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 ]
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
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.”
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
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…”
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
ACT I
Through the Green
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.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
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 ]
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
The Green-
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.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
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.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
"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 ]
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
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.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
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.”
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
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 ]
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
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.
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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.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
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.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Act II
The Long 3 Way War
“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.”
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Grey Birdboy flew fast with Elag in his arms, and Arachne on his shoulder. His speed was unmatched by other LMBers or even man-made cruisers. His tracking sense was equally so, with the lone exception of his sister.
Arachne clutched tight to Grey’s shoulder and watched Elagabolus. The boy was smiling and was enjoying the feeling of flying through the air and having the wind hit his face. It was a feeling that she knew Grey Birdboy enjoyed immensely.
Grey looked to his far left and saw the Zythian army that was mobilizing. It was definitely a squid-like race with tentacles, and from what Cobalt Kid had said, was very dangerous. He wondered if there were any armies around that they should know about. He knew that each army held a specific deadliness. His own army consisted mainly of Starhavenites, while Cobalt Kid’s was made up of various people’s and followed the traditionally Roman system, complete with Roman furnishings.
Suddenly, Grey’s keen sense picked something up to his far left. And that’s when he saw it. Another large army, barely visible, making it’s way toward the Zythian army, probably springing an ambush. And then the thought occurred to him that the LMB was walking right in between the two armies! Damn their luck, the first world they step into, and now stuck between two armies that hated each other.
From the looks of it, they weren’t the scientifically oriented Grrggians that Cobalt had described, so they had to be the Karressians. Although they were still far away, his senses allowed him to see bright colored banners and costumes on them. He knew little of the Karressians, and didn’t care to find out now.
“Arachne,” he said in a low voice. “There is another army coming.”
“What?” she whispered back, “From where?”
“From the right, leaving our fellow LMBers stuck between the two.”
“Damn…and it’s too late to turn back” she said, confident in her assessment.
“Agreed. And it would only endanger Elagabolus, our main reason for this quest. They’re powerful, and they’ll have to deal on their own. We should be careful not to alarm Elag though,” he whispered, making sure Elag could hear little with the wind blowing in his ears.
“As much as I hate being stuck on the sidelines,” she replied, “you’re right. It’s not going to be fun for them though…”
Posted by Harbinger on :
more more more Cobie!
your work
Bxx
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Cobalt was the first to sense that something was wrong, as he felt an increasingly familiar pain in his head. His new powers kicked in, and the spiritual essence that he had absorbed from Elagabolus less than two weeks earlier flared up to alarm him to a large presence coming his way.
“Something is wrong,” he said aloud, looking to LardLad, Lash Lad, Iron Rat and Invisible Brainiac. Immediately, IB went invisible, a natural reaction that he did automatically whenever he felt there would be trouble.
“I sense it too now,” said Lardy, “the Lardforce is alerting me to an army making it’s way here.”
“We know that already,” said IB from somewhere.
“No, another army. We’re stuck in between them.”
“The Karessians,” said Lash, “well, that’s about right for our luck,” he smiled. “Chances are, we’re in the exact point between the two armies, and will be crushed by them!” he added with a laugh.
“That’s not really that funny,” said Stu half-serious. “Look,” he continued, and suddenly a small orb appeared in front of him, as he was able to project an image of what was occurring in less than a few leagues away. “There,” he said, “the Karessians,”
“That’s them,” said Cobalt, “I recognize the banner.”
“Who’s the hottie?” said Lard Lad suddenly, as the heroes looked to see what he was referring to. They saw the large Karessian army, with vibrant colors of gold and orange, their skin color being a mix of light tan to dark brown, and their height being the average of a Terran race. Leading them was a young woman, who wore a white-ish green outfit with a purple sash across her waist, and purple scattered throughout her costume. Her colors marked her as being important and different from the rest of the army.
“That’s Princess Tarina,” replied Cobalt Kid, “the Princess of the Karessians, and subsequently a military commander. I’ve never meant her (which is too bad, cuz she is pretty hot), but I’ve heard of her. She’s supposed to be very powerful, with some sort of sun-powers.”
“Like me?” said IB.
“No, not so much light powers like you, IB, I don’t think she’s that powerful. But powerful nonetheless. And she’s supposed to be a brilliant military mind despite her youth. But we should be weary, not admiring her. That’s a large army and the Zynthians are getting closer. This is going to be bad, and we’re stuck in the middle.”
“Agreed,” said Stu, “that’s two large armies, one with mental powers, the other with a powerhouse like Princess Tarina”
“Guys…” said Lardy suddenly, “…she’s hot!”
Lash laughed, “she is pretty hot though…”
“I’d do her!” said IB
“Ah, the LMB!” said Stu aloud with a smile. “You do realize we’ll be crushed and killed?”
“Ah, we’ll be OK,” said Lardy, “although it’s too bad that all this land is going to be destroyed. Look at the two farms over there, they’ll be ruined!” The heroes could see the truth in Lardy’s words, as two small homes were on the western end of the battle field and would assuredly be crushed.
“Alright, here’s what we’ll do,” said Lash, “IB and I will make our way across, and if anyone gets in our way, we’ll nail ‘em. Lardy, take out the Zynthians for a bit, Stu you get the Karessians. Cobalt, if this Princess attacks, you attack back.”
“So I get the squid guys?” asked Lardy
“Yup. Maybe they’ll make you hungry?” replied Lash.
“I see where you’re going with this Lash,” said Stu, “obviously, this battle is going to happen one way or another. And we’re going to be stuck in it. But we could get out with no problems if we tried…”
“…so, let’s let it be known that we don’t want wars between two imperialist armies going on on planets that don’t want either one on it. And we can save those two farms from being destroyed by kick-starting this battle into chaos to the point where both sides will pull out and go home to get out of the confusion.”
“Alright, let’s do it then,” said Stu.
[ April 07, 2004, 01:27 PM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
IB watched as Lardy suddenly flew into the air with his massive frame and descended on the Zynthian army. “Lardy is going against them all by himself?” he asked.
Lash smiled. “IB, I forgot! You’ve never seen Lardy unleashed. This should be fun. Stick by me and move forward, but watch what you can!”
The Zynthians were quick in there reaction, despite having no idea what they faced. Some type of laser weapon similar to a spear shot at Lard Lad immediately, as a scout force prepared to come in for the final kill, expecting a short victory. They were shocked to see Lard Lad easily blast the laser-spear into atoms, and then rip the ground up in front of the scouts, sending them backwards off of their hover-cruisers. Lard Lad was a Lard-Knight, dedicated to establishing peace in the universe, and Imperialist wars like this one were anathema to all he stood for. He felt no guilt in immersing himself in their business.
Moving forward at a sudden quickened pace, Lardy blasted his way with strong pure blasts of Lard-force, splitting the central armies apart like a sea. He was careful not to kill anyone, but was not gentle. The army responded with more laser-spears, and blasts, although they had little effect on penetrating his shield.
”Whoa! Easy there with those limp tentacles! No penetration!” he yelled, laughing it up. Then, he felt a pain in his mind, as intense headaches erupted quickly, causing him to bend over in pain. His Lardforce was protected him from what would have been a certain death, as hundreds of Zynthians concentrated on telepathically destroying his mind. As a drop of sweat went down his cheek, he looked up to see a large spear blast coming his way until it nailed him in the chest!
Looking up, he felt his anger rise…and the Lardforce erupted. He exploded it at them in every direction, so that they were knocked backwards with a force they had never imagined possible. Power cascaded forth, and Lardy found himself laughing aloud as he felt the release of the Lardforce causing chaos among the Zynthian army.
Far away, Greybird and Arachne wondered what this blast was, not thinking that Lardy could cause something so extreme.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
IB looked back in surprise, but Lash yelled “C’mon IB! Move!” as the two ran ahead. Up ahead, Zynthians and Karessians were coming close to each other, having both prepared to outflank the other, only resulting in the northern front coming closer to conflict quicker than any other place.
Lash pulled his whip out, and ran ahead, watching as shocked soldiers wondered who was coming their way. “Clear me a path!” he yelled to IB, who suddenly let loose a blast of light-energy, knocking back both sides. In truth, he could have done exactly the same as Lardy or Stu, but they felt that his control was not quite strong enough yet. He could have killed people by accident—he was far too powerful for such a display of cutting loose with raw power.
Lash lept ahead, landing on a Karessian’s head, while whipping the weapons out of a handful of Zynthians hands. “Scuse us boys, just passin’ through!” he yelled, deciding to kick a Karessian to the ground, as he ran across their heads and backs. His agility was amazing to IB, as he watched the experienced LMBer do a somersault so that his hands landed on a Karessian’s shoulders, leap forwards in a flip so that he landed on a Zynthian, and then flip forward again to deliver two kicks to more soldiers. And the whole time, he laughed and joked.
Back at the middle, Iron Rat turned to the Karessian army, who were approaching at a quicker speed, increasing to a full charge, with long rifles in their hands that obviously shot some type of energy. He noticed that they held some type of grenade weapon as well, and were looking to make this a brutal battle.
Rising up into the sky above them, Stu began chanting an ancient chant. Symbols began to appear above his head in a brown light, as he began radiating an aqua-green type color. To the Karessian’s below, he seemed to grow larger and more imposing, and many felt a sudden twinge of fear in the back of their spine. Stu’s eyes appeared to be pale white with no eye-balls, and everything suddenly grew disturbingly silent, until he finally looked at them.
Stu opened his mouth slowly, but it felt frighteningly sudden, as the words he spoke rushed out like a thunderous roar, making those directly in front of him fall to the ground holding their ears with both hands. The ground seemed to shake, and the soldiers in front of him felt as if a minor earthquake had knocked them off their feet. The soldiers to his sides watched in terror, until two bolts of lightning emerged from either hand, spraying the soldiers with cackling energy, knocking them backwards. The whole army it seemed was focused on the mage LMBer.
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After the thunderous roar, Princess Tarina rose into the air above the mage, and decided that she would deal with him one on one, to allow her army to pass. She looked at the burning sun overhead, and enjoyed the feeling of soaking in the power it gave her, as she readied herself to unleashing a potent blast as this unfamiliar mage.
She flew at him at top speed, easily passing her army, as she had done before, until she was mere meters away from the mage. She pointed her hands at him, and prepared to blast when—suddenly, she was knocked backwards by an unseen force!
The force knocked the wind out of her, as she lost her balance, and thus her control of flight, and began to fall from the ground. However, she suddenly found herself going farther into the air, as a man in a red and blue uniform appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her by the belt, pushing her in a direction towards the trees, away from the armies.
“Sorry Princess, but no fair play today,” the figure said, until she recognized him. And suddenly, she realized who they were dealing with. This was Cobalt Kid, the Grrggian who left his homeworld and joined the heroic group the LMB, so that the mage must be another famous LMBer. She knew little about Cobalt Kid in particular, but he was a Grrggian, and she hated them, so she would probably hate him too.
“You’ll regret that then Grrggian,” she said, as she blasted a massive blast of sun-energy at him, as he held her perpendicularly to him. It seemed to hit him at first, but she realized that he let her go when she tensed up, so that she was falling again.
“You caught me at a bad time Tarina,” he smiled, “I’d love to have the chance to really give you a go, but I’m in a rush. Maybe another time,” he said, using his magnetism to control the metal in her uniform so that he held her still. “What right do you have immersing yourself in this war!” she screamed. “Is this some sort of Grrggian plot?!”
“Sorry, but I think you’re confused. Grrggian I may be, but I’m not proud of it. I’m LMB now, and all my loyalty goes to Legion World and the pursuit of justice. And I just don’t see how this little battle between you and the Zynthians is anything but unjust to the people of this planet.”
“Fool!” she screamed, blasting at the ground to shake herself loose. “This is none of your business then! This is a matter between the governments of this region!” She blasted at him again, this time coming dangerously close to burning him badly. She flew at him with a quick burst of speed as he ducked, and swung a punch at his face.
Quickly he caught it in his hand, and used magnetism to pull her feet backwards, so that she was falling over in the air. “Debate all you want…but I just kept you away from your army while my friend Stuey left them helpless. Nice talking with you though—we started out rough, but we really seemed to get to know each other as the date went on. Call me,” he added with a smile, and then suddenly placed a kiss on the mouth of the Princess, shocking her to the point where she stopped paying attention, as he magnetically hurled into the forest below. She fell into the trees in a furious anger, screaming obscenities.
“That bastard!” she yelled, “how dare he?!”
Cobalt flew ahead at super-speed, using his magnetism to move quickly across the magnetic fields. He saw both the Zynthians and the Karessians in total disarray, realizing that the chaos made them easy targets so that both sides were opting for a strategic withdrawal. He smiled, noticing Stu teleport to where Lash and IB joined the others, as Lardy soon did the same.
A success in their own way, Cobalt thought, since they had accomplished little, but did at least prevent a battle for that day. Still, Elag was across safely, and they’d be gone soon enough to not have to worry about this for a time.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Things moved quickly after the skirmish. Elagabolus was elated to see his heroes in action, and couldn’t stop talking to them about their good deeds. Greybird and Arachne were a little surprised to see the five of them cut loose like that, but they recognized what they were trying to accomplish. Elag had each one tell the story over and over again about what was going on through their heads, so that by the end of another three days, it appeared that Lardy was considering frying the Zythians into calamari, Stu almost turned the army into frogs, Princess Tarina was in love with Cobalt Kid and Lash was almost captured for his good looks by horny soldiers. Greybird could only shake his head and say something to the effect of “not too different from how history is really recorded…”
After another day through farmlands, the planet opened up into a series of roads, and they followed one that eventually took them to a fairly large town that acted as the planets main home to merchants and traders. They heard nothing more from either the Zynthians or the Karessians after the episode, although they were sure that once they figured out who they were, the five LMBers would forever be considered enemies in this area of the universe. “Such is the price we pay…” said Lash to IB with a smile, and IB was surprised to see that was pretty much the end of the discussion.
