posted
note- the first part of this story can be found in "LMB Onevision: the Price of Security'", here . To get the full grasp of this story, it would be wise to read that one first .
Legion World - Gathering around a large cadre of tables set about the Beacon, various LMBers enjoyed a nice meal together. It appeared that once again, Semi-Transparent Fellow and Danny Blaine had outdone themselves with the evenings atmosphere at the Beacon, and the dinner courses served by Fat Cramer and Saturn Girl was nothing short of amazing.
Across the table, Princess Crujectra looked at Nightcrawler, to see what Gary was up to. Although surrounded by good friends and pleasant conversation, Nigthcrawler remained ill-at ease throughout the entire evening.
Crujectra understood completely, she had felt the same all night as well. Although long-time LMBer Beagle Boy had returned to the fold, and a subsequent air of festivity overtook the atmosphere on Legion World, Crujeckie couldn’t help but think about the heroes who were missing all of this festivity.
In the back of her mind she wondered about Cobalt Kid, LardLad, Lash and the rest. And she worried about the boy Elagabolus, who was in such danger, that he could no longer remain on Legion World, the planet of super-heroes, out of fear that he was endangering it’s population.
Nightcrawler caught the Princess’s eye. It was obvious that his thoughts were in the same place.
[ June 05, 2005, 05:25 PM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
The Castle of Septimus - The mist surrounding the castle crept into the long corridors that often imprisoned any poor soul unfortunate enough to find this castle. Numerous at the corridors were, only one man was able to navigate them with ease. For he had been in them for hundreds of years, deciding long ago that he had no desire to venture outside into ‘the world’, for fear that it would devour him whole.
Septimus strode across the corridors slowly and with a sickeningly gentle ease. His face bore heavy lines and cracks, revealing long hours of heavy thinking and concentration. He looked sickly, his eyes gleaming like a light green-almost yellow color. His mouth was narrow, like a strait line across his face, showing no emotion, and revealing nothing of what he thought. Following him were two small creatures, most likely goblins or bogarts or something worse. They knew better than to talk in their master’s presence.
Finally, the mage reached his destination, and opened a large door made of wood, but soaked in pitch. The sent of the door revealed that it was rigged to burn into ash in seconds should someone ever wish to hurl fire at it. Opening the door, Septimus entered.
The room inside was a large circular shaped room that opened up with a high ceiling. In the center was a wooden casket, with strangely shaped runes on top of the casket. Below, carved in Interlac, read the words: “Here lies the great hero Sulla, great in all things but his end.” Septimus leans forward and glanced at his two companions. He pulled two daggers from his cloak.
“You two, take these daggers. Take them and scratch out the runes on the casket. He will not want to see what they say.”
“Who?” asked one goblin, alarming the other who was stunned that his brethren dared to speak.
“Do as I say.” Replied the mage.
The two goblins entered further, and reached the casket, although for a few moments, both felt a sense of complete terror as they approached. Feeling nauseated, they stumbled forward. The wizard said nothing. After looking at the casket for a minute, they did as he asked, and scratched out the runes on the wooden casket. Nothing seemed to happen after. “Master?” asked one.
Septimus said nothing. Neither goblin moved, although one swore that he could smell a distinct sent, like burnt metal and raw flesh with lime on it. It smelt terrible, and was putrid. The goblin leaned over and puked.
The other goblin saw his kinsmen and looked quizzically. What he did not see was the wretched hand that pushed open the coffin slowly, as a decayed arm soon came out. He reached itself around the neck of the goblin, and at once the goblin knew that it’s life was over. The slimy hand cracked the neck of the small monster, as it pushed away it’s coffin lid.
The undead beast turned to the other puking goblin, as it ripped off the hand of the one it had just killed. Using the dagger that was in the hand, while never touching the dagger itself, he slit the throat of the puking goblin, making sure to catch the blood in his palm and rub it on his skin. The spell was broken that had imprisoned him years ago, and the undead mage looked at the scratched runes and spilt blood to be sure.
“Welcome back Sulla liche-lord,” said Septimus quietly. “Your services are needed.”
The blackened gleaming eyes of the liche looked back. Once, he was Sulla, a great mage and good man, hoping to do good in the world. In the end, he died a terrible man, vengeful and angry, and in turn was converted to live as a liche—an undead mage that held only some of it’s former thoughts. A liche was the most powerful of all undead, and this one rivaled anything that could come it’s way, save Septimus, it’s master and caretaker.
“When I brought you here all those centuries ago, I told you there’d be a time when you would be awakened again,” continued Septimus. “Now that time has come. There is a boy I’d like you to meet.”
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Cranir (Merchant World)- The world of Cranir is none for being a major center of trading and business in the universe. Being one of the five “Merchant Worlds”, it draws a considerable amount of capital to it. However, in accompaniment of this economic boom, there is a great deal of crime.
Tarquin walked down the street with a smile. He was handsome, that much he had known from the earliest days of his life. And he didn’t feel bad about it either, some people, he had decided, were meant to be better looking than others. And his looks left him with a large advantage over any insecure female that wasn’t strong enough to resist his obviously uncaring manipulation.
