalakor was quiet. Birds chirped gently and in a small clearing a deer happily feasted on a fallen fruit from one of the trees. A slight wind blew past for a few moments as the deer feasted. It was soon interrupted by a strange whooshing noise, as if reality seemed to be "sucked" into some sort of void. This was also followed by the materialization of a police box, concluding it's arrival with a solid "thunk" into the grass. The door slowly creaked open for the people within to exit. Outside, they were met with a calm forest.

It was a very healthy forest with large birch and fir trees dotting the area. For those of the group that looked upwards, they would see a shimmering sky above the trees. It seemed that the atmosphere on the planet was somewhat thin, providing a beautiful display of stars that faded into a blue sky. A sun sat in the sky, bathing the planet in its warmth. Next to it, a massive gas giant loomed over, swirling and swirling into infinity. For those that looked further into the forest, they would notice that the roots of the trees all extended to the assumable north, as if they were all headed to a central source within the forest. It was a clear morning, and it was up to the group to form a plan.

Welcome to the glowing moon of Vromia

(for those that wish to explore, I can provide you with a description of what you see)

 

[littlekreen]

Reegan - Character Sheet - GDoc

Reegan first steps out into the sunlight wavered as her properly bandaged hands hung listlessly at her sides. The doctor insisted on a proper bandage rather than a few sheets of applied sandwich lettuce. Profoundly exhausted by exposure to the fade, lyrium, and the heat of the dwarven locale she didn't much wait for a plan before her step from the Tardis door waded into a grass like a sandy shore. Each step her feet sunk through earth that shuffled aside to make room. Not far from the door she let her knees give to spin about landing on the pond's shore as both turf and water rippled to make way. Earth splits to evade her approach then a grassy knoll swallows her up halfway as if some long fallen log half-buried.

She still glowed from under the long grass while staring at the sky and spoke with her head firmly embedded in the muck of the shore, "I like this place. The last one had a magic like deadpool's cancer."

Reegan feels the earth with her feet sprouting thin white roots from the soles but also feels about to see what kind of magic nature would present for a nature creature such as herself.

 

[The Wanderer]

David Ludlow
Walking out into a strange new world

David had taken an extensive shower when he came back from killing some Nazis, as the man was essentially drenched in blood to the point he no doubt gave the more pacifist members of the crew a heart attack when he went past.

When he was done and coming back for a debrief, he found out they had assigned him and a few others to go and deal with a problem on a world that came up in their weird detection thing. The exact details was something outside David's paygrade and field of expertise.

So here he was, in different clothes and bringing along Waffles as the Husky would be helpful in dealing with tracking or just being support and on the Tardis when it dropped them off at their next destination, David following Reegan as Waffles ran with her, barking excitably as he smelled new scents and was generally excited to be with his master once again.

"Seems peaceful, my kind of place.." David said, reminded of Alaska when it wasn't winter time.

@Wiggin @Epiphany. @littlekreen @BobTheNinja @Wade Von Doom @Amber Franklin

 

[Epiphany]

The 11th Doctor

The Doctor made a contented humming sound as he twisted knobs, threw levers and pulled down a monitor to study incomprehensible sigils sprawling across the display. "Yes, we've landed," he announced to the room. "Atmosphere looks...well, fine for a while. A bit thin for humans and anyone who breathes like a human. I'm sure I have a dash of acetazolamide back in the sickbay somewhere, help yourselves."

Peering through eyeglasses, the ancient young man brushed long brown hair out of his face before nodding in satisfaction at the readouts. "There's an energy source out there but it's hard to pin down exactly. Interference? Shielding? We'll have to get closer to get a better fix, I'm afraid. Come along, you lot!"

With those words, the Timelord followed Reegan and David out the doors of the timeship.

Where the others saw the forest, the 11th Doctor had eyes only for the sky. "Blimey, that's a big one," he said as he stared at the gas giant 'overhead'. "Still, radiation checks out and we don't seem to be sliding into its gravity well."

Finally, he looked down enough to notice the forest. "Lovely! I see Reegan's right at home. Poor thing's had a devil of a time and could probably use a bit of a rest." Scratching his chin, the Doctor slowly spun himself in a circle before saying "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take a few minutes. Catch our breaths. See if I can't sonic us a clearer destination."

"Mind you, if trees could talk, I think these would be telling us to go north." He bends before crouching down beside a tree to stare at the exposed root system, as if force of scrutiny would make the vegetation give up its secrets.

"What do you lot think?"