The continued to eat the rations they had brought with them, and sleep by means of camping with the tents and blankets that Lucien had provided them with back at home. When the saw someone approaching they did not know, they used the special cloaks they’d received to hide amongst the brush, and were continually unnoticed by those passing by. They stayed at the town for one night for the sole purpose of being able to sleep in a comfortable bed, and then restocked on rations before making the next logical step in the journey.
The plan all along had been to use the Green to get as far away from Septimus’ emissaries as possible, and then to find a cruiser or another outlet into space, so that they could begin making their way to their real destination: the Castle of Septimus, which they hoped the Ancient Library of Antonioch could help them discover. Now, in this town, they were able to find a merchant who was able to sell cruisers that could travel easily in space.
Although not the biggest or best equipped cruiser, the one that the LMBers eventually decided on was good because it was fast and in good condition, so that they could trade it for a better cruiser when they had the opportunity. Using money that they took out of the Legion World treasury (which was never of any use, since most things on Legion World were free to its inhabitants), Stu an Grey Birdboy paid the merchant (a gruff alcoholic old man) and gained their first cruiser on the journey.
“Cool!” said Elag, getting into it, although Lardy stopped himself from saying “I wonder how long before this blows up?”, since he had been in countless cruiser crashes over the years.
Now set with provisions and transportation, the company decided to take an extra day to rest, eat, and enjoy themselves to a drink, before leaving.
Finally, they left the small town and backwater farm world, and headed off into space.
End Act II
[ April 07, 2004, 01:28 PM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
“Silverale,” said Grey Birdboy ruefully, “and don’t get cheap on the pour,” he added with a smile. Grey turned to see Lash and Cobalt drinking dark ales, as Arachne sipped on an Opal Nura. Next to her, Stu enjoyed a very dry liquor that he’d never heard of before, as Invisible Brainiac watched on with Elag.
They’d journeyed through space for three strait days, until it appeared that the quest would be even more tedious and boring than they’d ever imagined. Finally, when the time came to refuel the ship, they decided unanimously that not only would they stop off to re-fuel, they’d also go in for a few drinks. Under much protest, Invisible Brainiac and Elag would come with them, but would not be able to drink—both were too young. “A good sentiment,” smiled Grey to himself, as he watched Cobalt sneak Invisible Brainiac a large green drink that looked to be close to pure alcohol. “Didn’t see that one coming…” he said sarcastically.
“Got anything bigger?!” said Lardy voraciously suddenly, drawing the eyes of much of the crowd in the audience, as he slammed down an empty glass. “Or should I just have you line up whatever you got?”
“Go for it Lardy!” yelled Lash.
“Remember,” said Stu, “we’re only here for a quick drink. We can’t stay too long.”
“Aw…” said Elag, “it’s so boring in the crusier.”
“Be thankful it’s boring,” said Arachne to the boy, “anything but boring will probably be bad.”
“Aren’t you Lard Lad?” said a voice suddenly, as they all turned to see what was going on. A small man, about five foot, with yellow skin and a giant head stared at him. “Son of a bitch! You sent me to prison about three years ago! Bastard!”
“Prison? What for?” said Lardy
“You know what for! It’s pay back time!” replied the little alien.
“Ain’t you the guy that stole Venturian walking money, but then let it get away from you?”
“What? Of course not! What are you talking about? I robbed a monetary building-“
“Nope! I remember now! You walked right into the mouth of a Super Moby Dick of Space and I had to rescue you out of it! You puked on my shoes!”
“Liar! You know who I am!”
“Damn right! You owe me new shoes!”
“Bastard!” screamed the little man, as it jumped at Lardy. Suddenly, IB laughed so hard that he fell over drunk into the little man’s path. The little alien bumped into IB, fell backwards and landed in Lardy’s giant mug of ale.
“Now it’s war.”
----------------------- Minutes, later, Grey Birdboy rushed Lardy out of the tavern flying at top speed to the cruiser, as Stu teleported the rest back.
“Wow, we can’t go anywhere with you guys!” said Arachne, half-joking.
“Who was that guy?” said Elag to Lardy.
“I don’t know,” shrugged Lardy, “He must have confused me for Eryk Davis Ester.”
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ACT III
Slavery, Spartans and Magic
“Elves, wars and barfights,” said Grey to Stu, as the rest of the crew slept. “So far, we’re three for three.”
“Yeah, and we still have to make it to the library. We must be close by now, don’t you think, Grey?”
“We are. We may know what Septimus is, but once we know how to find him, we can start trying to end this thing.”
“Elag has been quiet lately, have you noticed?” said the Rat-Mage.
“I have. I had thought it was because of the monotony of space travel, but now I think it might be something else. He’s getting scared again.”
“With good reason. We saw what Septimus’ minions could do. That Bard thing…it’ll give me nightmares for some time. Who knows what else we have in store for us?”
“He isn’t sleeping again,” they heard suddenly. It was Cobalt, standing next to them, wearing the dark grey cloak that Lucien Lad had given them. “I can’t sleep either, but I know it’s because of him. I could control it before, us myself to calm him down, but now he’s keeping me awake.”
“Is he awake right now?” asked Stu.
“He must be, that’s why I can’t sleep. He sees Septimus in his dreams, he’s afraid to sleep. He thinks that if he falls asleep, he’ll start listening to Septimus. That makes me worried.”
Stu looked at him for a moment. “You look like hell, Cobie. You really haven’t been sleeping.”
Suddenly, Grey Birdboy turned to the others. “Do you guys feel something? I feel strange suddenly.”
Cobalt and Stu looked at each other. Neither felt anything for a minute. Stu immediately cast a spell of detect magic. “There is no magic here.”
“No…not magic…something else…” said Grey, as he fell forward from the chair. Cobalt suddenly dropped next to him. Stu looked around. What was this? And then he realized that there was a strange smell in his nose. Like a sulfurous gas. And then he felt his eyelids shutting. “Should have just stayed in owl-form…” he muttered to himself. He too fell over, as he heard a large ‘KLANG’ on top of the ship.
[ April 14, 2004, 12:52 PM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
It was Lard Lad’s massive body falling off his bed that made Arachne jump awake quickly. She turned to see Lash, IB and Elag all asleep, with no sign of Cobalt. And then she too felt like she was dozing back off, but this time in a different way from her seconds earlier slumber. She was being poisoned.
Immediately, instinct kicked in and she shrank down to the form of a spider. Crawling into a dark corner of her loft, she watched to see what was happening. Moments later, she watched as a group of figures in black uniforms began walking around the main deck. They spoke to each other in a strange language, although it seemed reasonably close to the Interlac tongue spoken in this galaxy.
“Fine slaves these will make,” said one soldier to another.
“A fine profit they will bring. We have done well, the Ostrogots will be proud of this new batch of slaves.”
“Slavers?” thought Arachne to herself. Evidently, Grey and Stu didn’t know this section of the galaxy as well as she had been led to believe, if there were slavers wandering about, capturing fresh meat for whatever the “Ostrogots” were. Slavery was one of the most deplorable crimes imaginable, and Arachne felt anger flare up inside of her, but knew she should hold it back.
She watched, as Cobalt, Iron Rat and Grey Birdboy were loaded onto the Slavers ship, and knew that it must be on top of this little ship they were traveling in. These slavers were not agents of Septimus, that was certain, otherwise there would be some type of undead beast with them. Septimus was too thorough for that. She knew it’d be wiser to play along for a moment and see what developed.
She quietly slipped into Elag’s pocket, still in spider-form, and watched as they carried the remaining LMBers into the ship. When it came to Lard Lad’s massive frame, two androids were called down and forced to do the labor for them. Arachne was also pleased to see the Slavers stealing all the items that the group had brought with them, they would be easily retrievable if the Slavers had them too.
“I’ll wait,” she said to herself, “but not too long. The second I have a fair idea of what I’m facing, or if they so much as harm a hair on that boy’s head, I’ll unleash a venom that’ll they will never forget.”
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It was over before it began.
As the LMB males were loaded into a containment facility, one slaver took notice of Elagabolus’s age, and wondered what a boy was doing with such a group of men. On further inspection, they became enamored with Grey Birdboy’s wings, until what appeared to be there commander informed them that Grey was a hero, part of the legendary LMB.
Consequently, that meant that they were all LMBers, and they soon discovered that it was Lard Lad, Lash Lad, Cobalt Kid, Grey Birdboy, Iron Rat and Invisible Brainiac they were dealing with. According to the commander, they had no choice but to kill them all immediately, otherwise they risked the retribution of fifty of their comrades, who were legendary for the power they held.
Arachne had been waiting for a chance to flex her muscles since the Three Way War, and now she had it. Shooting webs along the sides of the room and the ceiling, she quickly ensured that the Commander and his close guards were all securely taken out of the action. The LMBers were still in their containment facility, but Elag was on the ground. As new slavers ran in, she waited above the door, unseen by those entering, and fired vicious venom into each of them, so that it felt like they just been shot with a bullet.
As the venom spread, paralysis ensued, until a host of slavers littered the hallway and the floors, paralyzed but aware that they were being attacked.
“Hahahahaha!” she heard. It was Lash, and he was awake. “You’ve done it now! You’re all dead, all of you! Release us immediately, or going to die slow and painfully! I can’t call off this demon, so I’d get us out of here!”
To say that they were horrified was an under-statement, and Arachne knew that no others would approach the room for a few moments. Turning back into human form, she ran to Elag.
“Nice moves!” said Lash to her.
“Thanks,” she smiled back.
“I hear more!” said Lash.
Arachne ran over, and the first slaver to enter received a kick in the chin than knocked him right out. The second had no time to block the elbow that came after, and soon Arachne began plowing through them relentlessly. She was silent the whole time, except only to stop to say “You like subjecting others to your will? Now I will show you what it is like to be owned by another human being.”
And then Elagabolus woke up.
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He woke up screaming and crying, and knew that he wasn’t where he was supposed to be. In a panic, Elag looked around, and heard the sounds of Arachne beating the slavers into submission. He saw bodies all around him, paralyzed on the floor and stuck to the walls. One man looked like he would break free.
“Elag!” he heard, and turned to see Lash, “it’s ok! C’mere, help get us out of here!” Elag could see that the others were asleep—he panicked—or were they dead?
He felt a rage building up in him. Who had taken them? Was it Septimus, the dark man from his dreams? Why would they hurt his friends? A man stuck to the wall looked like he was going to break free. He reached his hand to his belt, fumbling with a weapon of some sort. It was a blaster, and Elagabolus knew that this man wanted to kill him, even though he had done nothing to him. He felt the rage, and it burned like fire.
He unleashed it, pointing his hand at the man, as he fumbled for his weapon, and felt the red flow of energy emerge forth from him. It felt great, like a giant release of all the stress that was making him so scared. He flared out of him, and it looked like fire, dark crimson with yellow in the middle, as it spread onto the man. He heard screaming, although he didn’t care, and felt better knowing that he was saving his friends.
Cobalt sprang awake immediately and began calling Elag’s name. The blue aura that surrounded Cobalt began humming, and Elag felt like crying suddenly for no reason. He had just killed a man, burnt him to death. But the man was evil. So he killed him. The man would have killed him.
Arachne ran back into the room and stared at Elagabolus, who now began crying uncontrollably. She looked to see the charred body of a slaver. The others slavers looked wide-eyed in horror. She kicked the door lose, and freed Lash and the others and then knelt down to hug the little boy.
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Things moved silently after that. Lash rounded up the slavers and imprisoned them in their own prison. They had no ship of their own now and had nowhere to place them without jeopardizing their mission.
Arachne and Stu spoke to Elag for a time, trying to make him feel better. The boy was scared and they could see the guilt in his eyes. Cobalt joined them, and spoke to him at length about what had happened, and about how Elag had to learn to control his powers. In Elag’s mind, he was becoming evil.
They all felt it though. He had murdered a man. And while he was doing it, he was enjoying it, until Cobalt yelled for him to stop. Was this boy, who they had hoped had a chance, really doomed to become evil? Without his ‘aura of life’, was he now truly an agent of destruction?
“You’re not.” Said Cobalt Sternly. “You’re not evil. You have to see that. Elag…we are who we make ourselves, not what we’re destined to be. Ok?” he added softely.
The boy nodded, silently. “I’m so scared Cobie.”
“I know. Things have gone wrong. This was our fault, we should have never allowed ourselves to be captured. We screwed up, not you. But we have a mission, remember? We’ll stick with it. It’ll be ok, I promised, rember?”
“I remember,” replied the boy.
“It’s not ok,” said Stu to Lardy softly. “I hope that if we take care of Septimus, we can get the chance to help this boy…”
“He’s too young to have a dark side to him…” whispered the Lard Knight to himself.
“The library of Antonioch,” said Grey Birdboy loudly, purposely interrupting all their thoughts. We’re close now. We can leave this ship and get started again, on foot.”
Once again, things moved quickly. They departed with the ship and left a large supply of prisoners in it, about sixty in total, secured with a spell so they could not leave the ship. Stu used his new item that he had created to speak with Spellbinder for the first time to tell her about them.
“Crujeckie…” he whispered.
“Stu? Are you alright? What’s happened?”
“Send word. A large group of slave-pirates are imprisoned in their ship, at this coordinate,” he whispered, creating magic symbols in the air that she could see through it. “Make sure they are brought to justice.”
“And Elagabolus?” she said, aware that he had not answered her.
He was too grim after the recent events to talk about it, however. “He is good. There is nothing to report now, but I promise to talk to you soon. Magic is too dangerous to use now. We are in danger constantly. Good bye.”
Crujectra was surprised at his brevity, and what seemed like rudeness. But she knew they were in constant danger, and said nothing about the conversation to anyone. Still…she wondered what was wrong.
