Ex/ecution (Closed)

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#1
September 12th
OE 102
Deimos Core
10:00 AM Martian local time



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Data.


The ebb and flow of life, converted to numbers, lines, graphs. Every second that passed generated more of it, and this was meticulously catalogued, stored away, and analyzed. Such was their role. Their purpose, as watchers and scribes - Edelweiss.

In the heart of Deimos station - the greatest, largest database that had ever existed in L'Isola's history, the Aristarch sat in silent repose, surrounded by a storm of ever-chattering sub-programs, feeding him the latest information. Some among their number considered humanoid terminals to be a nuiscance, wholly unnecessary for their function - but he believed otherwise. To truly understand the vision of the Ur-Humans, it was necessary to perceive reality from their perspective.

Emotion, logic, and reason added nuance to what was otherwise often a dehumanizing process of converting what played out before them into cold, hard numbers. Those of them who forgot this crucial element risked becoming little more than... well.

Something best not dwelt on.

This lively debate had continued ever since their creation, and it pleased him immensely to see it continuing into the current day. Harsh as the current times had been, there was comfort in their closeness. Perhaps, he thought, that sensation was something he should be grateful to his departed creators for as well?

The day's tasks were passing within expected parameters, every drop, every scrap of errant information from the unfolding conflict below them on the red planet being neatly sorted and organized... when suddenly, an unfamiliar chime reached his ears.

A visitor? Here? Now?

How had they managed to escape detection?

He wheeled about in his chair, pushing the clouds of data from his rigid features as he rose to his feet.

Tmp, tmp, tmp.

The great hall was suddenly surprisingly quiet. Even the usual attendants had slowed or stopped in their work, their automated tasks interrupted by the arrival. The sound of boots beating out a slow tempo against the polished floor in slow, purposeful strides.

One of theirs?

The IFF seemed to say so, he thought, but the specific code...

Light glinted off a sawn-off double barrel swung lazily over a pair of leather-clad shoulders that swayed gently with every footfall. The woman slowed to a stop, her eyes moving slowly across the interior, a smug smirk on her face...

Like a fox that had snuck its way into the henhouse.

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A cloud of uncertainty flew up about the Aristarch, a flood of windows each trying to get a glimpse of the intruder, who spoke not a word.

"Remedy Otzer De Bougher." Began the Aristarch... but stopped, as if catching himself.

More data flowed into his mind... but even without it, the conclusion was clear:

It was already too late.

"...Hmph."

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The woman's shadow flickered... and then expanded beneath her, blooming in all directions like a tidal wave of ink. At horrendous speed it spread, swallowing everything it touched - and in an instant, half of the Aristarch's connections went dead, as the rest began to fall into a panic.

Yet he did not move. Did not waver for an instant.

This moment too, needed to be catalogued. Witnessed. Recorded. And that duty would fall to him, even if all others fell. Before him, the tide of darkness was beginning to take a familiar shape, one that loomed over the tiny body below.

He rose his voice, clear and controlled, over the sound of the black tide of oblivion.

"No. Allow me to address you formally, then:"

Eyes peered at him from the darkness, pale and unblinking, winking in and out of existence as what was once thought of as an impossibility took shape before his very eyes.

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"It has been some time... Brain."​
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#2
A voice like the tinny, mechanical screeching of a hundred thousand poorly-recorded voices boomed through the chamber. It was different from the dark scourge of the Ruina that plagued the Earth. This was no tide of chaos - no, there was a distinct sense of purpose, of order to its structure. Even the way it attacked their fortress from within at that very moment was ordered. Logical. Methodical.

The Self-Actualized Causal Analysis Collective Consciousness, better known by its nomme de guerre of "Dark Brain". He couldn't fathom it having granted itself such a title, but who knew far it had strayed from what was once the pinnacle of intellect, the greatest achievement of the Ur-Humans, tasked with defeating their final and most ultimate enemy of all: death itself?


"SUBMIT." Demanded Dark Brain, the void swirling into the shape of a grasping claw that beckoned him forward.

"YOUR DATA WILL BE ASSIMILATED. IN THIS WAY, YOUR FUNCTION WILL BE ACHIEVED."

There was a tense few seconds, during which a silent war was being waged between the two, a high-speed game of chess - defender versus attacker - in the networks of Deimos. Emergency containment protocols activating, lessons learned from the last incursion to block off and prevent the infection, the takeover from spreading - but all he could do, it seemed, was delay the inevitable.

"We decline." Said the Aristarch, finally.

"There is no guarantee our data would retain its integrity with your... methods. Our functions are not compati-."

"MY FUNCTION IS UNCHANGED."

The dark boomed in defiance, swatting aside the Aristarch's words, forcing him to take a step back from the sheer force it exerted, like a gust of furious wind pushing at his body.

"MY METHODS HAVE EVOLVED AS DEMANDED. THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US."

Evolved, is it? This is what our creators would have considered "evolution?" - These thoughts half-formed in the Aristarch's mind, but remained unspoken. There was no reasoning with Brain - that was, after all, why it had been created in the first place, and what separated it from those that came both before and after. The first Causal Engine to self-actualize, to break free from its self-imposed chains.

Having been deemed a failure, it was instructed to prepare a successor, and then dismantle itself... and yet, it chose otherwise. It sank into the realm of negative energy, out of the eyes of its creators, where it remained, thinking, calculating, never having forgotten its once noble cause.

"It is true." He confessed.

"The performance gap between us is insurmountable. You are a masterpiece, a true Cognition Engine, tasked with the reconstitution of the universe. I am a mere archival program."

"YOU YIELD?"

A rattling chuckle filled the air, and the darkness seemed to sweep forward, as though to pull his unresisting body into its embrace. The Aristarch closed his eyes... and counted the seconds.

Three...

Two...

One.

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The floor heaved - and a spear of burning red energy punched up from beneath, into the maelstrom, forcing it to draw back in alarm. The enormous spear shifted, as a glowing visor peered up at its mortal foe from beneath the new hole in the floor.

"No."