 

[Wade Von Doom]

Reegan - Character Sheet - GDoc

Reegan first steps out into the sunlight wavered as her properly bandaged hands hung listlessly at her sides. The doctor insisted on a proper bandage rather than a few sheets of applied sandwich lettuce. Profoundly exhausted by exposure to the fade, lyrium, and the heat of the dwarven locale she didn't much wait for a plan before her step from the Tardis door waded into a grass like a sandy shore. Each step her feet sunk through earth that shuffled aside to make room. Not far from the door she let her knees give to spin about landing on the pond's shore as both turf and water rippled to make way. Earth splits to evade her approach then a grassy knoll swallows her up halfway as if some long fallen log half-buried.

She still glowed from under the long grass while staring at the sky and spoke with her head firmly embedded in the muck of the shore, "I like this place. The last one had a magic like deadpool's cancer."

Reegan feels the earth with her feet sprouting thin white roots from the soles but also feels about to see what kind of magic nature would present for a nature creature such as herself.

"Oh thank you!" Deadpool shouted sarcastically out from the TARDIS door. "Glad to see my pain and suffering makes for a great example among the team. Yeah, don't mind me, I'll just be over here, getting triggered while you…. Have sex with the woods, or whatever you're doing." Closing the TARDIS door, Deadpool began stretching out his arms as he felt rejuvenated after not being used last chapter. It was about time the writer used him again.

"Feels good to be back in action! Wade can finally stop hoarding characters for this place and finally use the ones he already has. Still can't believe we're in Lord of the Rings too! I'm gonna find me a hobbit and see if what they say about their feet really matches what's going on in their pants~ You know, big feet mean big—"

We're not in LOTR.

"Oh, we're not?… then where are we?"

Some OC world.

"Are there hobbits?"

I don't know. Probably not.

"Ah…. Well, everyone back in the box, papa ain't settling for for D grade material missions." He waved everyone back to the TARDIS as he walked to the door again.

 

[Epiphany]

Reegan - Character Sheet - GDoc

Reegan first steps out into the sunlight wavered as her properly bandaged hands hung listlessly at her sides. The doctor insisted on a proper bandage rather than a few sheets of applied sandwich lettuce. Profoundly exhausted by exposure to the fade, lyrium, and the heat of the dwarven locale she didn't much wait for a plan before her step from the Tardis door waded into a grass like a sandy shore. Each step her feet sunk through earth that shuffled aside to make room. Not far from the door she let her knees give to spin about landing on the pond's shore as both turf and water rippled to make way. Earth splits to evade her approach then a grassy knoll swallows her up halfway as if some long fallen log half-buried.

She still glowed from under the long grass while staring at the sky and spoke with her head firmly embedded in the muck of the shore, "I like this place. The last one had a magic like deadpool's cancer."

Reegan feels the earth with her feet sprouting thin white roots from the soles but also feels about to see what kind of magic nature would present for a nature creature such as herself.

"Oh thank you!" Deadpool shouted sarcastically out from the TARDIS door. "Glad to see my pain and suffering makes for a great example among the team. Yeah, don't mind me, I'll just be over here, getting triggered while you…. Have sex with the woods, or whatever you're doing." Closing the TARDIS door, Deadpool began stretching out his arms as he felt rejuvenated after not being used last chapter. It was about time the writer used him again.

"Feels good to be back in action! Wade can finally stop hoarding characters for this place and finally use the ones he already has. Still can't believe we're in Lord of the Rings too! I'm gonna find me a hobbit and see if what they say about their feet really matches what's going on in their pants~ You know, big feet mean big—"

We're not in LOTR.

"Oh, we're not?… then where are we?"

Some OC world.

"Are there hobbits?"

I don't know. Probably not.

"Ah…. Well, everyone back in the box, papa ain't settling for for D grade material missions." He waved everyone back to the TARDIS as he walked to the door again.

The 11th Doctor

The Timelord stared incredulously at Deadpool as the mercenary rambled on about something or another, possibly in dialogue, possibly in dialogue with someone or something that didn't exist. Or, worse, did exist. Especially if said entity was capable of reading thoughts. Thoughts like these. There were powers out there capable of that, of course. Eternals, for example. But Eternals weren't the sort to actually bother with Ephemeral thoughts. So not Eternals. Something like Eternals? Something that might find a rambling train of thought like this boring? What might the consequences be for boring such an entity?

Alternatively, Deadpool might just be loony.

"What do you lot except for Deadpool think?" the Doctor said, repeating himself as he rose from his crouched position by the trees.

 

[BobTheNinja]

Shirou stepped out of the TARDIS with the others, currently suited up in a high-tech protective undersuit with light metallic armor plating covering his chest and back, shoulders, and joints, sourced from one of the caches of equipment acquired during prior missions. It also had some tactical webbing with a few beltpacks.

"Woah...this place is beautiful," he breathed as he took in the environment, not just the rich trees and other flora, but also the striking sky and the immense gas giant hanging overhead. Swirling bands of clouds and gas encircled its entire surface, lit brilliantly by the morning sun. It was another reminder that they were exploring entire other worlds. Before being pulled along on this journey, he never imagined that he might one day gaze up at an alien sky like this. It was truly breathtaking.