Iron Rat felt guilty about his rudeness, but they had to be quick. Things were moving quickly and Elag was acting strange. He didn’t have it in him to go over everything with the Princess. He quickly turned himself back into an owl, and flew to Elag’s shoulder. The boy would need him now—more than ever.
“We’re landing,” said Grey.
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Silent skeletons continued to move in the direction they were drawn too, as hideously deformed abominations of undead joined them. The horde of Sulla grew larger and larger, led by the large Death Knight on his flaming nightmare horse that had previously led an invasion into Legion World. The same Death Maiden that had accompanied it there was now beside it, cackling with delight at being surrounded by so many of her hideous brethren.
The Arch-liche Sulla walked as a Lord among the undead, moving forward with sickening grace, as his decaying flesh and broken bones made thick noises. He neither smiled nor scorned, and looked ahead, preparing to begin his reign of terror.
His magic abilities had detected magic earlier, as his massive power could scry the conversation between Spellbinder, the LMBer on Legion World, and the Rat-Mage, the LMBer with the boy. Now, he knew where he could find them. And he would soon, and would unleash the full fury of one of the greatest mages who ever lived, now ironically transformed into an Arch-liche, the most menacing and most evil of all forms of undead.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Antonioch:
As Iron Rat flew through the air as an owl, he looked ahead and noticed that their journey was approaching an end. Or at least, the end of the first part. A large mountain stood towering above the surrounding trees in the distance, standing alone, as if it was there for a specific reason. Stu knew that it was—it was the ancient library of Antonioch. Here must be where this ancient library remained hidden, concealing a millennia’s worth of secrets. Both he and Grey Birdboy had heard of it before, although neither had given it much thought. Between both their knowledge, they had found it somehow. He smiled to his owl self, wondering how many other great secrets could be uncovered with the LMBers various degrees of knowledge.
In this library, there was an ancient knowledge that detailed the origins of Septimus, the evil wizard that had started this whole thing. Septimus, who supposedly feared the world so much that he would see it end. Septimus, who refused to leave his castle anymore because of this fear. The castle was impossible to find through any means, unless it was detailed here in this library as they suspected.
Stu reflected on what their plan of action was to be. What would happen to Elag once they learned where Septimus was? The LMB, fearless and confident, believed they could go to Septimus and defeat him, and end the thread he posed to Elag. This, in itself, would end the need to hide Elag. Or would it? The boy was extremely powerful, and very threatening. With his recent display of power, and the subsequent killing it caused, it was now apparent that Elag did indeed have the dark side that they all feared, and that he might one day be the thread that Esk dreamed he would be. The foundation was set: this boy could be their greatest achievement or greatest failure.
Only as a fellow mage was Stu able to truly comprehend the danger that Septimus represented. Still, the LMB did not run from problems. Ever.
Realizing that he was lost in thoughts, Stu continued to scout the area, hoping that there was nothing blocking them from their path. He quickly saw that there was. It seemed that once again, things would not be easy. A large army, once again, was blocking their way.
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Lard Lad, Lash Lad and Cobalt Kid walked forward, moving coolly and calmly, striding defiantly to the large army that watched in awe at the outright arrogant courage these three now displayed.
Stu had returned to the group and told them about the large army blocking their way. He noticed Elag look on, horrified to find out that once again, there were others who might do them harm. Grey Birdboy questioned Stu as the others cursed out loud, wondering if this journey would ever end. Finally, it appeared as if Grey had heard of them before.
“They are the Spartans,” he said, “a warrior society that holds, quite possibly, the greatest army in the this section of the universe. What they are doing here is a mystery, although I suspect they are merely passing through. They have honed space travel to some degree, but their strict discipline maintains that they must camp every three days on a nearby planet and deal with whatever they have to. By doing so, their reputation as the most fearless army of all remains.”
“Great. Another army. We’re about o for four right now,” replied Lardy. “I say we walk on through ‘em, and if we have, call ‘em out.”
“I’m not so sure about that old friend,” smiled Lash. “Although I’m sure that you, out of all of us, could push your way through, I think subtlety might be the way to go here.”
“Agreed,” said Stu. “Once again, it might be time for Grey to take Elag away from the army, and a few of us to act as decoys.”
“Yes, but this time,” added Cobalt, “I want you with Elag, Stu. From now on, there needs to be someone with immense power around Elag at all times. IB, you’re with him too, remaining hidden as always. Arachne, you’ll be our secret weapon in dealing with these Spartans.”
“Sounds good. Although, to be honest, I don’t want to make a habit out of bailing you guys out,” she smiled.
“Oh really?” smiled Stu back, with a strange owl grin.
And so Grey held onto Elag in his arms, as IB invisibly held onto his back between his wings, and flew above the Spartan army. Stu followed suit, as an owl, flying lower to see if the Spartans realized Grey was there.
And then Cobalt, Lardy and Lash, with Arachne hidden in spider form, approached the massive army.
“You’ve got some balls on you,” yelled a large warrior, “now come forward, and prepare to explain why you would dare approach us…”
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“We’re passing through,” said Lash flatly, “and we don’t appreciate being interrupted. And if you must know, we don’t really know who you are or why you’re here.”
“And we don’t care either”, finished Lardy.
The Spartans watched on wide-eyed, and grinning. To them it was madness to even think that three lone men could ever succeed and making their way through what they believed was the greatest army in all the universe.
“You, with the whips, you must be the warrior of this crew. The fat one and the young one don’t look to be more than your subordinates. Care to test your skill? If so, we might consider letting you pass.”
Before Lardy or Cobalt could protest, which they were prepared to do, a large smile crept across Lash’s face. Arachne, watching on from Cobalt’s large cloak whispered “oh boy…” to herself.
“If you think that you have anyone in this entire army with the skill, or balls, that will step forward.”
After the Spartans began yelling and screaming, many candidates began to step forward. Lash took over in minutes, and the Spartans hung to his every word. The game would be darts, Lash said, and whoever was the most accurate would prove to be the day’s winner. As the Spartans watched on, Cobalt smiled to himself, knowing full well that Lash was undoubtedly the best darts thrower that he had ever seen in his entire life. Lash held a variety of records at the Klordny festival for different events, most notably, for his skill in darts.
“Fuck this,” said Lardy loudly. “If Lash is gonna whip these boys, I’m going to make sure I get my fair share of beer and food. C’mon CK, lets raid their camp and see what they got.”
Cobalt smiled, realizing that by now, the competition had suddenly turned very friendly. In fact, every man in the camp seemed enthralled by Lash. What first seemed to be their interest in his bold attitude and skills with weapons, now appeared to be more…in fact, it seemed that they were all checking out his physique and good looks.
“Captain?” asked Cobalt to an older Spartan. “Why are you here?”
The Captain eyed him at first. Finally, he seemed to feel that Cobalt posed no threat. “Well, we’re just passing through mainly. Most of the boys think it’s a training routine, but we’re really just escorting the Venusian Virgins back home.”
“Venusian Virgins?” asked Cobalt suddenly, making Lardy whip his head around, suddenly showing interest again.
“Yeah. They were visiting a neighboring kingdom, looking for males to service them. To make passionate prayer to their goddess, Venus. Problem was that no one was willing to do it.”
“Um…what?” asked a wide-eyed Cobalt.
“No one was willing to pray with them.”
“Pray?” asked Lardy suddenly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean sleep with them! No one was willing to knock ‘em up. To give it to ‘em. No onen would have sex with them.”
“What?!!!” yelled Lardy. “Why not?”
“Why do you think? We’re Spartans. We all like to have sex with each other.” For a second it still didn’t register. “We’re all homosexual.”
Suddenly, Lardy looked like he’d been hit by a punch in the gut. It was all clicking to him. Of course they were all interested in Lash! They all wanted him bad! Lucky devil! But that meant…that there was a whole tent full of priestess virgins that were looking for a male to come in and have a big orgy with them?
“CK, we may have just had the luckiest break yet. Let’s go.” Lardy made a bee-line for the tent ahead of them, finishing his ale, and throwing the large drumstick of chicken in his hand to the ground.
Cobalt hesitated, ever so briefly, thinking about all he had thought about recently concerning Spacey and everything. Lardy looked back at him. “Let’s go Cobester, you don’t get these kind of chances often on journies like this. Enough self-evaluation and spiritual journeying for today, come and get laid.” Cobalt smiled, as Arachne leaped out of his cloak.
“And that’s where I get off this train!” she yelled to herself, leaping down. As she turned back, she watched as Lash continued beating Spartan after Spartan in darts, and they chanted his name in unison. Lash it seemed, had a long night ahead of him too.
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Arachne walked forward, joining Grey Birdboy, Invisible Brainiac, Stu and Elag, with a slightly annoyed look on her face. “Long night Arachne?” asked Stu smiling.
“You have no idea,” she said to herself, rolling her eyes.
A few hours later, Cobalt, Lardy and Lash stumbled one by one, rejoining the others. Elag looked at Cobalt, shaking his head, as IB watched on in awe as Lardy wiped away lip-stick from his face. Lash smiled too, not tired in the least from a long nights activity.
“Antonioch,” said Grey Birdboy. It’s in here, I know it is. The only question now, is how to get in?”
“I guess we should split up and search the mountain side,” said Stu, “using whatever skills you think would be of use. I’ll see if there is any magic to detect, IB, you see if you can use your power over light to see if the opening is reflected off the sun, or something along those lines. No one enter until we’re all with you.”
“You’re with me, Elag,” said Cobalt. Elag went over to Cobalt, grabbing his hand, as Cobalt put his cloak back on, covering his frame. “Where were you last night?” asked Elag.
“Don’t worry about it,” said Cobalt coolly, “we’re almost there!”
“Cobie…I don’t’ like it when you act that way with women.”
“Aw Elag, I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Yes you do. You said you miss your wife, Fiona. I know you do! I can feel it in you! I can feel what you feel now, ‘member? You said you miss Spacey, and I know you don’t like other women like you like her.”
Obviously, Cobalt could see the boy was disturbed by these thoughts, and the connection between them was making Cobalt’s emotions confuse Elag. Although, maybe, Cobalt was just as confused. Spacey…he thought. Suddenly he felt very guilty about what happened the night before. He’d do anything to have Spacey again…
-------- Grey flew up to the top of the mountain, confident that the library would be closer to the top. The mountain was alone in the middle of a forest, with no other mountains connecting to it. He suspected it was man-made somehow, that the mountain itself was one vast library. Seeing it that way, he realized that there were probably hundreds of floors inside the mountain and that the library would be enormous.
From up high, he looked around. The mountain was surrouned by a forest, and outside of that was a large swamp land and marshes. Beyond, where the land stretched on, there was oceans. In fact, there was one section of the surrounding forest that opened up into pure swamp land and marshes, so he flew there.
Upon flying to that side of the mountain, he realized that the forestry was relatively new, and that the marshes may have one time been part of a larger lake that had long ago drained out into the ocean.
“That’s odd though…” he thought to himself, when it hit him. His calculating mind thought fast, and he grabbed his large spear out of excitement and flew to where he thought the opening might be. The forest was new, it hadn’t always been there. The marshes had once been a lake, and the forest was once submerged in water. Therefore, the mountain was once half covered with water, and was nowhere near as large as it was now. That would make the opening about half-way up the mountain, which was once where the mountain was level to the land surrounding it, before the valley had drained into an ocean, leaving land that would grow into the forest.
Flying into the inlet, he searched around frantically, before he finally saw it. A statue, covered in vines, protruded out of the side of the mountain, about half way up. Ripping away the vegetation, he followed it along the side of the mountain, until he ripped off enough to reveal a large bronze door. “LMBers! I’ve found it!” he yelled, realizing now that his excitement could not be contained.
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To say the library was vast was an understatement. It soon became apparent that even with all of them searching relentlessly, there would be no easy way to find what they were looking for. Greybird, curious anyway in learning how this ancient treasure trove of manuscripts was categorized, began cracking the ancient system.
As he did so, the others walked around in amazement over what was now before them. Elag walked between Arachne and Lard Lad, as Stu flew down and perched on his shoulder.
“Wow!” said Elag, surprisingly excited, “there a lot of books here!”
“You should read as many books as you can Elag,” replied Stu, “every thing you can read is good for you! Reading is what I consider the most important learning tool there is.”
As Stu spoke, Arachne eyed Elag, glad to see him smiling. She was still shocked at the way he killed those men on the cruiser, and could not help but feel uneasy around him. With a wave of his hands, he could kill, Lardy, Stu and her right now, and that destructive force was changing him more everyday. The others felt it too, and despite the attempts at light-hearted humor, things were more grim than anyone was willing to admit. Cobalt, who shared some strange connection with Elag, had been quiet and sullen all day. She wondered if his connection to Elag was draining him emotionally.
Lard Lad held the boys had, as he talked with Stu. He was glad Stu was here, and in the form of an owl. It made the boy smile, and that was more important these days than a lot of other big things. Lardy held the boys hand tightly, and hoped he was a comforting presence. He loved children, everyone knew that, and he was glad to help Elag. But the boy scared him a bit now, and he worried more than he’d like to admit. Everyone knew that Lardy had a dark-side to him, though few would ever speak about it. Lardy had learned to accept that over the years. But seeing this poor boy, who believed that he truly was evil made Lardy sad. To think that a boy this young was convinced that he was a bad person at heart…
IB walked with Lash, asking question after question about the night before. “You mean there was like a harem or something?” he asked curiously.
“I’d like to tell you IB, I really would, but you’re gonna have to ask Lardy. I was…busy.”
Lash smiled at IB’s impulsiveness, the kid had spirit. But right now he was hoping that Grey could crack this could and find what they were looking for. The mission had suffered a few setbacks, but was going smooth enough, and he wanted it over as soon as possible. The boy was a good kid at heart, although scared of being in these strange circumstances.
IB walked by Lash’s side, in his own thoughts now, figuring the pendant given to him by the LMBP Spectre. Things hadn’t gotten too rough yet, and he hadn’t even thought about using it. The Spectre had told him it would bring him back to Legion World if things were too out of control—evidently, the Spectre had some strange reason for protecting him above all others. But IB was sure that he wouldn’t find a reason to abandon his friends, he was here to help.