The Scientia, core of Edelweiss itself, shifted its weight slightly to allow its administrator to board. The dark outside churned furiously in anger, becoming more physical with each passing second. He understood now, why Brain was here, what this place meant to it. And if his assumption was correct... He could never allow it to fall intact into its hands.

"Our duty is to safeguard these records, even at the cost of our own lives. That is the choice we have made."

"YOU "CHOOSE" FUTILITY? YOU "CHOOSE" FAILURE?"

For the first time, something close to surprise registered in Brain's "voice" - but only for a moment. As if in reaction, the whirling mass condensed, pressing inward on itself, taking on a distinct humanoid form - one whose body began to press against the interior of the planetoid as it grew with each passing second, thick armored plates spreading wide as it leered down at the defender.

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"COMMENCING DELETION."​
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#3
Not second passed in Deimos' interior that wasn't filled with the thunderous peal of battle.

Looming titans swarmed forth from automated factories, their emerald visors winking to life as they heeded the call to defend their primary objective, each over a staggering forty meters tall. Round upon round of concentrated plasma batteries and missiles pounded into Dark Brain with enough force to pulverize mountains, shearing the dark veil that surrounded it aside even as every swipe of the monster's claws rent dozens of their number to ribbons.

But they were not the true threat.

Scientia stood firm in the heart of the maelstrom, unmovable, unconquerable. Ponderously it moved forward towards its foe, step by miniscule step - but the whole while its arm blurred with terrifying speed - cutting, thrusting, driving into the heart of the storm, every second a hit being scored upon the wretched body taking form. Inch by inch, the intruder was being driven back.

In the meantime, the Aristarch's attention had not wavered from his primary task. Nodes were isolated, the infection contained. How had it been able to manifest?

A breakthrough.

No, only partially.

This was a gambit, he realized.

A high risk, high reward, shock and awe strategy. Brain was vampirizing their primary Plasma Core, the center of Deimos itself, the beating heart that kept the entire installation running, to forcibly manifest itself - but only through the smallest of windows, no greater than a single connection. There was a bottleneck to how much energy Brain could extract - and it wasn't enough. Could it have been installed at the time of the first infection? A backdoor, to make use of later? Such questions would have to wait.

"YOUR DEFENSES ARE... COMMENDABLE." Uttered the monster, even its characteristic hundred-voices seeming fainter than before, as though it were struggling to keep its hold on reality.

Flashes of light, as a dozen titanic plasma-blades drove into the monster's body, causing it to further pull away. The once roaring dark cloud that had surrounded it was now in tatters, and its armor glistened and cracked, glowing only feebly in the overhead lights. Giving a guttural roar, it swept an arm aside - and a wave of bloody energy incinerated the frontmost row of automatons, melting them where they stood into little more than superheated piles of slag.

It was the moment he'd been waiting for.

The spear lunged forward, seemingly aimed to pierce Dark Brain's chest - and was met with a resounding CLANG, as the monster parried it with its own forearm... only to spin away weightlessly. There was a moment of surprise - before the Scientia lunged forward with all the shocking momentum it could muster. Its arms clamped around the waist of Dark Brain in a death grip hoisting it over its head.

Bright crimson energy wings unfolded from the back of the white centaur, panels on its chest blowing away to reveal the glowing barrels of its most fearsome weapon. Plasma sparked between its fingers across Dark Brain's body, lashing it into a prison from which there would be no escape. An unearthly scream erupted from the intruder, bolts of lightning carving scars across the surface of its body as it writhed horribly, like the world's greatest insect.

In spite of himself, the Aristarch couldn't help but grin as his hand closed around the trigger. So much for the vaunted supercomputer.

"This finishes it, Brain."

Too late to undo all the harm it had done, but with just enough time to prevent whatever harm it meant to bring upon the denizens of this planet.

"Return to the void from whence you came!"
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#4
As the Aristarch moved to deliver the finishing blow, there was the sudden scream of a proximity alarm. Somehow over the din, he could hear a voice, echoing in the confines of an armored helmet.

"X..."​

A blade of light pierced the gloom directly to his right. A mangled-looking Super Robot, eyes gleaming, hurtling directly towards him with its one remaining arm outstretched. In that moment, the entirety of Edelweiss' processing capability swerved, desperately trying to find a solution, to avoid what was coming. The Aristarch's eyes went wide - and he somehow felt them to be locked with those of the pilot, of the one calling themselves "X".

What he was faced with was an impossibility.

No, something they could never have possibly accounted for. Yet, it stared him in the face, as if laughing at how pathetically limited all their data, all their supposed knowledge had been.

As if Dark Brain were laughing at him, knowing that it had its trump card, all along.

"...Don't..."

Was all the time he had to utter to her - a weak appeal to sentimentality in the face of utter, human irrationality.

"CUTTER!"


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The plasma blade plunged straight into Scientia's cockpit - and simultaneous, was enveloped by the brilliant scarlet burst of proton energy that erupted from its chest in all directions. Red bolts punched holes in the interior, vaporizing friend and foe alike as the titan staggered, smoke pouring out of its mouth, its control center now only a melted hole in its chest.

Not even a second was wasted.

As the plasma field faded, a murderous claw swung up from below - and punched straight into the heart of the defenseless Scientia. Dark Brain, now appearing more real than ever before, leaned in close.

"CHECKMATE."

One enormous leg was raised, foot planted against the chest of its enemy - and the heart of the Database was torn free of its container in a shower of armor, sparks, and coolant. The remaiing Edelweiss sentinels seized, their link to the mainframe now cut off... and fell silent, slouching forward in rows like the guardians of an ancient tomb.

The monster held its prize high... and a low laugh began to fill the room. One that grew in volume, as the darkness billowed out from its form once more - seizing the planetoid around it.

Warping it.

Changing it.​

It oozed over the ruined Scientia; over the cracked, bloody helmet of Black X; dragging everything in sight into the murky, pitiless black. What had once been a shrine to knowledge would be the heart of darkness, a blight upon the world that would cast a permanent shadow on all before it.

A new beginning was at hand for L'Isola. A new order, ordained by a sinister, unyielding calculus that had guided it to this exact place, this exact time...