And then Deadpool had to go and ruin the moment by running his mouth, like usual.

The young man sighed as he continued forward with this others. This place wasn't just rich in nature, but in magic as well. Just like before, the sense of it wasn't quite the same as it was in his own world, but it felt familiar nonetheless, and there was plenty of ambient mystic energy pooled in this area, almost like a patch of fog or mist.

Shirou nodded at the Doctor's suggestion. "I agree, there must be a reason all the roots flow in that direction. I think we should follow them, might give us some more clues."

 

[Amber Franklin]

Morgan- Character Sheet

"Beautiful." says Morgan when she steps out of the TARDIS. She has been given another Modesty Egg from the lady Doctor to replace the one she had lost at Whiterun, giving her the same white cloth that wraps around her from the torso to her upper thighs. She's also taken up a brown leather belt to hold the sheath and sword given to her by Ryan after their reconciliation. It hangs from her right hip.

This was easily the most stunning place she has seen since being taken from her own universe. It felt more like the home she missed so dearly, the untouched forests and plains of southern Gaul. Even the gas giant only added to the stunning sight of this place when she looks up and through the forest canopy. She gets down to the ground and runs her hands through the grass; smiles at David's dog friend enjoying it all; and the tree being named Reegan sinking into the ground itself.

Deadpool's strange talk and dismissal of their new destination earns him a shake of her head and nothing more. She did not want to allow others to ruin her enjoyment. Instead she decides to ignore Deadpools' insane ramblings to answer The Doctor.

"Doctor DuBois taught me that plants grow towards the source of their life. If we are here looking for a great power, then it could be giving these trees life more than even the sun." Morgan rises from the ground and does not bother to wipe the dirt from her hands or knees. "Deadpool can ramble in the TARDIS if this world does not suit him. I very much like it so far."

 

[Hero]

Robin

After Whiterun, most of the groups set off to gather more resources and information, among other things. Robin himself had decided to join one of the other Doctor's and some others to investigate a world of giants. On the one hand he was certainly excited at the prospect. But having seen the bones of something like that, the corpse of the Fell Dragon in Plegia, he was admittedly a tad worried about potentially having to face something of that size in battle.

Nonetheless, as he stepped from the TARDIS into a beautifully coloured forest practically thrumming with life, Robin was sure he'd made the right decision joining this mission. Sights like these were incredibly rare, even back in Ylisse. Perhaps the Mila Tree in Valm could compare, but that was a goddess' shrine, this was seemingly natural. If only his friends could see this as well.

Many of the roots present in the area pointed the same direction. The Doctor and Morgan claimed they would lead to what the group was here for. And what a fascinating piece of knowledge that was, that plants naturally point towards their origin. Might even be useful someday.

"North it is!" Robin exclaimed in agreement with the Doctor, pointedly ignoring the red-clad mercenary heading back into the time machine. Deadpool was a brilliant fighter, but Robin had quickly learned not to take his rambling too seriously. That way lied madness, unfortunately. "And I for one am in agreement with Morgan, this place is breathtaking. Literally if what the Doctor says is accurate!"

 

[The Wanderer]

David Ludlow
Standing in a clearing with his dog and the Gang

"Too late to check out, Wade. I'll drag you out and use you as bait for bears or whatever the hell passes for bears around here if you don't come out." He was not in the mood with dealing with the Merc's tomfoolery. His infamous temper rising to its height once more.

Patting his dog to calm himself, David took a good look at the roots, experience siding with Morgan's knowledge. "I agree with Morgan, we follow the roots." He spoke. His dog sniffing the roots before barking as Waffles looked excitedly at the group. Tail wagging and tongue hanging out as he panted.

"Word of advice, if Waffles or Morgan goes silent, we go silent. Stay close and don't wonder too far." He said to the group as he stood up, waiting for the Doctor to lead the way, his dog looking up at the Time-Traveling man with excitement evident on his dog face.

The giant of a man took out his bow just in case, an arrow in hand as he waited, just in case there were bears or something just as big.

@Wade Von Doom @Amber Franklin @Epiphany. @Hero @BobTheNinja

 

[littlekreen]

Reegan - Character Sheet - GDoc

Reegan sat up as the dirt parted and mud pulled cleanly away behind her. The mark she left closed with a squip of flowing water ejecting from the shore. Reegan shook her head though still standing ankle deep in grass shifting in slowing undulations.

Reegan's yellow eyes looked at Deadpool, "Everyone's ends up in the earth eventually, Deadpool. Though even if a Death has left its mark on you that's just one side of the cycle."

Grass rippled and resealed new divots with each step as she reached for his hand with the wrapped hand, "Life is a curse only if you don't think you deserve it. It's made this much effort to keep you alive. Maybe you should see what else life values. I'm curious to see why it likes you."