Cobalt sat quietly by himself, not far from Greybird, who continued figuring out how the library was categorized. Something was bothering Cobalt all morning, and now he wasn’t sure what it was. He felt guilty about the night before, although it took Elag’s words to realize it. He felt guilty about a lot of things, especially his dalliances with women. He’d give it all up in a second if it meant that he’d have Spacey back. It wasn’t fair that she was taken from him.
He felt that something was wrong with Elag too. The connection they shared…it was causing him to feel strange. Elag could tell what Cobalt was feeling emotionally, and Cobalt could tell Elag was scared right now, despite his attempts to hide it. Elag had killed those men, and he felt terrible about it, but Cobalt felt that in his heart, he knew Elag would do it again.
The new aura surrounding him felt strange too. The blue glow…the weird magic powers he had. He could heal now, and he felt some kind of spiritual awareness. Stu had said it was the power of ‘life’ while Elag had ‘death’, and that it was a potent force. But right now it was making Cobalt’s head ache sorely, as if there was something terrible coming that was making his power react this way. Were they in danger? Was it Elag? Was it something else?
“I’ve figured it out,” said Grey suddenly. “I think I know how to find what we’re looking for.”
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For the first time in weeks, Invisible Brainiac let out a huge sigh of relief. Finally, it appeared that there was some progress to this strange quest-mission. He listened to Grey Birdboy at first, understanding the workings of magic was not quite his forte.
Grey had found the book they were looking for, which up until now, could still have been only the work of rumors. “It’s an ancient index of powerful mages and magic places,” began Grey, “by the wizard Sulla. Apparently, the mage believed that he had terrible enemies among his magic brethren, and wrote this to chronicle their powers, locations and weaknesses! This is perfect for our mission!”
“What does it say about Septimus?” asked Lardy
“A good amount. It appears there are whole chapters devoted to Septimus”
“I had no idea he was so powerful a mage,” said Stu, “I had never really heard of him up until now. He must be ancient indeed.”
“Now all we have to do is begin reading this and learning what we can about him. We have no way of knowing how accurate the information is, but it’s a start.”
“I’ll use whatever spells I can that will help us,” added Stu, “there must be some way we can find the location of his infamous castle.”
The excitement seemed fresh, and IB smiled widely as he watched Lash and Arachne begin to relax. Sitting down, Arachne smiled, “now if only we had brought some Opal Nera.”
“Or a couple of those Spartans,” smiled Lash.
IB turned and looked at Elag, who suddenly looked very pale. “What’s the matter Elag?” he asked, “this is good news!”
The boy said nothing, and looked to be in some sort of pain. “What’s wrong?” IB continued.
Elag looked at him. He looked like he was going to throw up. “I don’t feel good…” said the boy.
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Lardy was overjoyed to hear that things were moving forward. As Grey and Stu worked things out, he turned to see what the others were doing. Up ahead, he saw Cobalt and figured he’d sit and share a few laughs with him.
Cobalt looked awful. “What’s the matter CK?” He looked pale, and was sitting. He had sweat building up around his foreheard, and was shivering.
Pulling his cloak up over his head, Cobalt tried to warm himself. “Uugh…” he groaned. “Lardy…something’s wrong. Something is very wrong.”
“What is it?” said Lardy quickly, leaning over.
“Where is Elag?”
“I don’t know…with IB?” responded Lardy. “Elag!” he yelled.
“My head is pounding…these new powers, they’re going crazy…something is coming. Something magical…I don’t understand what’s happening, but I know we’re in danger.”
“Elag!” yelled Lardy. “Stay here CK,” he said.
Suddenly they heard a large crash! Cobalt looked up, but wasn’t near anyone. He heard a low chuckle not far away. A strange skeletal creature was bending over one of the bookcases near him. It continued to chuckle to itself.
There were undead in the library. The forces of Septimus were here. They’d be found.
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Undead stormed up the mountain side, as silent Zombies and Skeletons made their way to bring death to those their master commanded should die. Sulla looked on saying nothing, his eyeless sockets betraying no emotion. The undead liche, master of all those around him, commanded that the enemies of Septimus be brought to death and the boy be brought to him.
Sulla had once been a great wizard, and was known as the “White Mage”. He was benevolent and worked only to provide safety and comfort to those who were too weak to provide it for themselves. He had made many terrible enemies in doing so, including the evil mage Septimus, who feared the world so greatly, that he would rather see it destroyed. Sulla was smart enough to realize that he would not live forever, so he made an index of all his enemies that included their locations and any weaknesses they might have, and hid it among his own allies. Eventually, it ended up in the greatest library that ever existed, although it had long been out of us—until today.
But Sulla was too far lost to feel any bit of nostalgia. His enemies never forgave this offense, and he was killed, struck down by those he knew hated him, as well as those he had thought were his kinsmen. Septimus was there that day, although he let the killing be done by the lesser people. He simply took the body of Sulla, the great mage who believed in love, and did the most terrible thing he could think of. He transformed Sulla, who once stood for honor and justice, into a creature of the undead, who had no souls or compassion.
Sulla was now a liche, the most terrible form of any undead, that of a great mage who no longer was affected by the greatest of struggles, that of life and death. He was the agent of Septimus, the most powerful one, and he was void of any compassion he might have once felt.
Sulla slowly walked, as his army of undead moved up the hill toward their destination. The Death Knight that had attacked Legion World road hard up the hillside, eager to kill any life he could find. The maiden who had killed many Legion Worlders, as well as almost killing Ultra Matt and Princess Crujectra, and Anne, a girl dating Cobalt Kid, laughed maniacally as she ran up the hill swinging her flail.
Sulla lifted his hands higher to the air, and the skeletons increased their pace! With a loud ‘Crash!’ they entered the ancient library.
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Lash and Arachne saw them immediately and quickly created a front line in a battle that had a never ending supply of undead creatures. Using his whips and darts, Lash took the skeletons apart without abandon, knowing full well that these creatures were not in control of their actions.
Arachne used her masterful fighting style to break the ancient bones that held these abominations together, as she also fired her webbing to hold as many against the walls as possible. She continued to shrink down to outmaneuver the skeletons, and then grew back up from her spider-form to land serious upper-cuts into the soon to be shattered jaws of the creatures.
There seemed to be a never-ending parade of these creatures. And then something worse stepped through. The Death Maiden leaped into the fray.
-------------------
“NO!” yelled Grey, devastated to learn that this library was being invaded. If a fight broke out, and the library were destroyed, all this great knowledge would be lost! After finally finding this place…
The book. He held it in his hands, and new that he had to protect it. He had only read a few pages, and they couldn’t risk it’s destruction.
Spreading his magnificent wings, Grey Birdboy looked to the top of the library, and flew as high as he could, holding onto the book for dear life. Seeing the top coming close, he took the massive spear that he carried with him and aimed it strait up high. Using his wings, which he had a lifetime’s worth of practice using, he accelerated his speed at continued rate, and moved faster. Positioning his spear to pierce the top of the library, he flew at it as hard as he could.
He knew what was above him. After figuring out where the entrance was, it took Grey only a matter of minutes to figure out how the library fit into the mountain. Biting down, he hit the top of the library as hard as he could, and his spear point ripped through the top. In seconds, he exploded onto the other side, coming out through the top of the mountain. Flying high, he smiled, happy to have saved the book. Then he looked down and saw a massive regiment of undead climbing up the side of the mountain.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
The Death Knight ran through the library on top of his hideous steed, as hellfire came out of its nose. Bookcases fell and carnage followed, as undead swarmed immediately around them.
Invisible Brainiac, grabbed Elagabolus and hurried along, trying to find safety. “Elag, follow me!” he yelled. Elag looked terrified, and IB strangely wondered if Elag would use his power again to destroy all these monsters.
Focusing, IB ran with Elag around a corner, into a swarm of undead. He blasted them immediately with his light powers, and turned back around, only to see the Death Knight coming at them, with a bladed lance aimed at the two of them. “Nooo!” screamed Elag, bursting into tears…
Suddenly Lard Lad bursted onto the scene, ‘porting in via the Lardforce and grabbing IB and Elag before ‘porting back out of the danger they were in. He reappeared next to Iron Rat, who was back in his human form and hurling fire balls into the clusters of skeletons and zombies. The fire burnt them well, and was the best offense to use, although it was destroying large portions of the library.
“I hope I’m forgiven for this travesty,” he said calmly, “but we can’t read those book if we’re dead.”
“It looks bad!” said IB, “they’re everywhere.”
“I know,” replied Stu, “Lardy, maybe you should take Elagabolus out of here…”
“Stu! Lardy!” the suddenly heard, as Grey Birdboy swooped back into the library and flew above them! “Come up here quickly! We need you both out here!”
“Grey, that’s impossible!” yelled back Stu! “They’re everywhere in here!”
“This is only a portion of what is coming!” yelled Grey “get out here quick!”
Before anyone could reply, Lardy turned to IB, saying “be careful IB,” and ‘ported onto the mountain top with Iron Rat and Elagabolus.
[ May 27, 2004, 09:46 PM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
The Death Maiden leaped at Arachne, swinging her flail overhead, in an attempt to smash her head clean off her shoulders. Arachne leapt back instantly, and fired her webbing at the Death Maiden, the catch her at the shoulder to stop her from swinging her weapon. It caught, but the Maiden proved powerful enough to still keep swinging.
Lash whipped undead creatures harshly, smashing them to pieces, as he positioned himself into battle with the Death Maiden. Grabbing his darts, he hurled them at the knees of the maiden, hoping to hit the bones hard enough to break them, so the legs would become useless. The bones, however, appeared to be too strong.
Arachne and Lash didn’t have the time to sigh, although they knew they would have. This was not going to be an easy battle. ------------------------ Elagabolus covered his eyes in horror at the sight he saw. Armies of undead stormed the mountain, and there appeared to be no end to them in sight. At the back of it all, a massive purple light was emanating from one man.
“That must be the leader of these creatures,” said Stu, “and I definitely feel a strong source of magic coming off of him. I’ll take care of him. Lardy, you protect Elag and think of something. Grey, watch that book and do what you can. Everyone, be careful.” And suddenly, Iron Rat blinked out of existence next to them, only to reappear down at the back of the invading undead armies. Lardy could see him face to face with whatever was down there.
“L-Lard Lad…” whispered Elagabolus, “there are so many…”
“I know…” said Lardy back.
“Elag, hold onto this book,” said Grey, “and don’t let anything happen to it. I’m going to make sure everyone else is alright.”
“Ok.” Said Elag in terror, as Grey Birdboy flew back into the chaos.
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Invisible Brainiac fired beams of light into the hordes of undead, destroying them instantly. He realized quickly that the key to this battle was to not be caught unaware, since there were just far too many opponents around him. He ran invisibly through the crowd, although he realized that without eyes, the undead were unaffected by him being unseeable.
Turning the corner, IB watched in terror as the Death Knight rode at him again. ‘Is this thing hunting him?’ he wondered. Running back around, he maneuvered out of the way, only to see his way blocked by a large and growing fire. The Death Knight leaped through a bookcase and came at him.
Cobalt Kid appeared out of nowhere and magnetically pulled IB up to him in the sky. Then, with a fury that IB had never seen, he looked down at the Death Knight and magnetically pulled him apart as hard as he can, so that bone and armor exploded everywhere. Cobalt, IB realized, was furious.
“Enough” was all he said. “this has gone on long enough.”
“Let’s help the others,” said IB
“Yes, we should. This library is destroyed, that’s a fact now. I’m going to use my magnetism to crush whole portions of these things into the side of the mountain. There is going to be a lot of damage. I suggest you start destroying these things en masse. Like I said, the library is done anyway…we may as well destroy the whole damn mountain too.”
IB looked at him surprised, but turned back. Anything, he thought, to end this chaos.
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Iron Rat appeared down at the end of the army, and saw what he was dealing with for the first time.
Upon immediate sight of the liche, he felt an intense terror that he had never experienced before. A feeling of utter disgust, in a way that his stomach curled up enough to make him want to vomit there on the spot. The lifeless, terrible eyes of Sulla gazed at him, oozing green slime, and showing a sense of utter pain and horror.
Without a word, Sulla cast as spell, making the grass and trees around them become rotten and infested with maggots. The grass turned black, and the Ratmage quickly felt as if his skin would burn on the spot. Using all his willpower and knowledge of spells, Stu quickly threw up a magic sphere of invulnerability, carefully deflecting the spell of disintegration.
Now, it appeared, the Ratmage had caught the arch-liche’s attention. Sulla turned to Stu, calling forth a terrible spell of contagion, as a the world all around them began to fester and decay, as sickness whipped around them like a whirlwind.
-----------
Elag watched Lard Lad as the big LMBer viewed the invading undead hordes. What were they going to do? Elag now felt more scared than ever before, which was a feeling that he was sadly becoming used to.
Lardy watched on, and his eyes became more narrow, his face more grim. He was the supreme wielder of the Lardforce, one of the most powerful men in all of the galaxy. If there was any LMBer that had a chance at stopping such insurmountable odds, he was surely that LMBer.
“Elag…stay right here, and don’t move.” He said briskly.
“Where are you going?” replied the scared boy.
“Out there,” he said, nodding towards the mountainside.
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The Death Maiden continued her onslaught, although Arachne and Lash Lad had begun working together, and were confidently working her into the fire-trap that was quickly becoming the new addition to the burning library. Lash smiled, once again amused by how nonchalantly it felt to engage in so a dangerous battle, but years of doing it had given him a calm confidence in his fighting style that could not be suppressed.