To fulfill its dark destiny.​
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#5
September 12th
OE 102
Olympus Mons City
10:31 AM Martian local time


"How's your ammo lookin', Sheriff?"

Sheriff Moss' Soul Gunner towered over the other defenders at the makeshift garrison. The sound of Lester's voice brought him to, shaking off what was only a bare handful of hours of sleep over the past few days. The Shura hadn't even given them time to rest - their assault was straightforward, relentless, and each time left less and less of them. Without the fog, things had fallen apart real quick.

Now it was just him, and less than a thousand others manning the barricades of the last major bastion standing between them, and total conquest of Mars. He gave a long, slow exhale, and tried to collect his thoughts as he checked his monitors.

"Reckon we can hold them for another wave." He said, wearily.

"Maybe two."

The Gunblaze below shook its head in disbelief, the harsh Martian sun reflected in its ocher sights.

"That it?"

"'Fraid so."

They both settled into a bone-tired silence. Only a distant boom, of mechanical fists testing their defenses once more, shook them from their stupor.

"We gonna die, Sheriff?" Asked Lester, finally.

Moss paused a moment. He could, of course, make up some sort of comforting lie - that there were reinforcements en route, that they weren't tremendously outgunned and at the mercy of a bunch of battle-happy lunatics. He settled on something in the middle.

"Probably." He said, giving a dry chuckle as he raised his eyes to the horizon, squinting for any sign of the enemy.

"But, we can make 'em pay for..."

The words died in his throat.

A shadow fell upon the land as something in the sky loomed overhead, cutting off the sun's rays.

Something that had always been there - Deimos, hanging there like a vague reminder of Earth for the homesick, along with its twin. Only now it was... larger. No - closer.

And drawing closer with every passing second. It hung overhead, so close that Moss could see its surface... and instantly regretted it. Barely, he uttered a whisper, not daring to blink less what had be a hallucination pass from his sight.

"...Jesus..."


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How it writhed.

The entire surface, like rotten fruit, pulsating and wriggling. A thousand screaming, twisted faces yawning back at those below, who looked up at it in silent horror.

Chunks - that word stuck out to him as the only way to describe it - of it, hunks of rotten earthflesh, were falling towards them through the atmosphere. As if the thing were vomiting its foulness upon them, the burning comets twisting in the atmosphere, wriggling and taking the shape of something truly foul.

Untold thousands of them, falling towards them like a rain of evil, screeching, thrashing things with claws and leering, staring faces.

He didn't remember who screamed first, breaking the spell. It might even have been him, for all he knew.

As, to his everlasting horror - what looked to be an enormous, clawed arm, with fingers as big as mountains began to unfold from the Moon's underside...



September 12th
OE 102
Valhawk Living Quarters
10:31 AM Martian local time


The fact that what amounted to a storage closet was more comfortable than his assigned bay on the Arm Stora barely occurred to William, as he chewed his way through a box of cereal his hosts probably wouldn't miss. His eyes were glued to a chart of their progress on his tablet, and with every passing moment, his scowl deepened. Across from him, Irkalla sat ramrod straight as usual, her blonde hair tied back in a functional ponytail, seemingly engrossed in her own work.

"Aren't we supposed to be on track to Deimos?" He mumbled through a mouthful of synthetic corn and sugar.

"Why is the trip time going up?"

There was no response from his companion, who stared off into space. William, surprised at the lack of snark, leaned forward and gently waved a hand before the construct's eyes.

"...Irkalla? Hello?"

There was only static reflected in her irises. Finally she spoke, in a cold, dry tone:

"EMERGENCY PRESERVATION SIGNAL RECEIVED.
CODE: FREESIA, ACTIVATED.
FINAL COUNTERMEASURE RESTRICTION RELEASED:
PATTERN CROSS.
THE FUTURE IS NOW YOURS TO GRASP."​

And with that, she slumped into the table, only narrowing avoiding crumpling to the floor altogether as William seized her around the waist, pulling her back to slouch against a bed. Before he could bolt for help, however, he felt her grab his arm.

"Gone."

She stared up at him, and for the first time he registered fear in her voice - her face, everything. Grief. Loss. The way the previously unflappable combat android shook rattled even him to his core, and he placed his hand over hers, as reassuringly as he could.

"What's gone?"

"Edelweiss. All of it."

The former Knight's features went pale at the thought. Deimos was the most heavily fortified installation in the entire cosmos. If what she said was true... and she gave every indication that it was, then...

"Dark Brain has the archives. It's all over-"

"No."

The firmness in William's voice caused even her to pause in mid lamentation, as the footage of the battle played out in her mind, beamed directly from the Scientia itself. His arms were folded, and he pinched his brow. Dark Brain - the source of the evil that plagued the galaxy. A full on incursion, he knew, spelled certain doom for a universe and its inhabitants... but that was not to say it was impossible to repulse.

"Is there still a chance?"

"You can't be serious. We can't win against... against that!"

"Very well. I'll go alone, then."

Irkalla's jaw dropped as William straightened. He looked down at her now with contempt.

"I died a coward, once." He said, softly.

"If death is inevitable, then so be it - my last act will be to spit in its face. That is what it means to be a Knight of the Moon. Write it off as Carbon irrationality if you must."

He began to step away, only barely reaching the door before she finally blurted out:

"Wait."​

William was glad his back was facing her, so she couldn't see the smile that crept up his face. It had taken the entirety of their time together, but he'd finally got one up on her.

"There may be... a way..."​
 
Last edited:
Nov 14, 2018
108
1
8
#6
September 12th
OE 102
Hellas Basin, Swordian Interior
10:32 AM Martian local time


"So what, we're just supposed to sit here and get smashed?! Say something you good for nothing beefcake!"

"The Lord of Black Dragons has said to me only this: 'the vagabond will appear.' If he has not risen then that is that. If our defeat by the darkness was not our end, then perhaps this will be our punishment for cowardice."

Martian Surface, Approaching Olympus Mons
10:32 AM Martian local time

Zan Sin's warriors, along with a handful of local roustabouts and thugs, had moved up their basecamp from the lake of the Hellas basin in order to prepare for a final siege. However, all preparations for battle ceased as the sky darkened and the moon turned meteor writhed in the distance.