The cotton gauze was rather moist with the white latex of dandelion sap which now passed for her own scarring sap from one new ring on her horn. Though even if it soaked deadpool's gloves the inside felt far too smooth. Still that persistant Campell's soup cancer crawled back up above the wrist, his hand was normal. She wasn't strong enough for much more given the slight wobble and darker color to her inner light.

She looked at all the roots and nodded at the Doctor and Morgan, "The forest thinks slowly and it may not notice me for a while yet. Anything that can direct this much tree is worth seeing or talking to. If it's these AI creatures defiling the natural order then it needs to be torn down and broken. Maybe words today, maybe bullets. I hope words." @Epiphany.

 

[Wiggin]

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Vromia, The glowing moon
==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--​

With their plans discussed, the group set off further into the forest. The gentle breeze felt almost eerie as if something was pulling the group deeper in. It felt cool and crisp, like a cold breeze on a warm summer's day. The world itself seemed to become more and more saturated in color, making the forest seem even more alive than the area around the TARDIS. The roots from the trees continued to grow in size as they reached the center, eventually making it difficult to easily walk over them. The group needed to crawl over the roots after about twenty minutes of walking, nearly the size of fallen trees at this point. After a few more minutes of walking, the trees suddenly were cut off, leaving only a clearing. The clearing itself was massive and nearly the length of 4 football fields. Even with its size, the group could easily see that it could barely contain the giant creature that sat in the center of it.

The gigantic roots reached into the sky and covered the giant humanoid figure, comparatively making the roots look like little cobwebs. It was hard to tell the actual definition of the being that was underneath the roots. The only noticeable features were that it looked like it had a bell for a head that had horns protruding from the top of it. Giant shoulder plates had the roots trace their intricate patterns. He looked like a noble knight after a long and arduous day of work. In the center of the giant's chest, the group would see a window that looked into the giant. A red glow emanates from a heart that beats at the center of the beast. The beats were slow, happening every 5 minutes or so. Every time they occurred, it was like a marching band had all simultaneously hit their drums. Despite all of this, it was calming to watch this creature. There was a sense of safety standing before it.

After a few moments of grandeur, the group saw a small smoke cloud rising in the distance behind the giant. Even from their distance, they could smell food cooking on a fire. A small tune could be heard in the distance as if there was a party occurring.

 

[Epiphany]

The 11th Doctor

@BobTheNinja @Amber Franklin @Hero
The evident joy that Shirou, Morgan and Robin took at the sight and feel of this alien world brought a smile back to the Doctor's face, replacing the frown Deadpool had written there. He knew their looks. Those kinds of reaction were one of the biggest reasons he enjoyed traveling with companions.

The Doctor bobbed his head appreciatively when the trio agreed with the plan. "Right you are then. Plants growing towards the source of their life, northwards. Very good. Let's find out, shall we?"

@The Wanderer
When David offered his perspective, the Doctor scratched his chin in thought before nodding slowly. When the soldier offered his 'don't wander too far' remark, the Timelord's elastic features lit up and he turned to the others. "Yes! Don't wander off! First rule of time travel. No idea why it's the rule that gets broken the most."

Then David got down to business and the Doctor abruptly stopped talking, seeing for himself that the soldier was well practiced at taking point.

@littlekreen
The curious Spriggan at last rose out of the earth to rejoin the conversation. Looking much better too! The Doctor grinned at Reegan's proffered words of wisdom. "Words, yes my friend." He reached over, gently took the wrapped hand in his and patted an unbandaged spot affectionately. "I hope words as well."

@Wiggin
The going was slow going but worth going. The 11th Doctor hiked with the others like this was his favorite activity, constantly swiveling his head to take in the sights. And all the more so, since he had David to watch the front.

By the time they reached the clearing, the Timelord huffed a little with the exertion, but the grin on his face at the sight of the enormous giant was undiminished by fatigue. "Look at you, you beauty! What is that? Look at that light. Power source? Sensor perhaps?" He pulled out his sonic and waved it in the giant's direction, before snapping it back down and studying the readings.

"Mmmm, interesting readings." Glancing up, the Doctor swept a hand through his tangled overly-long hair to get out of his face. "Oh and we're not alone. Perhaps we should meet the neighbors before inviting ourselves in, shall we?"

 

[littlekreen]

Reegan - Character Sheet - GDoc

The spriggan smiled at the doctor with just slightly moist bandaged fingers with their rubbery texture patting his own and nodded. The latex leaking from her recovering wounds had made the bandages into a bit of a glove. She didn't like the idea of needless destruction and this place seemed so terribly bursting with life.