He was thin and tall, and rugged looking. He had been a member of various gangs all this life, and didn’t have anything he truly cared about in the whole world. He looked at the world as one big opportunity, to get what he could from it and give nothing back. He was good with a knife, one of the best, and had used it on anyone who disagreed with his outlook on life. He had killed men before, and never gave it a second though—not even the first one.
Above all, he hated Carnir. He hated it because he had lived there all his life and had done everything and everyone he could. Sex and drugs had always been part of his lifestyle, but his later addictions of hunting and manipulating people had become boring on this pitiful mudball.
He was smiling though, since months of planning had all just come to fruition that night. He had formed a gang over a year ago, with his closest ‘friends’ and followers, although he never considered any man or woman who would follow him blindly as a friend. However, when it appeared that he was bored with this gang, a new leader had risen up through it’s ranks. Suddenly, the gang became interesting again.
Tarquin encouraged his own girlfriend to become best friends with the rival gang leader, Kro’s girlfriend. Tarquin laughed at the thought of a girlfriend. Monogamy would never be his style, and he only stayed with the girl to see how much more abuse she’d take. When physical violence didn’t do the drink, he decided to eliminate every ounce of joy in her life, starting with her friends, her money and her family. And then he made her make herself as attractive as possible. He wondered at how someone could be so simple in their head to stay with someone like him.
Tarquin had his girl Mia become friends with Kro’s girl Ly. Next, Tarquin himself became ‘friends’ with Kro, and started getting him to go along with him on his adventures, whether breaking into businessmen’s houses or just going whoring and bar-hopping. At first, Kro was against cheating on his girl, which made the victory all the much sweeter.
After getting Kro to cheat on Ly, Tarquin’s next move was elementary: get Ly to catch him in the act. And it worked like a charm. Using his ability to mop up a girl’s emotions like a sponge and do what he wanted with them, Tarquin had no trouble then getting Ly to cheat on Kro with him. And he did every degrading sexual act he could come up with to make it sweeter. Tarquin didn’t hesitate in letting Kro know. Stupid Kro. His next response was so predictable, it was perfect. He informed Mia, Tarquin’s girl about it, and the two then started their own deceitful affair. There was little left to do now, but let Ly learn of this, and let them all come head to head.
Simply put, Ly surprised Tarquin by not killing Mia, but actually killing Kro! She made it more fun than he could have imagined. After killing Kro, she realized what she had done, and simply killed herself. Mia, devastated, came after Tarquin and demanded he tell her what he was doing. Tarquin made sure to have just the perfect amount of girls in his bed when she did so, so that her own rage was pure genius. She tried to kill him, he beat her for it, and then had her arrested.
He was brilliant, he knew it. And good looking. And no man could bring him down. But he was bored.
Suddenly, he stopped as he saw a shadow in the ally. “What the f-?!” he began, although suddenly interrupted by a Raven that talked.
“Quiet boy! We have need of a guide in this part of the universe, and you look like a kindred spirit. Tell me, what do you know of travelers and heroes and a boy with strange powers?”
“I-I don’t understand…” replied Tarquin.
“You will. My master pays well in his rewards, his name is Septimus…”
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Grey Birdboy made his way through the long grass, enjoying the feel of it on his bair arms and chest. The wind made the grass move in a rhythmic nature that felt like it was almost humming. He continued on silently and peacefully, enjoying his surroundings and thankful that the LMB had ended up in such a beautiful place.
Faraway Lad had sent them across the universe, in a move to make sure that they wouldn’t be followed. To make this more sensible, he had not brought them to an accurate direction, and just sent them somewhere at random. As strange as this strategy sounded, it was an excellent one, and Grey and Cobalt Kid had decided it was the way to go. They knew of a more ancient path that they could make their way to once they were sent somewhere, so the only dangerous part would be getting to this path from wherever they landed. But the danger there was nowhere near as terrible as the danger of being followed, so they went forward with the plan.
The danger lie in the fact, that the six LMBers were traveling with a young boy, no older than age eleven, who was tiny for his age. His name was Elagabolus, and he was shy and scared. And he was in great danger, as the emissaries of the powerful mage Septimus chased him down, with hopes to take him to their master. The boy was much more than he appeared, a virtual nexus of magic energy, one of those rare freak occurrences that supposedly happened every so often. Like Merlin or even Atlantis, Elag was able to harness magic in a way that had been long since forgotten. At least, by everyone but Septimus.
Septimus, a mage who feared the world so greatly, that he wished to destroy it, recognized that Elag’s power was so great, that it could actually accomplish this goal. And he had hoped to take the boy and teach him the meaning of his magic, to become a force for this goal of destroying the entire world. And so far, he had succeeded in starting down this path.
Elag had been born with the ability to harness magic in two forms: one of creation and growth, and one of destruction. The creation powers, which he had used to heal and grow plants, were able to balance out the terrible power he held to destroy. However, in saving the LMBer Cobalt Kid, Elag had somehow transferred his power to heal to Cobalt, giving the LMBer the ability to harness this magic of creation. Elag, however, kept his power to destroy.