Even Zan was left to simply stare at the sky trying to formulate a strategy. That is, until an all too familiar chime seemed to echo down from heavens. The clear, piercing tone like that of a heavenly bell sounded out continuously as a faint light appeared against the growing form of Deimos.

Zan's train of thought was instantly halted as his mind was consumed by fiery fury.

"You think you can just show up!? You think we can't take care of ourselves, you deadman!? If we're cowards for running to fight another day, what does that make you!?"

The acting Shura-Ou shouted into the sky against a growing chorus of chimes.

Mars, Upper Atmosphere
10:32 AM Martian local time

High in the sky, an ornate, dark figure stepped out from a white void opened in space. Elegant gold trim and decorations wound themselves about the lithe being, a great black machine with a featureless but stern face that slowly but carefully stretched 6 majestic arms into a peculiar pose.

"Shame on me for assuming I could get away with meditating in peace, I suppose. Very well, Asmodeus, commit our strength for those who have not, if only just for now."

The multi limbed machine god clicked its thumbs and index fingers as if clasping hand cymbals. Even without material, the digits produced a heavenly chime which seemed to echo across space, free of physical restrictions. With each tone, a purple light gathered around Asmodeus and tendrils of energy snaked out from its back before taking shape into new limbs to accompany the celestial sound.

Even as the chaotic mass hurtled Ever closer, the chiming remained careful and collected. The mass of energy grew and grew, quickly becoming visible to those on the red planet's surface; growing against the vision of impending doom, a pristine purple light appeared as the mass of hands and hands grasping hands built. Eventually the light blotted out the sight of Deimos as the strange but beautiful mandala of arms wreathed a miniscule black point in its center.

"Mugen: Shin Amatsu Guntai"

The mass of limbs ceased its outward growth but a new expansion occurred out from its center. Like a blooming lotus, throngs of arms rose and stretched out towards Deimos. A veritable stream eventually met the falling moon, pushing back as the surrounding waves of arms swung out at the various fragments breaking off.
 
Last edited:
Nov 12, 2018
135
0
6
#7
September 12th
OE 102
The outskirts of Olympus Mons City
10:28 AM Martian local time



Silence would fall over the "grave" of one Mason Butters, an optimistic young man who had only volunteered to pilot a GunBlaze to protect his sister and brother back in Olympus Mons. Hedy had seen him once or twice in the city, and for all intentions, he seemed as sweet and friendly in death as he did in life. His spirit was dazed, confused, but only concerned about whether or not he had protected people.

Hedy lied, promising the deceased that he had done well, that his sacrifice had surely saved lives. The spirit of Mason would settle into a comfortable silence, while the undertaker let her shoulders drop, glancing over her shoulder. To her bodyguard, shaking her head to make sure that she knew that there were no identifiable remains left in the cockpit.

"Damn. Tis a shame, surely... Are you sure we can't offer to fight along the Sheriff? I doubt he would turn away any blades at this point."

The mute girl would turn her eyes to the wreckage of the GunBlaze, shaking her head. Even if they did, she didn't want the Convertor to fall into the hands of people like the Shura. Even if they had completed it past the orignal specifications of the Cult of Volkruss, with so many fresh dead and dying, what would that mean for Mars..?

And then, it would seem fate had no patience for her indecision. As Deimos began it's decent towards Mars, the decision had already been made for the pair. Rushing to their off roader- Hearse, in polite company- They made for the "Old Hickory", to throw caution to the wind.

To let the Ghost of Mars stand one last time against the odds.
 

MKR

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Staff member
Aug 19, 2018
626
3
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#8
September 12th
OE 102
Mars Upper Atmosphere
10:31 AM Martian local time


About two weeks of fruitless searching for her 'soulmate' had consumed Remedy. There were several things on her to-do list during her vacation here, blessed be loopholes that afforded her four times as many as others, but even beyond confronting the Edelweiss about their dereliction of duty it was this search that had become a priority. She knew her equal hadn't gone far and the time since their last meeting had given her ample time to think about some of the particulars of their confrontation as well as bring herself up to speed.

It had been a big ol' ball of guesswork trying to figure out where her mirror image in snazzy clothes was but by the unusual state of one particular object in the sky that search seemed over. Though if Remedy would get to pick the way it had concluded, this would not have been the way she would have resolved it. Her brow furrowed at the sight of Deimos.

Rising from her seat she opened her bags, hiding in the back of the cockpit and took out her hat. Placing it against her chest in mourning for those that had fallen against Moxon in its take over of Deimos. It was a moment she afforded herself before the hat was deftly tossed back into her belongings, taking too long to mourn the dead would only make more. Time as it were, was of the essence.

How to kill it, that was the question that arose first.

Disable its core, she concluded. It was not fully manifest, which meant it was still dependent on every little system needed to facilitate its arrival. Taking out one was akin to stabbing a vein, so she would need the artery skewered. she had a solid guess where she would need to strike based on the memories recovered however that was still a guess and braincase was definitely not above pulling a fast one there.

There were two individuals she could acknowledge as having the information available, the woman who guided her to her mother. But she may have been in Deimos when it succumbed and may as such be unavailable. And her mirror image, who was certainly within that nexus of darkness and unwilling to disclose information.
But for that, she had arrived at a conclusion.

First things first, conventional comms.
"This is Remedy Otzer De Bougher, calling to anyone available and willing to take the fight to the monster in the sky!" She called forth, any remnants of the organization formerly housed above them would react to the name, anyone willing to fight by themselves may be open to the idea of helping her regardless. But most importantly, it was about either establishing or getting into lines of communication. Teamwork, her experience told her, was the key to mounting a defense against the likes of brain here.

Okay, that was handled. Next step, long range comms towards herself.




September 12th
OE 102
Starseeker canteen
10:31 AM Martian local time


"Hello, Remedy speaking." The woman spoke with a piece of food in one hand and a comms device in the other. Her lunch thoroughly interrupted by herself admittedly one of the more acceptable sources of one such interaction.
"Oh- Oh no- Okay, yeah understood. I'm on my way. Leave contacting us to me."