Once the roots started to thicken Reegan walked on top of them. The force of energy in the area brought back her glow then well past spilling off as a wake of sprigs in this and that that sprung up around her. "It's all alive, Haasethur. Not a bramble but something very old." @Epiphany.

As they went she climbed up the thicker roots with ease even carrying others up if they asked. The place boiled with natural energy enough that the spriggan's natural strength left her with little problem scaling gigantic quilts of interlocked roots directly upward. Though to scale the largest coils obstructing their way climbing with her claws if she had a persistent rider though if anything quite likely a lazy Deadpool backpack. More indirect assistance to top gigantic cliffs of roots would take the form of planting her own feet and with a careful eye hurling them upward like a caber.

Once they finally arrived she looked up at the huge creature and whispered unsure if she would wake it, "Sleepy heartbeats? Or just a very big heart? It has such large roots to feed the huge armor!"

She looked over where the Doctor gestured, "Well I guess we should go see who it is before they wake him up."

 

[Wade Von Doom]

David Ludlow
Standing in a clearing with his dog and the Gang

"Too late to check out, Wade. I'll drag you out and use you as bait for bears or whatever the hell passes for bears around here if you don't come out." He was not in the mood with dealing with the Merc's tomfoolery. His infamous temper rising to its height once more.

Patting his dog to calm himself, David took a good look at the roots, experience siding with Morgan's knowledge. "I agree with Morgan, we follow the roots." He spoke. His dog sniffing the roots before barking as Waffles looked excitedly at the group. Tail wagging and tongue hanging out as he panted.

"Word of advice, if Waffles or Morgan goes silent, we go silent. Stay close and don't wonder too far." He said to the group as he stood up, waiting for the Doctor to lead the way, his dog looking up at the Time-Traveling man with excitement evident on his dog face.

The giant of a man took out his bow just in case, an arrow in hand as he waited, just in case there were bears or something just as big.

@Wade Von Doom @Amber Franklin @Epiphany. @Hero @BobTheNinja

Fortunately, when Wade tried entering the TARDIS, the door was locked, and his bumped his shoulder into it, which hurt a little. He tried shaking it open, but sighed when accepted that wasn't gonna happen. "Fiiiiine. But I better not get the shaft again like I did last chapter!" He shouted to me, then begrudging returning to the group. "You need to work on your team building skills, threatening to feed people to bears doesn't really make people want to help, more reluctantly help." Wade told David, bending down to give Waffles a pet as he followed The Doctor and others.

"For once during these kinds of stories I wanna go see Mordor, but nooooo.~ We can't go the obvious places, we need to go to these backwater, poorly written places, where the world's setting is about as edgy as Staind, or about as well thought out as Aaron Lewis' solo career. Oh, they're are elves here? What a shock! Are there orcs too? Ohhh, how revolutionary! Next you'll tell me there are Dwarves too!" He muttered all of this to himself as he climbed over the growing tree roots, with ones that were too much effort to climb he just teleported atop of without helping the others.

"I swear, first elf I see, I'm gonna bend that sucker over and stick my swords straight up his candy-- Holy fuckhole!" He shouted at the end upon seeing the massive giant covered in roots. It was HUGE! What, was this Shadow of the Colossus meets Castle in the Sky? Except no castle? ".... Alright, you've got my interest." Deadpool admitted. With The Doctor and Reegan suggesting they try finding where the smoke was coming from, Wade offered in return, "I could try getting on top of him if you want." He did have his little teleporter.

 

[Amber Franklin]

Morgan- Character Sheet

It feels good to have her words recognized. Morgan smiles and nods in particular to David's advice.

"Waffles and I will be on alert. You can count on us!" She says and her ears stand up. She walks in front of the group as they leave the TARDIS behind, eyes and ears at attention for anything that breaks the very serene surroundings.

At first Morgan only trots ahead of the others, opposite whatever direction Waffles chooses to go in order to have both sides of the group covered at all times as they go. The growing roots are no obstacle to her; the ones she cannot step over she clears with a single leap;those she cannot clear in a single leap are cleared with a running start and leap. Even when the roots get larger than that, Morgan delights in leaping as far up as she can before digging in with the claws of her hands and feet to climb the rest of the way to the top. From these high vantages and her keen eyes, Morgan is perhaps the first to see colossus from afar. She thinks at first it is one large tree.

As she goes, Morgan also delights in the small creatures that fly about. They are small and blue, look soft and defenseless. Even if she were craving meat, Morgan could not see herself devouring such cute creatures. She does not let the nonsense ramblings of Deadpool distract her, as he seems to talk to and about people that are not present; at least in any way she is aware. He could be using some mystical means to talk to an infinitely patient otherworldly being.

Morgan stands on one of the last enormous roots before they inexplicably disappear, and beholds the sight that replaces the spectacle of the roots. She climbs down and joins the others on the ground, transfixed not just by the sight before them, but the sound coming from the light at its center. Morgan places her right hand over the center of her chest, closes her eyes and compares the rhythm of her Core with that of the giant. Much slower.