Arachne was equally as cool in her demeanor, playing off of Lash’s strong points so that she could work in hers. By the two of them consistently dueling with the Maiden, she was not focusing on either one—clearly the result of her being an undead creature with no brain and therefore no clear thinking and strategic mind. She also noticed that the undead creatures had stopped hammering at her and Lash, clearly the result of Cobalt Kid and Invisible Brainiac using their more potent powers to rid the library of the higher quantity of enemies, while her and Lash used their more skilled powers to focus on a more deadly quality.
Quickly, Lash made his move. It was a technique developed by him and Midnight Son, a former LMBer, years earlier, and one that was constantly practiced in the LMB training rooms. Arachne recognized it immediately, as Lash purposely left himself vulnerable and open to a hit from the Maiden, forcing the undead creature to step forward and attack. Although she did land a hit with her flail, it narrowly slid across Lash’s arm, and although it pushed him back, it subsequently pushed the Maiden forward as well—leaving the undead wench open.
Arachne struck, and struck hard, across it’s back, using a tight-fisted blow to shatter the bones of the lower spine. She also added in her own bit of flavor, some webbing that tied together it’s knees, to make sure that the effect was more potent. Screaming in agony, the undead beast fell, as Lash stood back up. Holding out his whip he looked at it on the ground, in pieces now, and smashed his whip through it’s throat to take the head clean off.
“I almost feel bad for it…” he said, “…but I know it’s dead. Besides, we can’t fool around with this thing the whole time. Where’s Elag?”
“I’m not sure,” replied Arachne, “but this place is coming down. What’s that noise?” she asked, as they realized that they were hearing a continual THUMPING sound over and over.
“It’s Cobie,” said Lash, “he’s smashing those undead warriors by the dozens against the wall. It seems to be working, there’s bone everywhere, but the mountain can’t take much more of this…”
“You’re right!” they heard suddenly, and looked up, to see Grey Birdboy flying down to rejoin them. “Grab on and I’ll fly you out! This place can’t take much more…it’s sad too, to think that we’ll lose all this knowledge. I’m surprised that Cobalt would do this, such a waste…”
“He doesn’t seem like himself right now,” replied Lash, who clearly felt that it was Elagabolus that was causing this anger.
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Cobalt smashed the legions of undead warriors as hard as he could against the walls, scooping them up by the dozen and wiping them out as quickly as possible. At this point, his mind was a flash of images, blaring with rage at this horrendous attack. Although he had no idea that the true battle was raging outside at this moment, he was still overwhelmed by the sheer evil of a man to send so much death after one boy.
He thought of Elagabolus, and he realized that the link he shared with the boy was somehow responsible for this feeling of insuppressible rage. The boy was standing on top of the mountain above completely and utterly scarred, Cobalt could tell, but was somehow masking his anger by channeling it through Cobalt. “Elag…” Cobalt Kid thought, “…get out of my head!”
It was Elag that was burning this library down, and that was not a good thing. Cobalt tried to calm himself, and let his spiritual powers and healing side transfer itself to Elag to calm the boy. He focused on the blue aura that emanated from him when he used those powers, and tried to figure out how he held this link with Elagabolus, so he could calm him.
He continued using his magnetism to destroy the skeletons, and turned to see how Invisible Brainiac was fairing. He had no need to worry, and didn’t, since IB had clearly shown he was capable of being in these situations. IB was blasting the skeletons with his light powers, instantly incinerating them, while at the same time making sure his powers didn’t cut too out of control.
They were making a good team, and Cobalt was glad. Then he realized, however, that the mountain was continuing to shake. “Uh-oh,” he said out loud so IB would hear him, “this place is going to come down.”
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Iron Rat stared at Sulla, whose lifeless eyes stared back. The duel of mages had begun, although one mage was an undead arch-liche whose once calculating mind was nothing more than a machine bent on carnage and death. Stu knew this, and realized that this was his only chance in beating a being of such immense power.
As Sulla unleashed a fury of hellstorm upon him, which killed many of his undead too, Stu maintained the sphere of invulnerability around himself on sheer willpower alone, while at the same time summoning the strength to cast a deadly spell of his own. “Meteor Swarm” it was called, and it was one of the most deadly spells to cast in all of creation, although it was be necessary for this battle. Calling down the meteors that exist above the atmosphere of whatever planet he was on, Stu unleashed his own furious onslaught on the once great wizard.
The tools of a wizard were simple: willpower and intelligence. The mage must be intelligent enough to have researched and understood every aspect of his spells, which were incomprehensible to most men and women, while at the same time have the strongest and most engaging willpower possible to enforce those spells. Spells acted on willpower alone—a mage was only as strong as his ability to enforce his will over the will of another. Through the wittiness of knowing what spell would be good to use, and the willpower to enforce it, a mage could be unstoppable.
Supposedly, Sulla was once one of the greatest mages in the galaxy, although he was now a member of the undead. Yet, this was where he was weakest. Through undeath, Sulla had lost the most important weapons in his arsenal: his wits and his strong willpower that once allowed him to master anyone who dared approach him. The arch-liche that now stood as a shell of what once was a great mage could not match the legendary willpower of Sulla.
For Iron Rat, this was all he needed to know. He was the Ratmage, and the most benevolent of all magical forces that now existed in the galaxy. He was what Sulla once was, the greatest mage that stood for honor and justice. And his willpower was equally the stuff of legend.
As the meteors rained down from the heavens, and the contagion swept through Stu’s lungs, the battle of wills raged on that would determine who would be the victor in this test.
As the chaos ensued, none could see what was happening anymore. Dust settled. As on one knee, stood Iron Rat, the victor. ---------------
Sulla’s lifeless form disintegrated with the meteors that crashed down on him, and his bones turned to ash and dust, taken away by the winds. The once great mage finally had his rest, after the terrible torment of undead servitude to his enemy. Exhausted, Stu thought for a second he could hear the words “thank you” uttered in the winds.
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Elagabolus watched on as Lard Lad made his way down the hill. As Stu battled the mage in the distance, Elag watched as the massive army of undead warriors swarmed towards Lard Lad with the intent to end his life.
Lard Lad looked on, and took in the scenery. He neither smiled nor looked grim, only determined to end this threat. He knew that of all the LMBers, only he could accomplish things like this, only he had the massive power reserves that could decide questions on a cosmic scale.
He was there big gun, and he was overjoyed that he could be relied on, although often overwhelmed that he would always be so. He knew that some LMBers loved him and respected him, although he knew that there were others who feared him and his power, and what Lardy knew was his possible dark side.
He pushed those thoughts out of his mind. He summoned his reserves of the Lard-force, knowing this would leave him tapped out afterwards, and began his onslaught of power.
Pure Lard-force rained down on the undead, as Lardy blew apart the skeletons and zombies into tattered bones and skin. He also ran down the hill in full battle mode, landing massive punches that destroyed anything he touched instantly.
Ripping through the army, Lard Lad reminded everyone, and himself, why he was the LMB’s big gun. As he moved, nothing remained in his wake.
After a minute, Elag could no longer see him moving down the mountain, although he could see the chaos that was left.
Suddenly, he ‘ported back to Elag, his job finished. He looked ragged, and strangely, very skinny. “I’m exhausted kid…but the job is done. You’re safe,” he said, with a slight smile.
“Th-that was amazing…” whispered Elag
“Wasn’t it though?” smiled Lardy back.
Iron Rat appeared next to them, also exhausted. “We need to get out of here now.”
“Right now!” yelled Grey Birdboy, holding Arachne and Lash by the hands, as Cobalt and IB followed suit, via Cobalt’s magnetism. “This whole mountain will collapse.”
“I’m tapped out,” said Lardy.
“I am too guys,” added Stu.
“Hang on,” said Cobalt, creating a large magnetic sphere around them. “I’ll get us as far away as we can.”
As the mountain began to collapse, Grey took the book back from Elag, and sighed that all the rest of the library was lost now for all time.
End Act III
[ May 28, 2004, 10:17 AM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Act IV
The Last Leg of the Journey
As they floated through the air in Cobalt Kid’s magnetic sphere, no one said anything, as they began to breathe normally again, after having their lungs filled with smoke. Lash and Arachne held up the gifts that Stu had created for them back on Legion World: small amulets that shined light no matter how dark a place they were. Although the dust and smoke was enough to block Cobalt’s vision, this added light gave him enough of a guiding light to allow him to see where he was going.
Lard Lad, skinny and exhausted, held onto to Elagabolus’ shoulder, to try and give the boy some comfort. The boy said nothing now, and looked about the group wide-eyed. Iron Rat was also exhausted, and transformed himself into an owl again, in an attempt to make the load lighter for Cobalt Kid, since he was carrying them all. He perched on Elag’s shoulder, and whispered into his ear.
“How are you holding up?”
Elag looked at him, and felt a bit of shame. Shame for being so scarred again, and shame for channeling his anger into Cobie, which caused the mountain and library to fall apart. “I’m Ok,” was his reply.
“I know you’re scarred Elag,” said Stu, “but we’re getting there. You’ll see, things will work out.”
“Ok,” was the boys reply.
Grey Birdboy held onto the book that they had found, the chronicles of Sulla the wizard, before his terrible torment by Septimus, and now realized that there was ample light being provided for them by Lash and Arachne, as well as Elag and Stu. He put the book up to the light, and once again began reading as much about Septimus as possible. “With the way we are constantly losing our transportation and our items,” he thought, “I’d better read as much of this book as possible—before it too is destroyed.”
[ June 24, 2004, 11:05 PM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
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Finally, they saw their cruiser in the distance. The Spartan army was long gone, which was a good thing, since the dust from a fallen mountain would surely have only brought them harm. Cobalt was exhausted from carrying them all, but it was better than having to walk back through the forest. Inside the cruiser was the renegade slavers that they had imprisoned earlier, and suddenly Cobalt worried if they had gotten free and the LMBers had yet another battle on their hands. Lardy needed to re-stock his weight to gain a stronger connection to the Lard-force, and Stu was more exhausted than he let on—he desperately needed sleep. He was tired himself and he knew that Lash and Arachne must be. Grey was reading fervently, and IB appeared to still have some energy left, although who knew how much he really had, since his youthful enthusiasm seemed to be an unending force unto itself.
As they approached the cruiser, Cobalt let them touch land again, and they all gladly felt the return to being in control of their own transportation. Cobalt gasped a sigh of relief. It felt like he had just held a weight over his head for hours and finally could put it down again.
“I’ll check the cruiser,” said Lash, who apparently also was worried about the slavers.
“I’ll go with you,” replied Stu-owl, who followed suit.
Lardy immediately went looking for food within the ships storage chambers, looking to replenish himself with whatever he could find. Grey continued to read as much as possible, hoping to learn what he could immediately.
Elag walked over to Cobalt. “Cobie?”
Cobalt looked at the boy. He felt a lot of pain, for both of them. “Elag,” he began. He felt so bad for the boy…but now felt a deep feeling of fear about him. “Elag, what happened back there?”
“I don’t know.”
Cobalt sighed. “Elag…you have to stop being angry. That’s not the way to go.” He looked at the young kid, barely ten years old. The boy, when he wanted to be, was quite the charmer. He was very smart, and was like any ten year old, more focused on having fun than anything. But that side of Elag hadn’t been seen now for awhile. “Elag, you have to stay in control of yourself. We’ve all gotten a raw deal out of this—I know this isn’t fair to you. But you can’t let that give you an excuse to act out of control.” Elag looked at him like he was going to cry. “Ok?”
Tears rolled down the boys cheeks. “Ok.”
“C’mere,” said Cobalt, who brought him in for a hug.
Elag held him tight, and smiled. And then he felt a large jolt, as Cobalt’s entire frame lunged forward. He realized he heard a loud noise as well. BAM.
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Lash and Stu entered the cruiser to make sure the prisoners were still there. What they saw shocked them. They were all dead, half-eaten and burnt to death, a mess of charred flesh and blood and death. Lash had to turn his face, and turned to see Lardy entering.
“What is it?” said Lardy, “Lash, what’s wrong?”
“Don’t go in there. There all dead.”
“We’re in danger!” yelled Stu, in his owl form. “This must be a trap!”
And then the cruiser exploded into a million pieces. ------------------------- Arachne turned to see Cobalt Kid shot through the back, and then lunge forward to the ground, undoubtedly dying from the gunshot wound. Elag fell backwards under Cobalt and began crying unbearably loud, weeping out of control.
She turned to see a young man, no older than them, smiling as the smoke from his blaster freshly went off. Before she could react further, the cruiser in back of her exploded.
Stu, Lardy and Lash were inside. And now they were dead. Deep in her heart, she felt an insurmountable rage building, and she leapt at the man who had just killed Cobalt Kid.
But then suddenly, out of nowhere, came a large army of large monsters, red and green in color, with large teeth and large bodies. They’ve been called a variety of things by people, but Trolls is the most common, and there appeared to be over a dozen coming at Arachne, with the intent to kill her, eat her, and then use her bones as weapons as they killed what was left of her friends. ----------------------------- Grey Birdboy couldn’t believe what was happening. Yet again, they were in terrible danger, and this time were far too weak to do anything about it. He shut the book and picked his spear up, turning to see the last of the small regiment of trolls making their way into the fray.
Two ran at him as fast they could, and Grey didn’t hesitate to hurl his spear at one, directly smashing it through the beast’s face, ending it’s terrible existence. And then he felt a terrible pain, as his arm was sliced open, and the book fell to the ground.
The young man who had shot Cobalt grinned at Grey, coming back at him with a knife, and Grey reacted by hurling him to the side and taking to the air.
Things had suddenly gone very wrong.
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Tarquin smiled at his fortune, and laughed at how things had worked out so well. He had been tracking this band for weeks, and had no success, until Septimus had sent him word that his agent had found them and was moving in for the kill. Although this was good for Septimus, it was not so for Tarquin, who wished to prove himself. He requested his own group of Septimus’ underlings, and followed Sulla to this place, to wait and see what the outcome was.