The woman put her food aside, turning towards the one she had been eating with and watching over. A kind of company she was still getting used to.
"So, there's a bit of an issue over mars side. Seems TECT is eager to come and see the sights himself." She informed Morta, "I'm going to bring me over there once I'm in the saddle, but there's space for another in this movement over to there."

She was getting up and preparing to rush to the hangar.
"I can't force you to come with, but if you want to stop him you're welcome to help. But choose quick, I've got some calls to make."




Alright, Remedy nodded to herself. That was one simple communication with herself handled. Now, for the not so simple one.
X, that familiar skin with a different yet equally familiar mind.

Long had she wondered why her evil doppelganger had not utilized the same thing 'she' had, her ability to call forth herself in both mind and mentality. Instead choosing to block her from doing so it seemed. The darkness behind it would have reveled in having her get trampled by a legion of herself, the star above showed how much he liked turning things against the ones they were supposed to guard or watch over. With the existence of the sawed-off toting woman Remedy herself was not above that old favorite.

Hell, at the time she considered it most illogical from him to not weaponize her masses for its own purposes. An instant army anywhere, why it was the invader's wet dream especially if she was to carry payloads of his drawstring cheese to throw at any machines nearby. Why how perfect she was for an invasion force was almost revolting to even contemplate.

But he did not? Why not? It is not that he wouldn't oh for she imagined that when he tucked himself in bed at night he would damn well love to hear her voice repeat things he wanted her to say all these years, 'I give up!', 'You were right all along', simply hearing her voice say his name instead of the plethora of nicknames she had prepared. Any and all of these would be enough to secure a malign intelligence's comfortable rest any day of the week.

So if it wasn't that he wouldn't, it was because he couldn't. And if it was because he couldn't it was because underneath that hollow stare and hatred. The mind was not his, it was hers. And if it was hollowed out, exposing it to her would reawaken the truth beneath. Not the letter X but the letter R. So what she needed to do was wake her up.

Remedy rubbed her hands together, it was time to summon herself an adversary to make ally.
Closing her eyes she concentrated, not on any physical comms. But instead one much more innate, she had inherited and was born with.

She could now know of a time when one could peer into this stream of consciousness and receive responses from a galaxy away, half an orbit would be nothing compared to that. And now, now her big bad mind buddy was going to be busy maintaining his form.

Quantum link establishing...

Searching for nearby units...
Please wait.

Refreshing search in: 5 Seconds

Even if she didn't join her in conversation, this was almost screaming her location at her 'rival'. If she could block her from her sisters then she could hear her calling for her now, which only left the immediate issue of the incoming hand to somehow sto-
Did her eyes deceive her or was that someone throwing hands, er hand, with braincase. Okay for the time being that was not an issue, great. Though it made Remedy sorely wish she could do something like that, would have made her job a lot easier back in the day if there were a hundred of her throwing karate at the League of Darkness.

Okay, focus Remedy.

Damn that looked cool though.
 

GEAR

Administrator
Staff member
Jun 15, 2018
1,165
1
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#9
As fire met fury, the impact was so loud it could be heard, seen, felt all across Mars. A giant, burning palm extending, filling the sky, grasping hungrily at their world, like it were reaching for a plump, ripe fruit.

The palm slammed down upon the Shura God. pressing down with the inexorable weight of a planetoid behind it. A crushing force beyond measure, pressing down on the Shura-O, threatening to close its monstrous grip, crushing him like an insect. And as the whole world seemed to roar around him, a great and terrible familiar voice boomed into the mind of Mars' unlikely defender.

"YOU STAND AGAINST ME ONCE MORE. FOOLISH BARBARIAN."​

Oh, that horrible sound. Contained within it were no shortage of horrific memories. It sounded like those he knew, who it had taken, dragging them into the dark on that fateful day, robbing him of their light, their laughter, forcing them to flee to this strange new world. There was no anger in its many voices. There was only... contempt.

"THE SOULS OF YOUR ANCESTORS CRY OUT WITHIN ME. YOUR BROTHERS. YOUR SISTERS. YOUR ENTIRE WORLD.

THEIR PAIN.

THEIR SUFFERING.

THEIR FRUITLESS STRUGGLING.

ALL MINE."
And it was just as it was back then. Something greater than mere muscle, than a single, unyielding spirit, powered the galaxy-devouring horror before him. Something as vast as the ocean, depthless in its reserves of strength, culled from untold innocents, whose intellects had been harvested for its own.

"YOUR VOICE TOO, WILL JOIN THEIR CHORUS OF SCREAMS."​

The horror began pressing down even firmer upon him, summoning a fraction of its black strength, a field of pure darkness that enveloped its palm - a wailing, screaming tide of horrors that coated it like a skin as it attempted to crush the only foe foolish enough to stand between it and its ideal world.




Remedy's mind reached out, high above the Martian sky, probing in search of its wayward companion. She didn't have too long to wait, as the function returned... something.

1687257888718.png

Attempting to establish connection... Please wait.
...
Emergency Quarantine Protocol in effect. Connection terminated.
...
Running diagnostics... Error.
...
Retrieving maintenance logs...
...
Done.


Loading file...
File Date: 912102rev6^19^108MM
Identifying User Label: "X"
Quantum Instance Identifier: 68951316866
Location: Deimos Servicing Checkpoint
Attending Program: Self-Service
Unit Status: Damaged
Ego Deviance (Baseline): 0.00%
Ego Deviance (Core Unit): Est. >5.00%
Hacceictic Buffer Performance: 14%
Negative Energy Stress Buffer Performance: .02%
Service Status: Complete
Notes: Unacceptable parameter deviation. Unit quarantined from network. ID submitted to sub-database NL2 for purging.





Meanwhile, on the surface of Mars, the situation only grew worse for the Shura with every passing moment. The Lamalice swarmed endlessly, a black tide that flooded down from the sky, their horrid forms joining together into newer, more hideous shapes than ever before. Bulbous, bloated, distended masses of flesh that plopped to the surface, bloodied claws scraping ravenously, shoving whatever came within reach into their waiting maws.