Elagabolus had been seen in a dream by Esk, the LMBer who saw the future in her dreams, as the man who would one day destroy the LMB. And Septimus had been adamant in his goal of making Elag a force of destruction. By losing the powers to heal, Elag had taken the first step down this path, and the LMB feared what would happen next. Elag himself now worried about his true nature, about whether he was an evil person at heart.
But the LMB saw him as the sweet boy that he was, an innocent thrown into a terrible game of cosmic proportions. Cobalt, who had pledged to protect Elag with his life, wondered if Elag’s fate had truly been preordained. Was it his destiny to destroy the LMB? Does man not have the ability to alter the future in any way that it sees fit?
Whatever the future of Elagabolus was, one thing was for sure. He was in danger, and in grave danger. Six LMBers, who had all pledged to protect him, had snuck out of Legion World, with the intentions of taking him far from danger, while at the same time, trying to learn about the forces that were stacked against him. Their problem was Septimus right now: stopping him and ensuring that Elag was no longer in danger from him. However, this task was going to be a terrible one, and they knew it. Yet, the thoughts of each LMBer continued coming back to one thing, from the very first night that they were out of Legion World: “will this boy, despite what we are risking, still attempt to destroy us? Why are we on this quest?”
Grey Birdboy turned to others to see if they were catching up.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Lash Lad emerged from the tall grass, seeing Grey Birdboy up ahead. Not long after, Cobalt Kid emerged, holding Elag’s hand tightly with his own. Iron Rat, in the form of an owl, flew around Elag’s head, perching down on his shoulder softly, making the young boy smile. In back of them, Arachne and LardLad, who had watched their flanks, were the last to emerge.
“So, do you have any idea where we are?” asked Lash out-loud to Grey and Cobalt.
“Not really, although it doesn’t matter.” Replied Grey. “It looks like Darden sent us to some farming planet, and it doesn’t look to be very populated.”
“We lucked out on that one, then,” added Cobalt, “I half expected to wind up in the middle of a Khund invasion or a Githyid dragon-hunt.”
“Doesn’t really matter, Grey?” asked Lardy, “something you want to share with us?” he said with a smile.
“Of course, amigo,” said Grey ruefully with a smile. “We are heading for the most ancient of all paths in the universe. We’re going to go through the green.”
“The green?” said Arachne, looking at Lash, who looked back quizzically.
“The Green!” said Stu, suddenly excited. “I should have guessed! Excellent idea, Cobie!”
“I’d take the credit, but it was Grey’s idea. But I’ve heard of this green too, although I’ve never been on it. I figured it was the best bet.”
“Um, no offense guys,” interrupted Lash, “but what the hell is the green?”
“I’ve only heard of it as Chief of Security, Lash,” replied Cobalt. “Since many travelers have come to Legion World through it. Maybe Grey and Stu could tell us what it really is.”
“Very well,” began Grey Birdboy. “The Green is an ancient path in the universe that goes from planet to planet. At the root of it, it is a creation of magic, so don’t try to understand the logistics. It was created by Elves, thousands of years ago.”
“Right,” added Stu. “Basically, there are thousands of planets in the world that have plant life on them, no matter how different the plant life is. On most of these planets, the plant life is green, or shades of green. Every planet with fauna is therefore connected in some obscure Elven way. Each planet connects to the Green.”
“Just like all these planets have some form of plant life, they have legends of Elves too. Earth has it, Mars has it, Legion World has it, etc. The Green is an ancient highway that journeyman used to travel through to get from planet to planet. Before there were cruisers and light-speed travel. Before the advent of technology.”
“Wait a minute,” said Cobalt, “there was inter-planetary travel before space-technology?”
“Of course,” said Grey smiling. “The road of the Green is mainly traveled by Elves and Rangers, although some Druids and other creatures travel on it from time to time. The knowledge of the ancient Earth Druids that was so secret is said to connect somehow to knowledge of the Green.”
“Our knowledge of science, advanced as it is, cannot understand the Green,” said Stu. “But there is magic to it that’s for sure. And it is so old by now that it will not go away or ever truly be understood by anyone. But the Green is accessible to any traveler who can find it, and by walking through the green, those travelers can travel throughout the cosmos. The Elves do not like tress-passers, but a mage as well-known as I should have no problems.”
“And I have some experience with Elves and Bards,” added Grey.
“I’ve heard of this green before,” said Lardy suddenly, “from other Lard-Knights. I’ve never been on it though. Interesting, that a magic highway exists across the entire universe, like one huge tunnel pulling together every planet and dimension. That is strange.”
“Yes, it is. But, strange as it may be…,” began Grey “…it’s going to give us a huge head-start on our destination. We’ll make way into this forest, and I’ll search for it with my tracking skills. There is no way any of you could ever find it on your own, other than Stu through his magic. Not even you Lardy. But we’ll find it and we’ll take it for a bit.”
“There’s going to be a bit of walking, Elag,” said Stu to the boy.
“Do you think you can handle it, big guy?” asked Cobalt, knowing that the ‘bit’ of walking was more than twenty miles or so. “We’ll go slow.”
“I can handle it,” said the boy meekly. Cobalt admired his brave face, but knew that the boy would be hurting. He’d slow them down, but they were here for him to begin with.