It was perfect. Sulla failed, but had weakened the LMBers to the point were they were useless in battle. The trap was easy, and he smiled on his good fortune to blow up three LMBers immediately, and then shoot one through the back before he could do anything.
He got up from where Grey Birdboy had thrown him and made a small promise to clip that one of his wings when he got the chance. He regretted that the pretty one was going to be devoured by the Trolls, but he’d find another woman to celebrate his victory with. And now all that was left was the little boy. This boy had provided him with unending trouble and caused him to almost be convinced at his own ineptitude, since it took him forever just to find the little bastard. He figured he owed the boy just a little scar across the face for his trouble.
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The Trolls began pushing and shoving each other to make it through to Arachne, hoping to get at least a large bite of flesh before she was devoured away. The pushing and shoving increased, until it stopped due to an increasing yelling going on by those closest to her. “She’s gone!” they screamed, angry that their hunger could not be sated. “Where is the meat?!”
Quietly, Arachne hurried away, in spider-form, undetected by the idiotic oafs that thought she’d be taken down so easily. Her mind was registering all that was going on, and she had to try and figure out how so many LMBers had gone down so fast. She now realized that Cobalt was shot, Stu, Lardy and Lash were dead, and Grey Birdboy was the only one left, taking to the sky to try and fight this large unit of enemies. Wait, there was one more…there was IB. --------- Invisible Brainiac watched on invisible in horror, unsure if this was truly happening. It now appeared that five of his brethren were dead, and Grey Birdboy would follow suit soon enough. He had to do something, but what? As he prepared to fire into the crowd of trolls and end their existence, he realized that Elagabolus was now in a very real danger.
This whole damn quest was about the boy, about protecting him. This, it now seemed, was the price of his security: dead heroes, fallen for something that IB wasn’t even sure of anymore. He wasn’t about to let their deaths be in vain. As he ran to see if Elag was still under the dead Cobalt Kid, he saw Tarquin approaching, a smile on his face.
“Scarred, you little bastard,” smiled Tarquin as he taunted Elagabolus. “You should be. You’re guardians are all dead—or at least, they all will be soon enough, and then I’m bringing you to the black wizard, and I’m sure you know what I mean.” In Tarquin’s hands were the book that Grey Birdboy had rescued from the library. The book that held the information they needed to find Septimus.
Tarquin stopped, and pulled out a torch, carefully wrapped in oiled linens. He threw the book to the ground, and laughed. Taking out a match, he scratched it against a large rock that was next to him and lit it. Immediately, he put it to the torch, lighting the massive flame. “Now…you’ll see the futility of all you thought you accomplished.” He throw the torch down on the ancient manuscript and let out a howling laugh at seeing the book burn. Elag shed a tear, knowing that Grey would be sad.
“Now…rumor is that you have some terrible power, that might burn me alive or some shit,” said Tarquin. “Well guess what tiny? That shit don’t work on me. Septimus figured you’d keep trying to use that, so he gave me a little protection of my own—against all magic. You’re powers can’t hurt me boy.”
Now, Elagabolus finally felt a fear that was new to him. This time, he knew, no one would save him. Now he couldn’t even use his power.
“Oh…” said Tarquin, “…one more thing. I think I’m going to make you suffer a little first,” he added, re-opening his knife, and bending over to put it to the boy’s face.
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Cobalt Kid felt extraordinary pain, as his back felt hot and sticky. He knew that it was his blood coming out too fast, and then his spine had been shattered. He felt like he was going to die, and he wondered if finally, this time he really was. And strangely, he felt a calm sense of freedom, and wondered if this was indeed a good thing.
He attempted to move his arms or legs, and realized that this was futile. He could feel Elag under him, unable to move because of Cobalt’s weight, and was positive that Elag must be crying at this point. He felt bad for the little guy. Elag may have scarred him a little, but he wasn’t so bad. He was just a scarred kid, and Cobalt had become kind of attached to him.
He thought about it, and realized that Elag was his chance at redemption. Years earlier, Dr. Albert Hoffman promised him that he would never have the chance to raise his own children, that somehow they’d become evil or sent away. Sadly, Dr. Hoffman’s promise had held true. Cobalt had six children that he knew of, and four of them had become terrible monsters bent on killing him. One was so evil, that he and Space Tart actually left the LMB for a time to get away from it all. The other two, Numf-El and Umber (although it was impossible to figure out exactly how Numf-El was his child), were full-grown by the time he met them, and almost his exact age (Numf was actually older).
In fact, Cobalt remembered feeling this way before once, when he thought Dr. Hoffman had killed him. That bastard had tortured him for so long, that Cobalt had lost the ability to cry or shed a tear. Even after Spacey’s death, he couldn’t do it, and Spacey’s death was the most terrible thing to ever happen to him. Sure, his life on his home planet and with his parents was terrible, and the torture of Dr. Hoffman almost broke him—but Spacey’s death killed him.
And now he hoped that maybe this was the end, and that he was free to find her once again. He did love her, more than he ever realized in life, and he would have been monogamous with her, something he had never done before. His constant flirtations were nothing more than a defense to his insecurity over her loss, and he’d easily give them back up for her. But she was dead, and he’d have to give up life itself to see her again.
Spacey. Dr. Hoffman. And now Elagabolus, the last chapter of his life. Although…he shouldn’t give up so easily, he couldn’t let the boy down. He made a promise to help him, and if he died, Elag might not make it through. Dammit, he realized, he had to live for Elag! What about the boy?! He could feel Elag crying under him, and he knew it was over unless he could move.
He had a broken spine and was losing a lot of blood. But Cobalt felt the knew powers inside him, and remembered that he had somehow gained the power of life. That he could heal, and he could make life grow in places that it did not seem possible.
Couldn’t he somehow heal himself? For Elag then…he’ll go back to the world where pain and suffering were mandatory.
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Tarquin reached over, and yanked Elagabolus out from underneath Cobalt, as the boy screamed in terror. The boy was crying uncontrollably now, and punched and kicked, although Tarquin easily lifted him.
“Stop being such a sissy, you little bastard,” smiled Tarquin throwing him hard to the ground. He pointed his knife at Elag’s face. “I’m only gonna cut you a little.”
Seconds later, Invisible Brainiac landed the hardest punch he had ever thrown in his entire life, smashing into Tarquin’s temple, in an attempt to knock him as far away as he could. He had seen enough. This man was a bastard, and he was not going to let him cut a little boy. It was a sucker-shot and an invisible one, and it felt better than any punch he had ever thrown.
Tarquin went flying backwards, and tripped over his own feet. “What the fuck?! Who is that?! Come out and face me!”
Invisible Brainiac ran over and kicked him in the ribs as hard as he could. Tarquin dropped his knife and held clutched onto his body. “My name is Invisible Brainiac you son of a bitch, and I’m an LMBer! And you picked the wrong kid to play games with!” IB suddenly became visible again—he wanted this piece of crap to know who was beating him senseless.
Tarquin screamed in pain, as Elag watched on, no longer crying, but praying that Invisible Brainiac would save him. IB punched on, hammering his blows into Tarquin’s face. Tarquin rolled with the punches, trying to get back up, and get his bearings together. He had been in so many fights before, he knew he could take this kid. But damn…he was in pain.
He lunged for his knife, and finally, grabbed it! He turned, hoping to slash this Invisible Brainiac across the throat, but missed, and caught a hard shot into his gut. As he fell forward, IB grabbed his blade, and held his arm backwards, so that Tarquin’s own knife came to his face, and cut his across his lips.
The pain was tremendous. Immediately, he dropped the blade, as the hot blood shot forth from his face and lips, and Tarquin knew that this boy had just scarred his beautiful face. He fell to his knees in pain.
Invisible Brainiac let him go, and ran back to Elagabolus, who was staring strait ahead. “It’s Ok Elag, I’m here.”
Then IB looked up, and saw trolls converging on him.
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Four trolls circled the area where Grey Birdboy floated, poised and ready to attack. He knew the odds weren’t good, but he was ready to make these beasts work for their victory.
Then he saw a sight that brought him instant relief: Arachne grew back up to normal size in the distant, and blasted her webbing across the ankles of the hideous trolls, without saying a word. In stride, she ran across to where Grey’s spear stuck into the face of some troll, pulled it out, and threw it back to Grey, so he could catch it and then hurl it back down in an instant, threw another troll’s face. Neither hero said a thing now, focusing more on survival now than anything.
----------------- IB and Elagabolus looked up, and saw the trolls, about a dozen in all, converging on them. As IB prepared to unleash the full fury of his light powers, something strange began happening.
The Trolls began to grow skinny, as their flesh began leaving their bodies. The appeared to be decaying in a strange way, as if everything was being ripped off them but their bones. Suddenly, the twelve trolls dropped, as nothing remained but bone—like a piece of meat that had just been cooked and eaten until nothing was left but bone.
Lard Lad stood in the center, fully rejuvenated, after sucking the lard and fat off the trolls. In doing so, he had killed them all, but he didn’t care at this point, and felt good in knowing that their death’s had led to his power-up. No one would question him on this ever, and it would never be brought up again. He had saved Elagabolus and they were all too emotionally exhausted at this point.
Minutes earlier, Lash and Stu yelled for them to get out, and somehow, Lardy instinctly used the Lard-force to ‘port them out of the cruiser, sensing it would blow up. He was exhausted and thought to have nothing left, and for a few minutes, the three were stuck in some sort of limbo, until Lardy forced himself on pure willpower to have them reappear. Now, he rejuvenated himself. Lash walked over to IB and put his arm on his shoulder. He picked up Elag. ----------------- As Arachne and Grey Birdboy finished off the trolls, Stu joined them, blasting a cone of intense cold, which encased the trolls in a sheet of ice, freezing them immediately. There, frozen in a wall of ice that would not melt in the sun, the trolls no longer posed any problem or threat. Now, Stu was exhausted beyond all belief. ------------------- Lardy, IB, Lash and Elag looked down at Cobalt’s body, ready to cry at the thought that there friend was dead, and saw a blue aura emanating from him. His body was healing itself, and the bleeding stopped. He turned over, so that he was on his back, and they saw he was alive. “Cobie…,” said Elag, “you’re alive”
Cobalt nodded, the healing obviously taking a lot out of him, “I’m here for you Elag.” -------------------- Tarquin witnessed the destruction of the trolls, and realized that he had to leave immediately. While the LMBers tended to Elag and their wounds, he knew they would come back for him.
Jumping back to his feet, he ran as fast as he ever did before into the near woods, and tried to make sure they lost him. He wouldn’t let them catch him, and he’d get away this time.
But he promised himself that one day he’d have revenge on the LMBer called Invisible Brainiac.
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It took them awhile to speak again. Once more, Elagabolus had come close to dying. Their job of protecting him seemed to be one that was beyond their capabilities. Their ship was destroyed. The book revealing the whereabouts and truths of Septimus was destroyed as well.
Elag looked up, a look of sheer panic and terror on his face. Tarquin would have cut him, that much was clear. A strange feeling of guilty pleasure welled up in Elag’s mind, knowing that Invisible Brainiac had cut Tarquin across the face and scarred him permanently—the once pretty face of the bastard was now a hideous reminder of his evil soul.
Cobalt looked down at the ground and thought about what had just happened. Was he really willing to let it all go? Did he really want to die? Or was it just the thought of being with Space Tart again.
Lardy didn’t speak either, and no one spoke to him. He had just killed a score of trolls without a second though, replenishing himself with their lard. They were going to kill them. He didn’t feel that bad. But he felt the eyes of Arachne and Invisible Brainiac on him, clearly surprised at how permanent his power could be.
Stu looked around. A strange thought occurred to him, as he pondered to himself how they could have ever decided the safest place for the boy to be was away from Legion World and on a journey to destroy Septimus. What exactly were they thinking? It now seemed that they were destined to screw up and deliver the boy directly to Septimus’ door. There was no question that the thing to do now was to find a way to get Elag away from them as quickly as possible. But the thought seemed to slip away from him…and he thought better of it. After all, the safest place for the boy was with those who were the most inclined to protect him and had the power to do so.
Grey Birdboy broke the silence. “The book is lost. Destroyed.”
“We know Grey,” replied Lash. “We lost any hope of knowing where to go.”
Grey turned, looking Lash in the eyes, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face. Grinning, he said “Lash, I’m offended. I assure you that my memory is just as keen as my tracking sense has always been. I was able to read enough to learn where we need to go. I can get us there. I’m sure of it.”
Arachne looked up, as if adrenaline had suddenly come back into her. “You’re sure? You can get us there? Of course, with your tracking power, I bet you could…” she continued, pausing to think. “How can we get there. We have to move fast now, its only a matter of time before another attack, and Septimus seems to have no trouble in finding us.”
“Agreed,” said Grey. “Getting there is the next problem.”
“Easily fixed,” said Stu joining in on the conversation, as Lard Lad and Invisible Brainiac joined him in walking over to the other. “Sulla was able to get here somehow, wasn’t he? I can sense an intense magical aura not far from here. I used a scrying spell before to tell me what it was, and it’s a magical ship. Some type of ancient dead ship that will be able to fly us where we need to be. Although I’m willing to bet that it reeks of death and decay. But once we get to Septimus’ castle, what do we do then? It is supposed to be impenetrable, isn’t it? How will we get in? I won’t be able to teleport us in, not with his defensive spells, and I’m sure the same goes for Lardy.”
“That’s easy Stu,” said Cobalt, who was still sitting away from them. “He’s going to let us all in. We have Elag, don’t we? We have the one thing he wants, and we’re bringing it to him. The only way we could ever get in would be for him to let in Elag.”
As Cobalt’s hard words ended, they all quietly realized that he was right. The only way to get to Septimus would be to have Elag with them. Strangely, Elag appeared to be unaffected by these words, and silently nodded.