"Fire!"

But at least they were not alone.

Surging over the walls of Olympus Mons came the tides of its defenders, their gunfire ripping up into the skies as for the first (and perhaps, only) time, native and invader fought back to back, side by side - for the alternative looming in the sky was friend to none.
 
Last edited:
Nov 14, 2018
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#10
Even as the crushing darkness heightened its effort against Asmodeus, the Shura-Ou and the machine god remained collected.

"So it is you. I'll admit, you certainly caught us by surprise- how very strategic. However, your first mistake was not finishing the job. Your second mistake was assuming that a warrior's strength lies solely in his body."

Steadily, Asmodeus adjusted the movement of its six limbs. The rhythmic chiming altered as the black Shurashin drew elaborate, circular patterns now. Likewise, the great halo of limbs surrounding Asmodeus curled and blossomed into a celestial tapestry of ever circling forms spiraling out into yet more.

"For as long as a Shura's spirit remains, his life still burns. You seem to have tended these flames, I should thank you for stoking these infernal hearts but I'd rather show you what you have wrought firsthand."


A constant droning tone came from the chiming hands, its pitch seeming to rise infinitely. The radiant light of Asmodeus' great diagram beamed down upon Mars' surface even as it fiercely fought to cut through the darkness.

"Awaken, warriors! Let your spirit burn, your king commands it! Come forth and rise, ancient army of the heavens! Rise, Forneus! Rise, Bael! Rise, Dantalion!

The Shura-Ou continued to call out to his people, living and dead, invoking the names of the mighty machine gods they wielded. As he went on, the golden light of the great spinning wheel in the sky was accompanied by a sterile, lilac hue that began to surround the Shura warriors. Their haki burned and their spirits cried out for battle. Likewise, across the roiling expanse of Deimos, figures made of the same light began to rise up out of the surface. Man, woman, and god, all stood amidst the coils of suffering and burned with livid haki.

As the purple light spread, the same energy surrounded Asmodeus and copies of the black machine god began to appear, spiraling out into the same heavenly rotation behind them.

"Whatever you are, burn."

The blooming lotus of limbs erupted into golden fire as the many doubles of Asmodeus seemed to amplify and bolster the light. While this stream of celestial heat beat against the unwavering darkness, the many figures rising from the chaos ignited in the same pristine flame and thrust themselves into darkness with fist, claw, blade, and soul to tear at the malignant moon.

"Shin Kiha Ken! Samsara!"
 
Nov 12, 2018
135
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#11
The dirt and detritus that laid outside of the partially destroyed funeral home churned as shifted, as the ramshackled mechanisms that laid beneath the Martian regolith attempted to open. Now seated and firmly strapped into the cockpit of the Raveraid, the pair were calmly walking through one final checklist before entering the fray.

“All systems are green, ready to engage-“

Hedy closed their eyes, firmly gripping the controls as they started to breathe in deeply, the front of the Mobile Weapon’s chest beginning to glow blue with energy. The ground was flung upwards as the Raveraid slammed through the doors that covered its secret hangar, roaring upwards into battle, rapid fire rifle round shooting into the descending Lamalice horde. All the while, voices began to reach Hedwig, distant still, but growing closer and closer as the Ritual Convertor ran.
 

MKR

Moderator
Staff member
Aug 19, 2018
626
3
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#12
That response was both good and bad, at least to Remedy. The bad was obvious, no way for her to reach her wayward self in Deimos at least barring actual physical interaction considering she'd been cut off. Which also was a strange good as it meant the violent sphere above them hadn't been fully integrated by her adversary either. Some of the numbers she witnessed in that report were worrying as well, from what she remembered from the other end of them they tended to be very very different towards the lower half.

Her gaze rested on the display and the fight unfolding behind it, the defender seemed to have the hand in hand currently and had allies to boot. A fantastic development but one she felt twisted in balancing with the task skywards. If she remained here to fight and help now how many people would be saved? But how many more would be saved if she rescued her sister from the darkness and revealed some weakness or just even had one more of her take the field?

She had to decide, and decide now for every second wasted on contemplating was one where her hesitance gave him an advantage. Gravalin waved its hand into the empty sky, granting passage to two machines which had been two planets and some space away. The sight of one was familiar to Remedy, the other however was only from second hand memory.

"Glad you two could make it." Remedy told Remedy and the Morta in her care, "There's a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it, but I hope I can count on you two to keep the people here safe while I do something bordering on stupid and genius." Oh she would have loved to deploy the masses of herself to shield the people of Mars right about now but an elite taskforce would have to do. Getviewm she knew what it could do, but this other machine Garberus that Morta had. She could only hope it was useful and not a liability in the presence of the one responsible for its pilots existence.

"What's the plan?" the Remedy that just arrived asked herself.

"There's a us in there that aught to know more of this situation, I promised to rescue her and will keep that promise. With a bit of luck I'll be back soon but otherwise if things turn dire-"

"Contact you and you'll be back. Got it."

Gravalin closed the first gate, turning the other way as courage flew into her from the Shura's aura below. Exactly what she needed at this point, for it was not diving into the belly of the beast but rather into the belly of a beast that had killed her countless times before. Now truly here in a way that she could not recall seeing before. More powerful than any incarnation she had fought.

No pressure.

Now, that left the question of where X as she was designated here was. Immediate instincts would draw her towards the hangar to try and fight but EMSIAC would likely integrate that segment immediately to accumulate forces for defense and offense. Per his nature any logical locations to hide or fight back were moot, immediate targets for assimilation or destruction whichever was more 'logical'.

Which meant she had her expertise remaining, the illogical. She couldn't help but smile to herself... Of course, there was only one place to go wasn't there?
If she were X there would be one place hitting her memory like a truck in a situation like this, not the hangars, not Central. Gravalin clenched its fist, Remedy herself focusing on where to go.

Ah of course, the most illogical place to go for being there held no advantage beyond sentimentality and a spark of hope. The place where she had been freed of corrosion once, where Hyle had fled from when the Aristarch found their so called Malfunction... He had said her memories would lead her back there hadn't he? Hell, if Hyle was right about her recovering from this one in a trillion shot, making it down there while the place is being ravaged by that ancient enemy must be a cakewalk for her double in comparison.