“C’mon now,” said Grey, “let’s move through the green.”
[ May 27, 2004, 09:22 PM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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The six LMBers and Elagabolus entered the Green slowly, all a bit weary of the prospect of traveling in so strange a place. Grey Birdoy and Iron Rat, both of whom had traveled this path before, had no such reservations, and entered it daringly, anxious to see if it was as they remembered it.
It was. Different types of fauna, all in different shades of green, littered the sides of the path, and a cool mossy grass made way underneath them, in a dark green that presented an evenly paced path in front of them.
The LMBers moved on, both in awe of the Green and weary of the constant danger they knew they’d be in. Lardy wondered to himself how long this trip would be, and how long it would be until he was able to catch a decent meal again, or some ale. He had real reasons for wondering in addition to his normal hedonistic ways—his Lard-Knight powers feeded off the constant supply of Lard that Lardy must have on him. All in all though, LardLad was happy to be on this trip, it would give him a chance to see a bit of the universe again, something he hadn’t had the chance to do lately, at least no like his early Lard-Knight days, or even the early days of the LMB.
Cobalt held onto Elag’s hand, moving along slowly too, although his mind was full of thoughts. In addition to the fear of Elag’s safety, the questioning of whether this was a good decision and his worrying about Elag’s potential to destroy them all, Cobalt was also dealing with new found powers of healing and spiritual awareness. They were strange to him, and he felt as if he could feel the green humming to him. It was the moments where he let his mind go that he could feel most at touch with his surroundings through these powers, as if all was calm and things were working in tandem with one another. Cobalt could sense all eight of the people he was traveling with.
Lash walked up front, next to Grey, striding confidently along the Green. Although unfamiliar with the territory, he was familiar with having to deal with unexpected surprises and battles, and was confident enough in himself to be ready to deal with them. He had volunteered because he felt that what Cobalt was doing was a noble thing, and that he’d need help from people he could rely on. There was no need for him to question the decision of joining the journey anymore, he had long ago gave up on second guessing himself.
Suddenly, Grey heard a strange noise. “Everyone down,” he said quietly, “there are a few creatures approaching…” Immediately, Cobalt, Lardy and Lash moved to the edge of the forest, and attempted to blend in with the it. Using the cloaks that Lucien had designed for them, they were able to cover themselves securely, and the grey of their cloaks blended easily with the brown and green of the edges of the forest. Cobalt held Elag tightly under his cloak, putting his finger over the boy’s lips. Grey joined them quietly, perching a bit farther up in a tree, after flying up to it. The top of the green was un-breachable there was no way out up there, but the trees were high enough to fly high in.
Down below, Arachne shrank to the size of a spider and quickly climbed half-way up a tree. Stu flew around as an owl, and blended in with his surroundings easily. No words needed to be spoken. These two were gifted at stealth, and they could take the reigns of their own operations. Arachne watched, as a small column moved forward.
The creatures were so small and so serious that they were almost cute. They were about three feet in height, short and stocky, made of mostly muscle. They had big heads and strange haircuts that were like Mohawks or twin Mohawks on the sides of their heads. They had two big tusk-like teeth and were different colors of red, orange and blue. They held large spears and shields, which made them look almost silly.
Charging onward at a steady pace, they moved past the hidden LMBers who were hiding under their cloaks on the edge of the forest. Arachne followed from above, over the branches and leafs, using her webs to ensure an easy and quick path. Every so often, Stu would fly a bit over head. The two LMBers followed them briefly, hoping to hear a bit of any conversation between them.
After a small amount of time had passed, Arachne was able to sum up that they were Imps, little creatures that had their own planet far away, although they traveled often. They were an ancient race and knew many secrets, including the knowledge of the Green. Warrior-like, they often sold their skills as mercenaries. And there was no question that they were working for Septimus right now. He had covered all the angles, all the basics, it appeared. Using the Imps, he hoped to track down the heroes if they made there way through the Green. Arachne was sure that he did the same in almost every different path the heroes could have taken, whether through cruiser, teleporting or whatever. They’d have to be extra careful now, Septimus was more wise and knowledgeable than they had thought.
The Imps passed on, and Arachne and Stu rejoined the others, but the knowledge that danger was ever so close stayed with them.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
The day continued on, as the miles seemed to come one after another. Although the initial hours of travel were melancholy, as the day grew longer and the muscles in the bones of the travelers began to hurt, the atmosphere took on a more silent and grim tone. Making matters significantly worse was that Elagabolus was a mere boy, and was not equipped to travel long distances. He was in tremendous pain, and although he tried to hide it at first, he could not help but complain. Lardy offered to carry him for a good distance, but carrying someone, even a young boy, is impossible over the distance of miles. Cobalt Kid used his magnetism to hold him up, and to speed up the pace a little for all of them that were not as fast as Grey Birdboy, but eventually, the LMBers had to just move at a significantly slower pace.
The Green remained beautiful throughout their path on it, changing fauna as they went, with different types of trees, grass, moss and shades of green. The plant-life was as different as any they had ever seen, and Stu smiled at the thought of bringing back a plant for the Legion World founders. “Maybe on the way home,” he thought, knowing that there was little need right now for unnecessary baggage.