"I think it is resting." Morgan voices her opinion aloud.

"The light and the sound. It feels like my Core at the center of my vessel. I do not think it could be of my kind, but maybe similar?" Morgan speculates, taking her hand away from her chest and looking to the smoke coming from the other side of the wooden colossus.

"Waffles and I will scout ahead. Just to be safe." She tells the others, whistling at Waffles and petting his head in passing as she takes off at a run around the giant towards the source of the smoke.

 

[The Wanderer]

==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--
Vromia, The glowing moon
==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--​

With their plans discussed, the group set off further into the forest. The gentle breeze felt almost eerie as if something was pulling the group deeper in. It felt cool and crisp, like a cold breeze on a warm summer's day. The world itself seemed to become more and more saturated in color, making the forest seem even more alive than the area around the TARDIS. The roots from the trees continued to grow in size as they reached the center, eventually making it difficult to easily walk over them. The group needed to crawl over the roots after about twenty minutes of walking, nearly the size of fallen trees at this point. After a few more minutes of walking, the trees suddenly were cut off, leaving only a clearing. The clearing itself was massive and nearly the length of 4 football fields. Even with its size, the group could easily see that it could barely contain the giant creature that sat in the center of it.

The gigantic roots reached into the sky and covered the giant humanoid figure, comparatively making the roots look like little cobwebs. It was hard to tell the actual definition of the being that was underneath the roots. The only noticeable features were that it looked like it had a bell for a head that had horns protruding from the top of it. Giant shoulder plates had the roots trace their intricate patterns. He looked like a noble knight after a long and arduous day of work. In the center of the giant's chest, the group would see a window that looked into the giant. A red glow emanates from a heart that beats at the center of the beast. The beats were slow, happening every 5 minutes or so. Every time they occurred, it was like a marching band had all simultaneously hit their drums. Despite all of this, it was calming to watch this creature. There was a sense of safety standing before it.

After a few moments of grandeur, the group saw a small smoke cloud rising in the distance behind the giant. Even from their distance, they could smell food cooking on a fire. A small tune could be heard in the distance as if there was a party occurring.

The 11th Doctor

@BobTheNinja @Amber Franklin @Hero
The evident joy that Shirou, Morgan and Robin took at the sight and feel of this alien world brought a smile back to the Doctor's face, replacing the frown Deadpool had written there. He knew their looks. Those kinds of reaction were one of the biggest reasons he enjoyed traveling with companions.

The Doctor bobbed his head appreciatively when the trio agreed with the plan. "Right you are then. Plants growing towards the source of their life, northwards. Very good. Let's find out, shall we?"

@The Wanderer
When David offered his perspective, the Doctor scratched his chin in thought before nodding slowly. When the soldier offered his 'don't wander too far' remark, the Timelord's elastic features lit up and he turned to the others. "Yes! Don't wander off! First rule of time travel. No idea why it's the rule that gets broken the most."

Then David got down to business and the Doctor abruptly stopped talking, seeing for himself that the soldier was well practiced at taking point.

@littlekreen
The curious Spriggan at last rose out of the earth to rejoin the conversation. Looking much better too! The Doctor grinned at Reegan's proffered words of wisdom. "Words, yes my friend." He reached over, gently took the wrapped hand in his and patted an unbandaged spot affectionately. "I hope words as well."

@Wiggin
The going was slow going but worth going. The 11th Doctor hiked with the others like this was his favorite activity, constantly swiveling his head to take in the sights. And all the more so, since he had David to watch the front.

By the time they reached the clearing, the Timelord huffed a little with the exertion, but the grin on his face at the sight of the enormous giant was undiminished by fatigue. "Look at you, you beauty! What is that? Look at that light. Power source? Sensor perhaps?" He pulled out his sonic and waved it in the giant's direction, before snapping it back down and studying the readings.

"Mmmm, interesting readings." Glancing up, the Doctor swept a hand through his tangled overly-long hair to get out of his face. "Oh and we're not alone. Perhaps we should meet the neighbors before inviting ourselves in, shall we?"

David Ludlow
Standing in a clearing with his dog and the Gang

"Too late to check out, Wade. I'll drag you out and use you as bait for bears or whatever the hell passes for bears around here if you don't come out." He was not in the mood with dealing with the Merc's tomfoolery. His infamous temper rising to its height once more.

Patting his dog to calm himself, David took a good look at the roots, experience siding with Morgan's knowledge. "I agree with Morgan, we follow the roots." He spoke. His dog sniffing the roots before barking as Waffles looked excitedly at the group. Tail wagging and tongue hanging out as he panted.