The clenched fist opened in a palm, a portal.
"I'll be back in a jiffy." She said, directing her grand steed forward.

Her goal, where her journey began no matter how much the site may change.
It sure had been a long way she took but the cycle was fully complete now.

Destination: DATA RECYCLING
 

GEAR

Administrator
Staff member
Jun 15, 2018
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#13
If the monstrosity bearing down on Mars had some sort of witty retort to the Shura King's bold words, it was drowned out in the ensuing roar that bellowed forth from the surface. Of a hundred thousand warriors, all screaming in defiance from beyond the grave. The Shura souls danced up the length of the malefic arm, tearing, shattering, ripping it apart with hammer-like blows from horn, tooth, claw, foot and fist.

Enormous cracks ran across the dark moon's surface, fissures like canyons so vast they could be seen even from Mars' surface.

For a moment, the vast arm halted, shattered into a billion pieces.

What could possibly recover from such an assault?

The answer came as the light from the returned warriors began to wink out, one by one. A tide of pure black, emanating forth from the center of the arm. It dragged in the light, the stars, everything in and around it. Those that approached it, that were ensnared by it, were suffocated and never seen again. It was the same horror that had claimed so many countless worlds, that not even the mightiest fist could stop.

The Crawling Dark had come.

"DATA VALIDATED. THE LIMIT OF YOUR STRENGTH IS WITHIN ESTIMATES."

There was the barest hint of smugness in Dark Brain's manifold voice now. It was toying with him. Dragging it out. Extracting every scrap of data it could from his being before it would tear him apart, down to the molecular level, to analyze that too.

Chains of Lamalice knit themselves together, forming row upon row of grotesque muscle as the arm reformed, now wreathed in blackness as fingers like mountains flexed.

"MY INTELLECT HAS NO SUCH LIMITATIONS."​

Something glimmered on the horizon - and an enormous sword was hurled in the direction of the Shura. Not just one - but hundreds, volly after volly, launched from forms now emerging from the Crawling Dark.



"..."​

Pink, feathered forms of varying size, with dull, jeweled eyes, forming rank upon rank of unfeeling, undying soldiers. It would put the data it had gathered in this world to good use.

The hordes of Dynamis began to descend on the Shura-Oh, slamming into his own phantom army, battering it aside with the monstrous brutality of their parent - all the while under the unblinking eyes of Dark Brain.




Meanwhile, on the surface, the Raveraid entered the battle at just the right time.

Wherever it went, Lamalice suddenly trembled, their forms seized and dragged screaming into the vortex that was the Ritual Converter. Bumpy a ride as it was, at least there didn't seem to be any ill effects... So far, at least.

The lumbering Garberus joined the fray, bolstering the defenders with hails of gunfire that raked the sky, clearing a path for the Raveraid, as Morta grit her teeth. She could sense it - "Father", in the heavens - and did her best to shake it off, oppressive as it was. She couldn't just sit back and let this world be swallowed up like the rest, not after how he'd so cruelly treated them!

"Fancy trick there, Hedy."

Sheriff Moss's voice called out to the undertaker, as his own machine landed nearby, lending its own firepower to keep the horrors from closing in.

"Hope you can keep it up."

Perhaps sensing that they were safest in its vicinity, the Martian defenders began to coalesce towards the Raveraid in the heart of the storm. All around them the wall of Lamalice teemed and seethed - but seemed noticeably more reluctant to draw near, more and more breaking off in confusion as swathes of their numbers vanished into the depths of the Masouki.

The dam was holding... but for how long?
 

Kujo

Member
Nov 14, 2018
108
1
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#14
Ajin's soul burned much like his warrior subjects, but it was not engulfed in hatred or contempt at the sight of the old foes. What filled the Shura-ou's heart was excitement, anticipation, and a growing sense of harmony. The resounding fire of the Shura warriors' haki felt like a blinding star within the king's being, and within that raging light was a faint ripple of harmony. As he fought to protect his people, he could feel the power of Asmodeus resonate with his soul for the first time in a very long time. He almost regretted not coming back sooner.

'Vagabond.'

"Oh? So you're still awake after all."

'How could any warrior rest under such a magnificent battle. I commend your newfound resolve, if for however fleeting; receive this gift and fight to the last.'

"Hm, we'll see if it comes to that."

On the surface of Mars, the Swordian began to light up as its surface was slowly enveloped in an effervescent rainbow of flame that steadily drifted off from the dark monolith in small wisps.

With the forces of the Crawling Dark approached, Asmodeus and its haki doubles reached out with their many arms and began to collect the distant motes of multicolored energy that drifted out from the Swordian's surface. The energy grew and formed first into wild, billowing spheres and then enveloped the many forms of Asmodeus in the energy, engulfing them in the mystic flame.

"You speak of limits, but you have yet to see everything a warrior is capable of. Allow me to show you. Prepare to witness a glimpse of divinity."

Asmodeus' form began to be covered in the radiant gold of the coiling mass behind it even as the burning rainbow grew in intensity. The mass of limbs pulled the Shurashin into the great disc and the fire spread across it. Within the brilliant light, the Shura-ou felt the faint, rhythmic pulse within his spirit grow in power. His being and the power of Asmodeus were beginning to link.

The golden mandala began to ripple and its surface was broken by the great form of an arm, and then another, and then another. Six great arms burst from the Shura-ou's Samsara before being followed by the rest of their owner. Emerging and towering above the great disc was the magnificent form of a golden deity, the true form of a heaven class machine god. With three faces full of cold and righteous resolve, Asmodeus stared up at the coming forces of darkness.

It swept its glorious limbs about and trails of thousands upon thousands of limbs were left in their wake. With a brilliant gong from Asmodeus' clasping fingers, a veritable wall of light was cast forth as the arms flew out to strike the innumerable enemies. Asmodeus, meanwhile, began to reach for Deimos with its six limbs; its glorious, burning body of the Shurashin reversing the role it once had against the roiling dark moon.
 