As the air grew brisker the silent LMBers continued on, looking downwards at where they were treading. Arachne said little, wondering how LardLad could move so much with all that weight holding him down. Cobalt Kid concentrated on the forward march, and on using his magnetic powers ever so slightly as to hold up Elag centimeters off the ground. He used his new-found spiritual powers to sense the fauna-life in the Green, and understood that it was as if the world was alive around him, allowing them to pass and accomplish their goals. Grey Birdboy and Stu continued on silently as well, Grey thinking considering what he knew of Septimus and Stu meditating over his spells. Only Lash occasionally broke the tension with a joke or a laugh and was able to keep them at ease as best he could.
“More people are approaching,” said Grey suddenly. “I sense them, a large party.” Once again, the LMBers prepared to expect the worst, hiding Elag on the side of the road. Grey watched for a bit, and finally spoke up.
“I don’t see anything.”
“Neither do I.” said Arachne in response.
“Someone is coming,” said Cobalt. “I can sense them.”
“Are they going to try and hurt us?” said Elag aloud.
“We won’t let them,” replied Lardy to the lad.
“Look up,” said Stu finally. “In the trees. It’s a group of Elves.”
“Elves?” said Lash, “In this day and age? Unbelievable!”
“There is nothing that is unbelievable, young master Lash Lad!” yelled an Elf suddenly, jumping down! “Especially are hearing! Before you even ask, we know all about you, and whatever we don’t know is something we would not care to have knowledge of.”
“Are we safe?” said Elag.
“I think so,” smiled Cobalt.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
"Iron Rat, a pleasant surprise. And Grey Birdboy! It has been too long indeed.”
“The pleasure is all ours,” said Grey ruefully with a smile. “We decided that a journey through the Green was our safest path.”
“Safest? Definitely. Safe? I don’t know about that. But you have nothing to worry about from us. We welcome you. After all, all of the Elven race owes Iron Rat a great deal after his feats in battle those short years ago.”
Stu smiled, as the others looked at him. “We’ll have to hear about that someday,” smiled Arachne, as Lash added in “Holdin’ out on us Stuey?”
“Tell me master Elf, is this path safe up ahead?” said Cobalt, turning the conversation to more pressing matters.
“I enjoy being called Garin Loremaster, young Cobalt Kid, and I’m sorry to say that is only safe for a bit. I assume you’ve already seen the Imps passing through here, but a battle with them would surely result in their own one-sided defeat. But up ahead there is danger of another kind. Where the green ends for you, your stop off point, there are two armies about, and they aim to make war on eachother.”
“How do you know where we plan to stop off?” asked Cobalt surprised.
”Because I know the Green as well as any man knows his home and it is the best place you could ever hope to stop off without moving too far away from your destination of Septimus’ origins. Do not worry though, we would never speak of such things to others, after all, we too hold a stake in this boy’s survival.”
“You do?” said Elag suddenly.
“Aye, we all do. We wish you a safe journey on your way.” Smiled the Elf.
“Garin, what do you know of Septimus’ origins?” asked Grey.
“Personally, I know little Greybird of Starhaven, although my people surely know them. However, all I can tell you is what you already plan to do: make way to the ancient library of Antonioch. You will most assuredly find something there. Of course, the path is rugged and the library has not been entered in many a century, but you know that already.”
“You’re very persceptive,” said Lash interrupting, “although that makes us worry. What have you heard of Septimus?”
“Only that he’s searching for all of you, although his undead minions do not enter the Green. Be careful when you leave it. For us, we merely pass along, keeping to ourselves as we have done for over a millennia now. But we watch in all things magical, and we too worry about the fate of Elagabolus. He’s in good hands with Iron Rat and Grey Birdboy, and the Lard-Knights have always had a good reputation.”
“Don’t worry about the rest of us.” Said Arachne
“The LMB are true to their word,” said Cobalt, “and we made a promise to Elag.”
Garin smiled. “I have heard. And I have heard of your accomplishment these past few years…I hope you all continue to do so well. We will take our leave of you know, although we do have two gifts.”
The LMBers looked at each other, as another Elf threw down a bag to Garin. “You’ve rationed your food, which is smart, but it will not last you forever. When you run out, eat this, it should keep you virile enough to continue. And secondly, expect the worst from Septimus. Although he has numerous forces to call on, he prefers to use the undead as he messengers…this Holy Water should burn what is left of them.” Handing Lash three large flasks of Holy Water and a bag full of breads, Garin nodded.
“Thank you Garin,” said Stu. “Truly. We appreciate any help we can get.”
“We thought it would be wise to let you know that there are creatures who still care in this world. Although there are far too many who do not. Be careful on your journies. Good luck.”
“Thank you!” yelled Elag to the Elves, as Garin ran up the side of the tree and rejoined his breathen.
“You’re welcome young one,” said Garin, as the Elves moved on.
“And the journey continues…” said Stu.
“There is still some sunlight left,” said Arachne, “let’s make as much time as possible and then make camp.”