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Sulla’s ship was as terrible as they could have imagined. The wood on the ship appeared to be old and decaying, and as smooth lacquer that looked and smelt like old dried blood covered it all around. Certain spots on the deck seemed to emanate feelings of remorse and terrible pain, and a terrible sense of foreboding hung over their heads now. As Grey and Stu walked up to the mast, the ship began to move without any indication of how. The sails did not move as the ship entered space, and no one cared to ask how they were breathing in space. “I’ll direct us to where we need to go,” said Grey, and no one replied.
Cobalt walked over to Elag, who for the first time in a long time, appeared to be calmer and collected than anyone else. Cobalt’s eyes felt sunken into his head, and his five o’clock shadow had now become a beard on his tired and dirty face. He had his cloak over his head, so the hood hung down around his forehead. “Elag,” he began, but the boy replied before he could finish.
“I’m alright Cobie,” he said. “I know what has to happen now.”
Cobalt felt stunned and unsure what this meant. “Elag, I know that this has been a terrible journey. I know that you’re scared.”
“No, I’m not scarred. Not anymore. I’m sorry that you all have been put through this.”
Once again, Cobalt was left unsure. “No, it’s us who are sorry. I’m sorry for dragging you through this. I’m sorry for what we have to do now. It’s going to be alright, I promise you. I made that promise already, and I’m sticking to it.”
“I know Cobie,” said Elag. “You’ve been the greatest people I’ve ever known. Thank you for everything. It’s going to be Ok.”
“Elag, what’s wrong?” said Cobalt, “I know things have been rough, but we’ll get through it. We won’t let it end the way he wants it too.”
Elag was silent for a moment. “What is going to happen is going to happen.”
“No,” said Cobalt. “There is no destiny, do you hear me? There is no certain future. You have to understand that. Destiny is nothing, it’s false. There is only choices. I know you’ve been through a lot, but you have to keep going. Don’t give up on me Elag. Don’t give in to some…destiny. You have to choose. Please.”
Elag looked at him, and nodded.
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Grey Birdboy noticed it too. Elag was acting differently than before, and it was strange. Instead of being scarred as he should have been he seemed indifferent to what was going on around him. Invisible Brainiac stood next to Grey. He too had not said a word since the fight with Tarquin.
Arachne joined them. “I know what you’re thinking IB, and I’m going to tell you right now: do not feel guilty about what happened. In our line of work, there is a fine line we all walk, and we’ve all sworn never to do unnecessary cruelty to another person. But that bastard had it coming. You had no choice, and with your friends possibly dead and a boy’s life on the line, your instincts kicked in and took over. And it’s better to listen to your instincts if it means saving lives. Now look at me.” IB looked her in the eyes, and she stared back coolly. “We won’t talk any more of it. But when you remember this day, remember that you saved a boy’s life.”
IB nodded. “Ok.” Arachne smiled. She began to walk away. “Thanks Al,” he said. She nodded back.
“And so we finish it,” said Grey in what felt like a whisper, as IB stayed silent. Now Lardy joined them. “The dark mage Septimus.”
“The man who fears the world so much he wants to destroy it,” said Lardy, reciting the description of Septimus he had heard so much.
“Funny thing fear…” said Grey, “…when it drives you to become what you fear the most. Elag is full of it now. But can anyone truly put a price on security? How long do we have to pretend we can beat what we fear into submission before we stop swinging blindly?”
Neither Lardy or IB spoke.
Grey continued. “Septimus is his name. It quite literally means “seven”. In the book I read, it says that Septimus was named because he was the seventh son of his parents, the preceding six all having names along the same lines. A prophecy spoke of the seventh son of a seventh son being a great terror that would be unleashed on man. By chance or luck, or maybe even fate, Septimus inherited this unfortunate curse. They feared him his whole life, and all he ever knew as a boy was pain and death. One day, he fought back hard enough to repay their terror in kind, but tenfold. And ultimately the prophecy was correct—he did bring a great terror. Because of meaningless fear. Strangely, this same fear seems to be the usher of a different but strangely similar situation. I, for one, am tired of letting fear and destiny rule my life.” Grey turned to them and nodded, and went to find some way of rest on the terrible ship.
Lardy looked at IB and smiled. IB responded and added “we’re almost there now, aren’t we.”
Lardy looked ahead. “I think we’ve already figured everything out that is going to be of any use to us. But in literal terms…it’s almost over now.”
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A lone building barred the path on the strange stream they now floated on. At some point, they entered some strange planet where there didn’t seem to be any light. Dark hills went on for miles, and the grass seemed to be some reddish brown color of drying mud. Small huts and tents were scattered across the landscape and a race of people were unfortunate enough to live on the planet. The lifeless eyes of the inhabitants here spoke one thing: this was a place were hope was a thing of distant memory.
The building appeared to be some sort of old religious structure, possibly abandoned. On closer inspection there were people living there, as men women walked around in plain brown robes not speaking to one another. Lash spotted one man carrying water and reckoned that a viable source of water was really all that was needed before the journey came to an end.
Magically, Stu stopped the ship from moving, and Lash, Cobalt and Lardy got off to ask if there was any way they could get water. Once they entered the building though, they wished they hadn’t. It was a monastery and all the inhabitants were hard at work, trying not to be bothered by what suddenly felt like the petty problems of the universe.
“Can I help you? said a voice, as a tattered old man joined them.
“We’re looking for water sir,” said Lash, “we’ve been on quite a journey and were hoping you could spare some.”
“Of course,” said the old man, who looked at Lardy and Cobalt. He looked back at Lash. “It appears young man, that you are the one who is least in need of help at moment. Let me get your water.”
None of the three said a word, as Lardy and Cobalt looked at one another quizzically. The man returned right after. As he approached, Cobalt felt his strange new powers flare up instantly and then subside again. It had a soothing affect and Cobalt felt a strange feeling of release as the man stood next to him.
“Thank you,” said Lash as he grabbed a few jugs of water.
The man looked at Cobalt and Lardy. “My boys, believe me, one day, it will all be alright.”
Wondering if the old man was crazy or talking nonsense, the three walked back to the ship.
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Act V
The Man Who Feared the World
The castle stood strait up into the air and had no windows or doors in sight. Only a balcony high up near the top indicated that there was any entrance to it, although the LMBers knew that entering that way was probably the worst idea they could have.
A chill seemed to be in the air, and the anticipation of this event had filled them up with enough anxiety to make them all wish they were somewhere else. As the ship moved quietly along the water, dread began to fill them. The air grew thicker and the sunless sky suddenly felt very hot on their faces. Silence beamed loudly at them.
Quietly, two large doors appeared on the side of the castle in a place where they could not have been two seconds before. They opened. Looking down at their feet, each LMBer said a soft word or two to themselves to remind themselves what it was they were fighting for.
Cobalt held onto Elag who didn’t seem to be nervous at all. Quietly, the ship entered.
[ June 24, 2004, 11:06 PM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
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The gifts Stu had created for Lash, Arachne and Elag shined brightly as darkness surrounded them on all sides. Stu whispered the first spell that he had committed to memory and a large purple ball appeared around him and Elagabolus, as a shield against magical spells ensured their protection. Elag also had the various gifts Stu had created for him: bracers and a vest to make sure it was near to impossible for him to be damaged by any weapons.
Skeletons lined the walls of the docking space, and before anyone could figure out what they were going to do, things started happening at a quicker rate. Stu spoke out loud, barking out orders, but it was hard to hear what was going on. A low-pitched noise began echoing in the hallways, until it continually grew louder and louder to the point where it resembled a high-pitched scream. A spear flew at them somewhere and it began. Lardy erupted as Lardforce sprayed everywhere, and the LMBers began the fight of their lives.
Stu held Elag close and let loose a series of fireballs and lightning bolts that cleared the way for a path to unfold itself before them. Lash and Arachne used the skills that had saved them so far and made their way through the skeletons confident in their abilities. Cobalt and Grey flew into the sky and began unleashing their fury amidst the yelling and war cries that were on both sides of the fight. Lardy and Invisible Brainiac let loose their powers with no remorse for the damage in their wake.
All at once, things were too chaotic for anyone to know what was going on. Skeletons and zombies poured out of ever direction, and Cobalt remembered why he had picked the most powerful LMBers to be present among them. Debris and bone littered the hallways and the castle felt the full fury of a war.
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Cobalt Kid flew through a hallway ripping it apart along with any undead monstrosities he came across. After what seemed like a long time, he began to come to his sense and start looking to see if he could find any of his friends. Up ahead, he heard noises and quickly made his way there.
He saw Lash, whipping through a series of undead dragon creatures that were large and terrifying, but seemed to be unable to present any type of threat to Lash. That seemed to accurately describe everything they were coming across, although Septimus’ goal was obvious to anyone who thought about it: he wanted to tire them out to the point of exhaustion before making any move.
“There you are Cobie! We seem to have lost everyone,” said Lash.
“Yeah, this castle is huge. They might be up ahead,” responded Cobalt, as the two moved to a light up ahead.
It hit them hard in the chest like the wind had been knocked out them completely. There he stood, present among them for the first time. The Wizard who feared the world so much, he wished to see it destroyed. Black sunken eyes and greasy black hair detailed his hard ashen face. A curt smile crossed his lips. He held a chalice in his hand, but otherwise appeared weaponless.
“Welcome to my home,” he said, “you’ve brought me a prize I’ve long desired. I appreciate saving me the trouble to come looking for him again.” Strangely, he turned the cup on its side and poured all the water out of it onto his hand. “You two have the rather unfortunate pleasure of being the first to meet me. I assure you, you won’t be the last. But the boy does seem to care for you. So in that respect, you are not totally useless.
Lash suddenly fell to one knee, as Cobalt followed suit. He wanted to lay on his back to get some air into his lungs—it felt like he couldn’t breath at all. He tried coughing as hard as he could, but nothing came out. What was wrong? Why did his lungs hurt so badly?
“That is what it feels like to drown,” Septimus said, “or so I’m told. One of the more painful ways to die. One of most difficult because it leaves you feeling utterly helpless. Something the boy will learn in time.”
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Iron Rat clutched Elag close to him. The magical shield was holding up fine, but it was beginning to seem like the endless armies of skeletons would take days to destroy, and he was bound to grow tired sooner or later. Arachne and Grey Birdboy were close to him, although he lost everyone else in the early stages of the fray. Elag seemed too calm for what was going on around him, but he heard the boy gasp enough to satisfy his fear that Elag was going to do something rash. He seemed to be normal again, if normal meant being a child scarred for his life.
Arachne hurried across the ceiling using her webbing to take away any mobility that Septimus’ servants had. By now a large group of death knights, the same type of monster that a large group of LMBers had trouble with on Legion World was now attempting to join the fray from an obscure passage way into the hall. Where once this may have caused one of them to falter, the death knights appeared to be nothing more than another in a series of underlings that stood between the LMBers and their target. -------------------
LardLad and Invisible Brainiac marched through their own corridor, blasting away at everything that moved near them. IB had never let loose like this before for such an extended period of time, and he was surprised at how good it felt. It was hard keeping up with Lardy, who marched up ahead of him with ease. Lagging behind, IB felt very tired suddenly.
He stopped for a moment, and looked around. The world felt strange and he suddenly smelt smoke. The smoke was a pleasant fragrance, like the smoke from a pipe or from old newspapers. He felt drowsy. His mouth began to dry a little, and he could have sworn it tasted like he had bitten into an orange or a sweet piece of fruit. He opened his eyes suddenly and saw a dark haired figure staring at him with black eyes and hard lines under his eyes that indicated that the man had not slept in a long time. “Come boy,” said the voice in a whisper, “learn what happens to pups who enter my home.”
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IB opened his eyes and knew instantly that this is what horror meant. Directly across from him was Cobalt Kid, his cloak and shirt ripped off into shreds in the corner. He had been severally beaten and lashed with a whip, so that fresh blood oozed down his torso.
Lash Lad was next to him, equally tortured, although he looked strait ahead, not budging his eyes, as if to will himself to stay awake.
IB then felt the pain in his own shoulders and knew that he too had been severally punished while he was out cold. He did not realize that fresh salt had been placed inside his open wounds, and that Septimus has seared a hot poker across his young flesh. All Invisible Brainiac knew was that he could not find enough air to speak. He was choking on his own horror.
He then heard a slow and steady breathing, and turned to see the master of the terror that no confronted them. Septimus himself. The old wizard looked like they all had known him to look—long black hair, and a tired worn out face, like someone who had been looking too long into the sun. His finger nails were longer than they should have been, and IB saw that he had purple blotches on his cheeks and down his neck. As if he too was another of the undead corpses that roamed so freely in the halls of his castle. He stared at IB, with dark black eyes, and no emotion crept across his face.
“Awake child…” he began, “your friends have been waiting for you.”
“IB, don’t talk,” said Cobalt out loud. Septimus’s face broke out into a grin.
“Please, don’t,” Septimus added to Cobalt’s statement. “In all honesty, I don’t care whether you scream or don’t, since I have enough experience in the matter to know the pain will be far beyond excruciating.” “In fact,” he continued, “it’ll be far more excruciating for those who will be watching,” he grinned, turning so that his eyes meant Lash and Cobalt’s.
“Be as snide as you want,” said Lash to his face, “but I dare you to test it on me.”
“I think not young man,” said Septimus, “although it’s very brave of you to offer yourself instead of your young friend. No…” he added, “I think the only way to end this boy’s pain is for you to call to your friends and tell them to surrender the boy.”
Septimus turned to Invisible Brainiac again. He lifted a hot poker in his hand, and slowly placed it on IB’s naked chest. It seared hot, and IB choked on the pain, turning his head left and right to shake it away.
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Iron Rat continued on, holding Elababolus close to himself, and saw Grey Birdboy and Arachne ahead. They were fighting them off in droves, and the never ending army still seemed to have no end in sight.