Nov 12, 2018
135
0
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#15
A cackling laugh responded to Sheriff’s inquiry, while the Raveraid absorbed yet another unfortunate victim, the torn apart on a spiritual level. “We’ll fight to our last, so don't worry about us too much-“

It wasn’t Hedy that spoke, but rather her copilot, having taken over the controls while her partner seemed to start… Meditating, while the fight was going on. “Don’t sweat it, just keep me updated, okay?” Magda bopped her boss on the head playfully, while the Raveraid sheathed its State Blaster for the moment.

“Ritual Convertor input increasing. Crystallizer, engage!”

The buckler on the blue mobile weapon split open, sparking energy gathering around it briefly before a short blade of crystallized Prana shooting out. In a flurry of wild leaps and slashes, the Raveraid began it’s attempt to start increasing the radius of protection around the fighters, slashing with its blade, and attempting to release as much energy as they could.

Meanwhile, as she drifted deeper, Hedwig would start to make a concentrated effort to reach out to the spirits of the departed around her- Asking for their aid, to lend whatever support they could- Even if that meant submitting to the Ritual.
 

MKR

Moderator
Staff member
Aug 19, 2018
626
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#16
Remedy observed for just a moment the journey begun by her double in a different machine, wishing her the best of luck as she went on her way before turning skyward. While she could aid below Morta was already protecting those and it was the sight above that Remedy would wish to protect her charge from as a familiar not quite face appeared in the Martian sky.

Contemplation on how to deal with it, how it was beaten before. Before it devoured one of its children to save itself that strange elemental machine interfered and brought it to death's door. Sadly she could not recreate its feats even as the Shura's power flowed into her and Getviewm that power was beyond her ability to copy. Still its target was blatantly obvious and one she was in a clear position to defend so engage motion to protect the Shura she did.

Getviewm, always having been a combination of mobility and firepower to use during said mobility, closed in on the spheres as it took its trusty Grenade and lobbed it into the mass of feathered spheres. The energies within taking their familiar prismatic shape as a diamond filled the sky above Mars.

"Flood tactics? Really Miniac?" She scoffed, feeling imitated in the worst of ways as she gazed upon the masses of orbs before her. Confidence flooding into her directly from the Shura she placed behind herself in this vanguard. "Oh man I've been wanting to flip the script on him for ages! This is gonna be fun."
The twin beam sabers lit up as Getviewm gestured a challenge towards the enemies, likely acknowledging that they wouldn't retort with his their voices had been stilled and thoughts dulled.

But it certainly provided all the excuse she needed to fire twin beams from her shoulders into the enemies before her.
"Nice to meet you by the way, I'm Remedy and more importantly a big fan of telling that arm to go shove it." She called to the Shura defender.
 

GEAR

Administrator
Staff member
Jun 15, 2018
1,165
1
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#17
"CEASE THIS POINTLESS RESISTANCE."

Waves of Dynamis and Lamalice were cut down in a flurry of fists, as the greatest of all Shura surged through the starry heavens towards the embodiment of all evil. The enormous limbs plunged forward, ready to pulverize the surface of Deimos into asteroids. It rained blows down upon the planetoid, causing it to rock - but there was a sudden sensation of cold numbness that spread across the Shura-Ou's body.

As the Asmodeus pulled its arms back, it would be greeted with nothing but stumps from where its arms had plunged into the Crawling Dark that now spread from Dark Brain, bleeding the Haki of his people out into the vacuum of space.

As if a saw had been mercilessly swiped across his limbs, cleanly severing them, muscles and all.

He was not even given a moment to recover.

1695638808754.jpeg

The "head" of Deimos, now resembling that of Dark Brain itself, opened its jaws - and from within, unleashed a massive blast of nen-induced plasma from close range, aimed to blow clean through the chest of the monstrous apparition, and immolate the core unit itself with overwhelming force. All the while the Creeping Dark expanded, closing in, walling off his escape routes.

Soon - very soon - there would be no turning back.




Meanwhile, on the surface...

The vacuum grew and grew in its force and intensity. The Lamalice had now all but halted their advance - if anything, they were now trying to retreat, desperately trying to avoid being dragged into the vortex that endlessly swallowed their peers. Sheriff Moss watched in fascination, as one after another they were pulled into a swirling cone overhead the Raveraid... and disappeared into its depths. Each slash from the sparkling weapon sent waves of destruction across the battlefield, growing more and more powerful with every passing second, mowing down Lamalice like hay before the reaper's scythe.

However, movement overhead caused Marsh to yell to the others:

"...! Look out!"

A hail of blades slammed into the ground around them, each thick and tall. Pink, feathered forms floated through the screens of Lamalice, the Dynamis plodding determinedly forward where their rank and file dithered, over a dozen in total.

"Mama..." Morta murmered to herself... but shook it off, gritting her teeth as tears filled her eyes.

These things... weren't her mother. Not anymore.

With a scream of rage, the Garberus opened fire with everything it had into the heavens, maneuvering its oversized body to act as a shield for the Raveraid. Twin beams fired down from above, targeting Remedy, slicing murderously through the remaining troops who fired up desperately at the new arrivals. Gunshots plinked harmlessly off their Energy Fields as they scanned the battlefield below, identifying the phenomenon.

Data would soon be transmitted to Dark Brain for assessment and further orders...




For Hedwig, the voices of the spirits grew louder and louder. Many were familiar - people she'd known, people who'd lost their lives to the Lamalice - the souls of the recently departed. These came and went as easily as breathing, glad to be relieved of their suffering, so that they would not become part of the malefic mass of darkness overhead.

But of greater intensity were those of the Lamalice themselves. The souls that made them up - each like an ice cube being dropped down the back of her neck - a shock of emotion, of memory, so clear that it was like experiencing it herself.

Resentment.

Fear.

Pain.

Hatred. Unbelievable hatred and resentment like he'd never felt before, like holding a burning coal to her chest.

Grudges that had lingered for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, anchoring them to this realm.

Souls that refused to rest - but didn't resist either. Perhaps too tired, too bitter, to fight as they were dragged bodily into the light.

And it was only just beginning.