[ May 27, 2004, 09:28 PM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
The night air became chilly, as Cobalt Kid looked into the campfire in front of him. Elag slept next to him, cradled in his arms, although he knew that the boy was still awake. No matter how hard Cobalt tried, Elag would just not go to sleep.
It had been two days since they’d seen the Elves, and they’d continued on in the Green. Only fours days had passed in the Green, yet it seemed like they had been there forever. Although the Green was ever changing, there was a monotony to constant travel in it. Cobalt smiled, knowing that they’d be wishing for that monotony soon enough when they were traveling in worse conditions. Two days on the farming world, and four in the Green, they hadn’t even been gone a week. And it already felt like forever.
They had made camp as they had every other night so far, with a small campfire off the side of the rode and all of them in a semi-circle around it. Two LMBers would be on watch at any given time, allowing the others an opportunity to sleep. Although none slept the first two nights, it became apparent that if that were to continue, they’d all be useless when a battle did come. Right now, Cobalt and Lash were awake, while the others slept. Elag was supposed to sleep all night every night although he hardly ever slept. He was beyond terrified, Cobalt knew. He had begun cradling the boy in his arms so he could use his newfound powers to try and calm the boy down and ease his mind. It was having little effect, although Cobalt hoped that it would relax him.
Cobalt looked across at Lash, who was throwing darts into a target he had set up for himself. Lash was legendary as an excellent dart player; his skill was matched by none.
“Remember that dart contest at the Klordny Festival?” smiled Cobalt to Lash.
“Ha! You, me and Spacey, and no one could beat us for four days! We had to throw the game just to get some rest,” replied Lash.
“More like you just wanted to hang out with all the cute guys you beat,” responded Cobalt, getting a tee-hee out of Lash.
“And what about all the cute girls? Don’t forget them!” said Lash.
They both smiled, staring into the fire. Elag watched Cobalt, as he saw the young LMBer doing some serious thinking suddenly. He looked sad.
“Cobie?” said Elag very softly.
“Elag. Why aren’t you asleep?” said Cobalt smiling.
“I can’t. I’m not tired.”
“Sure you’re not,” smiled Cobalt to Lash.
“Cobie…why are you so sad when you think no one is looking?”
“What?” said Cobalt surprised. “What do you mean?”
“I mean ‘why are you so sad?’ You always look sad, and it’s not because of me. I know, ‘member? I saw into your head.”
“Oh. I’m not sad, Elag, I’m just thinking,” said Cobalt, forcing a smile and trying to end the conversation.
“Is it because of the blue woman? The one I saw you thinking about? You’re wife?”
It was quiet for a moment, as Cobalt looked at the fire. Lash said nothing.
“Yes…” said Cobalt. “…I really miss her. Her name was Space Tart, well her codename at least. Her really name was Fiona. I miss her a lot, we were together for a long time. I…I really loved her.” The silence continued for a bit, and Lash was amazed that Elag had the patience to wait for Cobalt. “We got married finally, although we didn’t have much time together after that,” continued Cobalt. “We had a strange relationship. Both of us were very hurtful…but it worked out in the end. We really were in love, I can’t see myself ever really loving another girl.”
“What about all those other girls?” said Elag, “Like Anne, Mantis, Kara, Amber, Thora-“ Elag continued until Cobalt cut him off.
“Easy kid…” smiled Cobalt, and Lash started giggling.
“What about them, Cobie?” he said. Cobalt flashed him a look like ‘you’re one to talk’, and turned back to Elag.
“That’s different. They’re just friends. But I loved Spacey, Elag. I was ready to be with her forever. I’ve never thought about another girl like that. I miss her everyday. It’s been…so hard.” Cobalt dropped his head. He wanted to cry, but felt ashamed when the tears didn’t come. Dr. Albert Hoffman had stopped him from being able to cry many years ago. “That’s why I’m so sad,” he finally said.
It was quiet for a moment. Elag suddenly put his head on Cobalt’s shoulder. Lash got up too, and walked over, and patted him on the other shoulder. “We all miss her too, Cobie. But we’re glad to have you with us again, and we know how hard this is for you. But she loved you, and you have to remember that. Her dying thoughts were about you. OK?”
Cobalt stared at Lash for a minute, and finally smiled. “OK,” he said, “and thanks Lash. The whole flirting thing…with me, I guess it’s kind of an act. It helps me feel more secure, especially after Spacey dying. And the thing with Dr. Hoffman.”
“Dr. Hoffman?” said Elag.
“Oh no, you don’t,” laughed Cobalt. “that’s enough psycho-analysis for one night. Besides, it’s high time we had someone join us anyway, especially if he just listened to me with my heart on my sleeve.” Lash smiled. “IB, why don’t you come and join us where it’s warmer?” he suddenly said.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Invisible Brainiac watched on from the brush not too far off where the LMBers were. Up until now, he had one thought going through his head for six days: “what the hell was I thinking?”. He had followed the LMBers to their destination to some strange farming world that Faraway Lad had sent them too. He followed them into this Green, and past the Imps and the Elves. And he remained concealed throughout it all, tired and cold, and lonely, wishing that he had brought more food along. He should never have come. But he did, and he did because he was worried about the boy, Elagabolus. He knew he could help and that he could be useful. And he was worried about the six LMBers, they’d need more people with them, people who could hide themselves.