"Word of advice, if Waffles or Morgan goes silent, we go silent. Stay close and don't wonder too far." He said to the group as he stood up, waiting for the Doctor to lead the way, his dog looking up at the Time-Traveling man with excitement evident on his dog face.

The giant of a man took out his bow just in case, an arrow in hand as he waited, just in case there were bears or something just as big.

@Wade Von Doom @Amber Franklin @Epiphany. @Hero @BobTheNinja

Fortunately, when Wade tried entering the TARDIS, the door was locked, and his bumped his shoulder into it, which hurt a little. He tried shaking it open, but sighed when accepted that wasn't gonna happen. "Fiiiiine. But I better not get the shaft again like I did last chapter!" He shouted to me, then begrudging returning to the group. "You need to work on your team building skills, threatening to feed people to bears doesn't really make people want to help, more reluctantly help." Wade told David, bending down to give Waffles a pet as he followed The Doctor and others.

"For once during these kinds of stories I wanna go see Mordor, but nooooo.~ We can't go the obvious places, we need to go to these backwater, poorly written places, where the world's setting is about as edgy as Staind, or about as well thought out as Aaron Lewis' solo career. Oh, they're are elves here? What a shock! Are there orcs too? Ohhh, how revolutionary! Next you'll tell me there are Dwarves too!" He muttered all of this to himself as he climbed over the growing tree roots, with ones that were too much effort to climb he just teleported atop of without helping the others.

"I swear, first elf I see, I'm gonna bend that sucker over and stick my swords straight up his candy-- Holy fuckhole!" He shouted at the end upon seeing the massive giant covered in roots. It was HUGE! What, was this Shadow of the Colossus meets Castle in the Sky? Except no castle? ".... Alright, you've got my interest." Deadpool admitted. With The Doctor and Reegan suggesting they try finding where the smoke was coming from, Wade offered in return, "I could try getting on top of him if you want." He did have his little teleporter.

Morgan- Character Sheet

It feels good to have her words recognized. Morgan smiles and nods in particular to David's advice.

"Waffles and I will be on alert. You can count on us!" She says and her ears stand up. She walks in front of the group as they leave the TARDIS behind, eyes and ears at attention for anything that breaks the very serene surroundings.

At first Morgan only trots ahead of the others, opposite whatever direction Waffles chooses to go in order to have both sides of the group covered at all times as they go. The growing roots are no obstacle to her; the ones she cannot step over she clears with a single leap;those she cannot clear in a single leap are cleared with a running start and leap. Even when the roots get larger than that, Morgan delights in leaping as far up as she can before digging in with the claws of her hands and feet to climb the rest of the way to the top. From these high vantages and her keen eyes, Morgan is perhaps the first to see colossus from afar. She thinks at first it is one large tree.

As she goes, Morgan also delights in the small creatures that fly about. They are small and blue, look soft and defenseless. Even if she were craving meat, Morgan could not see herself devouring such cute creatures. She does not let the nonsense ramblings of Deadpool distract her, as he seems to talk to and about people that are not present; at least in any way she is aware. He could be using some mystical means to talk to an infinitely patient otherworldly being.

Morgan stands on one of the last enormous roots before they inexplicably disappear, and beholds the sight that replaces the spectacle of the roots. She climbs down and joins the others on the ground, transfixed not just by the sight before them, but the sound coming from the light at its center. Morgan places her right hand over the center of her chest, closes her eyes and compares the rhythm of her Core with that of the giant. Much slower.

"I think it is resting." Morgan voices her opinion aloud.

"The light and the sound. It feels like my Core at the center of my vessel. I do not think it could be of my kind, but maybe similar?" Morgan speculates, taking her hand away from her chest and looking to the smoke coming from the other side of the wooden colossus.

"Waffles and I will scout ahead. Just to be safe." She tells the others, whistling at Waffles and petting his head in passing as she takes off at a run around the giant towards the source of the smoke.

David Ludlow
Looking a giant and feeling wary.

David didn't give a response to Deadpool's words, the man already annoyed David. His mannerisms far too similar to a man David knew from Vietnam that talked too much, causing the team to be found by the Vietcong, leading to the slow painful deaths of the medic and their radio operator.

Waffles did his best to follow Morgan, the husky just barely keeping up with Morgan's pace, though he had to take different paths as he wasn't able to do leaps and bounds as the Daemon did. David meanwhile was used to traversing such difficult obstacle filled path from his days in Vietnam. The man would help anyone up branches or whatever they couldn't handle, at one point he even picked up the Doctor and carried him piggyback style to the place they could look at the Giant covered in vines with the beating heart. Smoke with scents of food being cooked on a flame. David nodded at Morgan's words, watching as Waffles followed suit with Morgan heading off to see who was behind the smoke.

"Whistle short twice to let us know if things are safe, whistle long if you need back up." He said to her as she took off at her incredible speed. Following at a distance.