And suddenly, he heard Cobalt ask him to join them.
“C’mon out IB,” said Cobalt, “you’ve been in the cold night too long now.”
Invisible Brainiac was in shock! How could they possibly know?! Were they furious?
“Really IB!” said Lash, “C’mon!” Finally, IB made his way to the fire and turned visible. He appeared in front of them.
“You were here all along!” said Elag loudly, shocked and surprised.
“Yeah,” said IB sheepishly, “glad to see someone was fooled.”
“Aw, we were fooled,” replied Lash, “for a little bit. Take this blanket and get warm. Six days without warmth and lonely is punishment enough for disobeying orders and endangering yourself on this mission!”
“Not to mention endangering everyone else. What if you’d been caught by the Imps?” said Cobalt.
“I wasn’t,” said IB quickly with a response, although he felt bad suddenly for being so quick to respond.
“I know,” smiled Cobalt, “I knew you wouldn’t. I had to convince Grey and the others you wouldn’t. You’re a lot better at your job than most give you credit for, including yourself.”
“How did you guys know I was following you?” he asked.
“Well, Arachne is trained at stealth, don’t forget,” said Lash, “and she was watching our backs. She knew someone was following us. And that’s all it took for Grey to turn around and trace you, pinpointing exactly who it was. Stu cast a spell to confirm it.”
“And I traced your presence all along with these new found powers,” added Cobalt. “You see, it’s pretty hard to follow or sneak up on us.”
“Although we didn’t have you right away,” Lash added truthfully, making sure that he should be honest and let the boy’s ego feel good. “We knew you were around after day two or so, and thought a few more days alone in the cold night air should be punishment enough. Grey was furious and Stu was even a bit annoyed, but we just chalked it up to youthful enthusiasm.”
“Which we need. You’re a welcome addition IB, especially in my book. Now come over here, get warm and then get some rest—and good rest too. We can use you on the way, although expect everyone to break your balls for a bit.”
IB looked a little embarrassed, but feeling good. He had a half-smile. “Thanks guys. I guess I shouldn’t have come really, but I was worried about you all.”
“We know,” smiled Lash, “thanks. Now, no more about it. You’re with us and you need rest and then a good breakfast, well, at least a rationed breakfast.”
“Hey, look at that,” said IB suddenly, very quietly, “Elag fell asleep.” They all turned to see the little boy totally relaxed and asleep.
“Will you look at that…” smiled Cobalt.
“Maybe all we needed was for you to relax for a bit Cobie, so the boy could,” said Lash.
Lash’s words made a great deal of sense to Cobalt, considering the bond that he and Elag now shared. “Maybe you’re right. Now let’s join him and wake up Lardy and Grey to take over the watch.”
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Arachne moved ahead of the rest of the group, traveling quickly along the webs she made high up in the trees. She knew that somewhere down below, Invisible Brainiac was also moving along, and that somewhere higher up, Stu flew along in his owl form.
The three of them had been sent ahead, since there time in the Green was now coming to an end. Overall, it hadn’t been too harsh of a journey so far, and some of it seemed pleasant. Thinking realistically, Arachne knew that this wasn’t going to continue. There would be an exit somewhere along on the right, and the LMBers would have to leave through that passage. She had no idea how they would recognize it, especially with Grey Birdboy back with Elag and the rest of them. But Stu appeared to know this place very well, so she trusted his judgment. Things had moved quickly once Invisible Brainiac joined them on their journey, and there hadn’t been any trouble in a few days.
“It’s up ahead,” said Stu suddenly, flying down to the area Arachne was.
“How can you be sure?” she responded.
“Because we can’t go any further in the Green, this is as far as we’ll be allowed to move. The Elves might be friendly to us, but the Rangers here don’t like Outsiders trespassing any further.”
“What about this ‘army’ that we were warned about?” said Invisible Brainiac, catching up to them. He had been told about everything that had transpired on the journey so far, including the Elves warning about an army.
“We’ll have to be careful,” replied Stu. “There’s no sense in waiting, Grey will be able to track us through. Let’s move a bit ahead and see what awaits us…”
The three LMBers continued on silently, all in their espionage forms. Finally, IB saw Stu fly through a small opening in the side of the Green. It occurred to him that he has seen a few of these along the way, and that they all must have led somewhere. IB waited, and saw a small spider subtly move down her web and then follow Stu through. IB went through himself.
After a few steps through dark green forest, IB was suddenly hit with a strong dose of light, and he realized that when they were in the Green, they weren’t receiving as much sunlight. After having his eyes adjust for a bit, he saw Arachne turning back into her human form, as Stu landed next to her.
“It looks like all open fields after this bit of forest,” said Arachne. “That’s going to be tough, considering we want to stay secretive.”
“Yeah,” said IB, “I guess its Cobalt and Grey’s show though.”
“Not necessarily,” replied Stu, “they wanted us to make any decisions we could. This planet is a backwater planet, I believe, with little life. But according to the Elves, there are armies on it, and they are fighting over control of it. If we can just stay out of their way, we should be alright.”
“Up ahead, in the distance. Do you see that?” asked Arachne. Soon, IB and Stu saw a large amount of dust rising. They realized that it was because of the movement of a large army. “Things are never easy,” she said.
“We’ll wait for the others now,” replied Stu.
End Act I
[ March 13, 2004, 01:01 PM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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A dark mist moved across one corner of the universe, and all around, the neighboring planets could feel a feeling of utter dread. Although it would soon pass, it left many wondering for days what that feeling was.
The Arch-liche Sulla watched, as his ship sailed through the universe, following his prey. Skeletons rowed the boat for him, as his lifeless crew stared silently as the old ship moved forward. It was an old and decrepit ship, and no one could really tell what powered it forward across space so openly, although the extant of Sulla’s power was unfathomable. He was a powerful mage in life, and in undeath he was a powerful liche. And his only thoughts were of a boy named Elagabolus and those who believed the could protect him.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Tarquin took his drink from the bartender, as he turned to scope out the bar around him. For days he’d been traveling, searching the local pubs and making contacts with people who might be able to tell him the information he required. Twice, he was forced to beat a man. Once, he stabbed one in the throat in front of a group of others to make a point. He’d found it necessary to be extra brutal in the last few days, but that never bothered him. This was the chance he was looking for to make things interesting.
The Raven followed him as he went and promised to ensure he wouldn’t find himself in a situation he could not control. He doubted he’d need the raven, even though he suspected it was behind the fire that started on the last world he was on. After all, he was the most deadly man with a knife that he knew and he knew how to manipulate people well. And he was ready to learn where these ‘LMBers’ were hiding out.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Septimus stared into his crystal ball and concentrated hard. He still was unable to pinpoint where the boy was. Although his agents were out looking, he had no idea if they were close or not. It did not matter though, he’d find the boy soon enough. And he’d skin his allies in front of him, to teach him what the price was for standing against him.
He’d make the boy hate him. And he’d make the boy hate all the world. The boy had the power to destroy, and that power could finally rid Septimus of his greatest fears.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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“I recognize the banner,” said Cobalt, turning to the rest of the crew. “They are Zynthians, a sub-type of the Illythid people.”
“I’m not really familiar with them…” said IB, trying to nicely get the point across that he had no idea what Cobalt was talking about.
“They’re like a squid-like race with tentacles. Except they have limited telepathy and telekinesis. They’re very formidable. And they are a conquering people, trying to expand their empire.”
“How do you know them so well?” asked Arachne. “I’ve never really heard of them either, CK.”
“I know because my homeworld, Grrgg, has been at war with them for thirty years. Grrgg, Zynthia and Karresse, three different planets, have been trying to expand their empires for thirty years and have been at constant war with each other. This is famously called ‘The Long 3 Way War.”
“I’ve heard of it. I didn’t know your home planet was involved though, CK” said Lardy.
“I don’t really consider it my home planet anymore. Legion World is. I have no love for Grrgg, and hope that I don’t have to return to it anytime soon. Ever since my parents sent me away all those years ago, I lost any love for it that I might have had. It’s a cold planet dedicated to the pursuit of science, and hope to ‘spread it’s knowledge of science’ across the universe. They may celebrate the fact that a hero like me is a native of their planet, but I have no love for it.”
The others said nothing for a minute, all of them realizing that they were unaware of Cobalt’s feelings toward his home planet. In fact, Lardy was sure that this was the first time that he’d ever heard Cobalt talk about Grrgg, and was surprised that he had such a distaste for his home planet. He knew Cobalt was from the ‘Equestrian’ class of people there and had been sent away at an early age, but that was about it.
“If we had our armies, this would be no problem,” grinned Grey Birdboy. Both he and Cobalt Kid were fellow Triumvirs with Eryk Davis Ester. Each controlled one third of the armies of Legion World, which were in battle in various places of the universe. Being a Triumvir was hard work, but a necessary precaution to stop any invading force from attacking Legion World.
“I know,” said Cobalt. “Two-thirds of Legion World’s fighting strength would come in handy right now”.
“Don’t forget you too, we’re being subtle,” said Lash. “What do you propose we do? Try to maneuver around the army? We can’t get too close to them, especially if they have limited telepathy. We definitely don’t want them learning about Elag.”
“Agreed,” said Stu. “Maybe Grey could take him around them at super-speed and the rest of us could meet him over there? This would get Elag out of harm’s way quickly.”
“That might be our best bet,” said replied Grey.
“I’ll go too then,” said Arachne. “I can shrink down to a spider size and ride on Grey’s shoulder. Better to have two people watching over Elag.”
“That sounds good to me,” said Cobalt and they all agreed.
After sitting for a few minutes and having a drink of water, Grey Birdboy began packing all his things together. Arachne shrank down to a spider and hopped onto his shoulder, as Elag came over. He looked at Cobalt, and then at Lardy and the rest, and Cobalt gave him a nod. He then turned to Grey Birdboy who grinned at him. “C’mon Elag, I’ll give you another chance to fly. This will be fun. And we’ll see these guys in no time.”
And with that, they were gone.
“Poor kid,” said Lardy, “he always looks so scared.”
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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