@Wiggin @Epiphany. @Amber Franklin @Wade Von Doom @littlekreen

 

[BobTheNinja]

Shirou gazes up in awe at the massive giant covered in roots. He could sense that the energy he felt in the environment from earlier was even more densely concentrated here, especially around what appeared to be its beating red core. Despite its intimidating stature and size, the giant's pose suggested it was resting.

Perhaps the being was dormant in some way? Morgan seemed to suspect as much. The fact that all of the roots of this forest led up to this figure also strongly suggested that its energy was somehow linked to the wider ecosystem in this area.

It didn't take long for the group to notice the sight of smoke and smell of fire in the distance, along with the sounds of a live settlement. Thankfully the smell was of cooking and not from an uncontrolled fire. In fact it sounded very much like people were making merry.

While some of the group continued examining the mysterious giant, Morgan elected to run ahead to check out the settlement, taking Waffles with her. He knew she was strong, almost on par with a Servant in many respects, but he still felt it would be safer for at least one other person to go with her.

"I'm going to tag along with Morgan, since I can also boost my eyesight for long-distance viewing. We'll let you all know if there's any danger ahead," he told the group before taking off after Morgan, reinforcing his body to give himself a boost of speed to catch up to her.

"Hope you don't mind if I accompany you," he said as he caught up.

@Wade Von Doom @Epiphany. @Amber Franklin @littlekreen @Wiggin @The Wanderer @Hero

 

[Wiggin]

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Vromia, The glowing moon
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As Morgan and Shirou rushed off to investigate the sounds of merriment, they soon also heard the sounds of what seemed to be a city. Talking, trading, and horsedrawn carriages could all be heard in the wind. Metallic structures began to poke out of the dirt, covered in moss and vines due to old age. Waffles seemed very interested in what was in the air, Morgan could also smell it too. There was an abundance of cooked food, along with something that smelled quite sweet. The three of them found themselves wandering into someone's backyard garden without realizing it. Several pink flowers happily bloomed, and Waffles seemed to be enjoying running through them and rolling in the dirt.

The three of them eventually needed to see where the sound was coming from and walked around the house to see a large city square amidst the trees.

Steam seemed to puff from the chimneys of several buildings, and there were various different stalls that had buckets of beautifully colored fruits and flowers to buy. In the distance, there was a large building, assumably the town hall, and below it, they could see a large gathering of people. Makeshift grills using metal boxes and fire were set out and cooking deliciously smoky meat, and on several tables, there were people passing out bowls of a strange pink goop with spoons inside of it.

There was one oddity about the situation, however, and that was the people. Several of the people appeared to be wearing pieces of armor, while others simply looked like they had metal fused to their skin. Some people walked around in bucket-shaped helmets and happily partied with the children, who had things such as pauldrons or, in some cases, full suits of armor. There was much to investigate about this place, the key areas being the main hall, the group gathering, and the various stalls that littered the streets.

 

[Wade Von Doom]

With Shirou and Morgan busy on the other side, and David and The Doctor clearly infuriated by him, as well not stopping him from going to the top of that big guy... he went up to the big guy. With his teleporter belt, he would grab onto the branches covering the giant, jump as high as he could with his grip, and teleport up the branch from the momentum. It made the climb easy, as long as he kept a good grip on the branches, and didn't tire out his arms and legs from the jumps. To pass the time, he kept singing the theme to On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

"Buuuum, buuuuum, buuuum, buuuum. Buuum, buuum, buuum, buuum~ Buuuum, bumbuuuum, bababumbadabum-bumbuuuuuuum~

Buuuum, bumbuuuum, bumbumbabuuuum, buumbuuuuum~ BUUUUUBABAAAAM BABABUMBUM-BUMBUUUUUUUUM~ BUBUM-BUM-BUM-BUMBUM-BUM-BUMBUM-BABA-BUMBUMBUUUUUUUUM~ Buuum, buuuum, buuum, buuum~"

Up to you to decide if I wrote that right or not.

With each climb, the air got thinner and thinner. This guy was massive, the size of a skyscraper, and without the teleporter, it would take hours to him to get up there. Thankfully, he'd reach the top within the hour, passing his massive red heart as he climbed up his right leg, then the arm draped over his knee, across his shoulder, and finally reaching the side of his head by swinging on some hanging vines from the horns on its helmet.

"JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESUS." Deadpool exclaimed while out of breath, panting heavily like he climbed Katadin, the highest mountain in Maine.... It's very big, and I climbed it when I was a child... it was very hard.... Anyway!

"Hellloooooooo?" He shouted to the giant once he was where the guy's ear would be. "Hel-looooooo-oooo!~ Anyone conscious in there?" He even knocked on the helmet like he was knocking on a front door.