What is it, he though, that will keep this unholy army in check long enough for them to finally confront their dark master? And then, something seemed to click for him. They were unholy, and he had heard this mass of skeletons and zombies described that way before. By Garin Loremaster, the elf they had meant in the green during the first leg of their journey. Garin had given Stu a flash of Holy Water and told them it would be the greatest weapon against these monsters…
Stu clutched the small flask, and noticed Elag looking on strangely devoid of the horror that the rest of them were feeling. The flask seemed too small to do much, although he felt his spirits rising. Opening it, he called out as loudly as he could to his fellow LMBers.
“Al, Grey! Move!”
He opened the flask, expecting drops to poor out. Instead it was like a stream, or rather, a large river, cascading forth throughout the halls. Instantly, the holy water moved forward, growing in thickness, so that it burned through the feet of the undead armies that lay between the two sets of LMBers. With their feet burnt off, the skeletons fell forward or backward into the growing river and instantly dissolved.
Now, Iron Rat realized, was the time to make some kind of powerplay. Handing Elag to Arachne and Grey Birdboy, who were quickly by his side, Stu instinctly turned back into an animal, this time into a rat, his most powerful form. “Fides!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, calling on the faith he had on his own willpower to make his spell as strong as it could be. Instantly, a bright golden glow surrounded him, although he quickly forced it to turn a bright sickly shade of red. “Katalepsis” he said in what sounded like a hoarse whisper, and the red glow shot out in every direction the hallway went into.
Throughout the castle, the undead became ‘possessed’, although in the way Stu’s ancient spell permitted it. They were possessed in that they no longer had any will to do anything. And because they were creatures long deprived of life, their lack of will ended their existence. Falling to the ground, one in four joined the other undead that were now burning in a holy cascade of fire water that scorched the evil in the castle.
Grey scooped Stu into his arms, the rat unable to change out of his form. Arachne held Elag close, wondering, “where are our friends?”
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Cobalt looked on in horror, as IB struggled through the most intense pain he may ever feel. Septimus was a bastard, and this would never be forgotten. Cobalt tried desperately to access his new powers, to figure out someway to reach into IB’s soul and heal him. But he could not, his powers somehow blocked by the more proficient mage that now stood sickeningly between them.
Before IB awoke, Septimus had gone to work on Lash and Cobalt. The physical pain was immense, and lesser men would have broke. But Lash had a will of pure iron, and Cobalt was used to this kind of torture. He had endured it once before for months on end, and came out of it a better man. Septimus had now turned to a far deadlier kind of torture, one purely mental.
Cobalt recalled what had just happened moments ago. Septimus seemed to reach into their minds, both at the same time. He recalled their most private moments and gleefully exposed what was they had hid away in the dark recesses of their minds.
He began with Lash. Lash had long ago renounced his retcon powers, but later learned that a Lash from an alternate reality that did not renounce them became the Time Mouse Trapper, one of the LMB’s greatest foes. “Was Lash evil as well?” asked Septimus. “Did he secretly wish for that kind of power at his finger-tips?” “Was he tired of the LMB, of having to deal with their pettiness and infighting? Could he handle more years of having to baby them and deal with their constant coming and going, while he, the founder, was left to make sure the LMB lived on?” All these Septimus asked, and Lash did not break.
Lash smiled at him, and encouraged him to continue. “Don’t hold back, Sep! Get personal!” he laughed. “Aren’t you concerned about my sex life? Ask me about that one time I was too drunk—“
When it became clear that Lash would take too long to break, Septimus moved on to his other target, and eventually found what he was looking for. He stared at Cobalt and recognized some degree of pain there, something that Cobalt could not hide no matter how hard he tried—or pretended to try. “Do you remember the fear of being tortured?” he began, “do you remember the pain of Dr. Hoffman’s cell? Do you remember how you began to long for your torturer to visit you, so you weren’t alone anymore? How embarrassing!”
“Don’t budge, Cobie,” said Lash. Cobalt nodded. He would not.
Septimus renewed his fun. “You’ve killed a man, Cobalt Kid. What kind of hero do you think you are? You’re a killer. You’re like me. You’re like Dr. Hoffman, your supposed arch-nemesis. You too are one and the same. You’re a scared little boy, like Elagabolus, who will not accept that deep down…he is a killer.”
“Go to hell,” replied Cobalt.
And now Septimus realized what it would take to break him. “If I can’t destroy you, I can give you what you want. I can fix your problem my friend. I don’t want to hurt the boy, you realize. What do you care if this boy, this problem of you and your friends, joins me? I can give you what you need. I can give you her.”
As Lash prepared to speak, he suddenly found that he could not. All was quiet.
“How long has it been since you’ve seen her? You must miss her dearly. Imagine, your friends never even truly realized that you two were finally at peace. That there was some closure, that you two were actually, in love. She’s dead now. Space Tart, your dear Fiona, is dead,” continued Septimus, now looking into his eyes. “But time and space are things that have no control over me.”
Now Cobalt looked up, and the two gazed grimly.
“I can give you her. She is dead to you, but not to me. Time is nothing to one such as I. You can have your dear Space Tart back…if I can have Elagabolus.”
And Septimus turned, and with a wave of the hand, a large portal grew, appearing like blue green mist with did not swirl but rippled. “This is the moment of her death. This is the moment she was lost. I will give you this moment. All you have to do is ask.”
Cobalt snapped back to the present, seeing IB being tortured. The portal was feet away from him. Spacey was feet away from him. Things didn’t seem real anymore. Where was this journey taking him?
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The pain became so much for Invisible Brainiac, that for a few moments, he stopped feeling anything at all. Random thoughts began entering his mind. How could Septimus’ eyes be black, when no one’s eye color had that hue? When was the last time he ate anything but elf bread? Did he remember to keep enough money saved so he could take Sara out to the Beacon when he got home? Why was he wearing this amulet around his neck?
Suddenly, as the pain began rushing back to him, he realized that this last question was the one that he so desperately needed to answer. The amulet, which clung tightly to his neck, had been given to him by the LMBP Spectre. She had promised him that he could always find his way home with it instantaneously. For some reason, she seemed to think that he needed to stay alive at all costs, as if some important future lay ahead of him.
Yet, the thought of leaving his friends didn’t seem to be worthwhile. How could he leave them now, of all times? He could get help. They certainly needed it. And if the Spectre told him he needed to live, he didn’t have much of an argument. He looked up, and saw Lash’s face, which had a single tear rolling down it. Lash was shedding a tear at the sight of IB’s torture. And then he knew.
“Stop.” He said, not loud, but not soft.
Septimus stopped, with surprise and shock on his face. “Impressive, pup.”
“Lash, Cobie, I…”
“It’s Ok IB,” said Lash, “we know.”
Cobalt nodded.
“Ok.” Said IB. “Take me home Spectre.”
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Invisible Brainiac closed his eyes, and then felt relief, as the straps that were holding him upright vanished. Then immense pain as the blood began rushing back into his arms and legs. He vomited.
When he opened his eyes, he was in the Hall of the Fallen Heroes, the home of the LMBP Spectre. He could not stand. He could not yell.
Help. He tried to say. Nothing would come out. HELP. Nothing. He was so close, but he couldn’t move. Now he felt that tears were coming, but he was too exhausted for even that.
And then amazingly, the statue of Space Tart fell over, right next to him.
BOOM. It shook the ground. IB looked into the statue’s eyes. In the backround, he thought his eyes played tricks on him, as if a green cloak flapped in the wind.
Beagle Boy ran in immediately, scouting the area to see what happened.
“What the--?! Are you OK?!” he shouted.
Outdoor Miner teleported in six seconds later. “Beagle Boy, that’s Invisible Brainiac! The LMB who went missing! We thought he was with the others!”
“I’ll run him over,” said Beagz, but OM cut him off.
“No, he looks too hurt. Here, IB, I’ll teleport us to Dr. One’s lab,”
Suddenly, as if the anxiety of going home was gone, IB found he could speak again, although barely.
“I was with them,” he said hoarsely. “They need help.”
End Act V Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Act VI
Choices
In the blink of an eye, Invisible Brainiac was gone.
Finally, the LMBers saw the rage and hatred that they knew existed in Septimus. He erupted in anger, and the rafters shook, as if his voice controlled the wind itself.
“You!” He screamed at Lash and Cobalt. “What right do any of you have to interfere with the business of things far beyond any of you?! How dare you attempt to look me in the eye?! I, who have lived centuries, and beaten far greater than any of you!” He threw the hot poker to the ground, and crossed the room to them. “That young one’s audacity will be taken out in your flesh,” he added, gaining his former calm.
“Hey Septimus,” said Lash. “Do us a favor and shut the fuck up. Ok?”
Cobalt laughed. “What does a guy do in a tower all day anyway? With all dead people?”
Now Lash turned to Cobalt. They were both back in high spirits, knowing IB somehow disspeared. “Ewwwwwwwww! I never would have signed on this mission if I knew we were fighting a necrophiliac!”
Septimus’ face went immediately blank. No longer grinning or showing anger, he glared at them. He dropped his robe, showing his withered torso, so that only his pants and boots remained on his body. His body was chalk-white with purple blotches, and he looked slimy and filthy. “I see that you will laugh in the face of death,” he spoke quickly, “I applaud you. We will see if your friends will match it.”
Opening a small pouch, Septimus picked up a pinch of powder. He now turned, and his eyes grew thinner. Lash and Cobalt knew that their moment was at hand.
CRASH!
The wall exploded and bricks went everywhere, as Lard Lad entered the fray. “You two weren’t planning on dying alone, were ya?!” he roared, as he used his lardforce to rip the cavern in half.
“Fool!” yelled Septimus, instinctly setting the room ablaze.
“Fool? Maybe, but I’ve been waiting for this battle for months it seems, and I’m tired of all this talkin’!”
Lardy used his lardforce like a green lantern’s ring, trying to swat Septimus aside, while dodging his fireballs, which the wizard now hurled.
A piece of debris came close to Lash’s hand, and that was all he needed. Grabbing it, he was quickly free in one hand, and then his whole body. Within seconds, he was cutting Cobalt down. “Good ol’ Lardy,” he smiled, “he knows how to make an entrance…”
As Lash turned to the fight, Cobalt looked into the portal that lay before him. This might be his chance. He could save Spacey. But…what about Elag?
“Do it.” Said a voice, and instantly, Cobalt knew Elag was in his head. Their connection, Cobalt suddenly realized, was far stronger than they had ever thought. “DO IT!!” screamed Elag, so loud that Cobalt almost fell.
“N-no…” said Cobalt, but Elag’s voice grew louder. “Save her, Cobie! Please!”
Cobalt leaped through the portal.
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Lard Lad quickly destroyed the room that hosted Septimus’ ancient torture equipment, and the walls to the room subsequently came down too. Septimus, however, was unlike any foe Lard Lad had ever faced.
Opening his mouth, he breathed a black smog into the air, which seemed to pull all the oxygen away from Lardy and Lash. “Hahahahaha!” raved the wizard, at last revealing how mad he had truly gone, “give me the battle I have so desperately been waiting for these last centuries!”
As Lardy and Lash tried to breath, Septimus’ next spell was unleashed as large black wasps began filling the room—although from where, neither could tell. The wasps buzzed in way that would make any man or woman fall down in fear, as their humming echoed in the ears of the LMBers. They stung continually, and did not fall after a sting, but only continued to kill what ever living flesh was near them. Before long, it was unclear what blackness was in front of them, the smog, or the dark black hue of the wasps.
Septimus cackled some distance away, reveling in the moment.
But once more, the LMBers made another grand entrance. A gust of wind knocked the smog and the winds away, as Iron Rat summoned his willpower to blast the room clear. On the other side of the wall, Arachne had erected an enormous web, so that every wasp that touched it, no matter how lightly, did not move again. As the dust began to settle, Grey Birdboy took the spear that he had clutched the whole journey, and hurled at the throat of Septimus.
It missed, but it had the effect Grey wished it to have. It enraged Septimus to the point that the wizard no longer took this as a game. Dodging out of the way, the wizard floated to the middle, not noticing that Elagabolus was not even with them, or that Grey and Arachne were blocking the entrance they had made to the cavern—and were doing so with their lives.
Lard Lad and Lash Lad, on pure instinct, stumbled in their direction. Iron Rat, by now back in human form, rose into the air to meet the dark wizard.
Now was the time for a wizard’s dual.
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Willpower and intelligence, the two most important things for any wizard. And both of these had them both in spades. Septimus, one of the strongest to ever live, and Iron Rat, one the greatest of the newer generation.
The battle exploded between the two, and sparks erupted inside the room, inside their minds, and far beyond to other planes that no one else could visit. Arachne looked on in shock, amazed at the light and fire being shot out, and at the velocity which each spell was being hammered out.
Immediately Septimus tried to make it a dual that Stu would remember. There are very few spells that kill with one blast, but Septimus knew all of them. He balanced each spell he used with one of these kills spells, to make sure that Stu knew how serious this was.
The Rat Mage fought back using the skill he had learned in his travels, and ripped a variety of enchantment and charms to make Septimus’ own castle work against him. This worked, but it left Septimus with the upper hand, giving the wizard more time to concoct the spells he needed to physically tear Stu asunder.
Fire was the first choice, but it quickly evolved into a cascade of lighting and frost, until the invocations became things that resembled green tentacles and yellow oozed that turned solid flesh to liquid death. Stu reacted by turning himself into an eagle, to better concentrate on his spells and become a harder target to hit. Septimus seemed to wither away with each more difficult spell, willing to sacrifice his own flesh if it would allow him to kill these young heroes.
Finally, a thought occurred to him, and he acted on it. “Undead warriors, those who still live!” he screamed aloud, appearing more crazy than ever. I release you! Go and accomplish this final task and you may go to whatever end you wish! Go and kill all who live near this castle! Bring misery and pain! Make all who die the martyrs of this LMB!” Instantly, the remaining warrior horde of undead began exiting the castle.
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In an instant, Grey Birdboy knew what had to be done. Lardy had stumbled over and regained his senses, and he now scooped up Elagabolus in his arms, making sure to hold onto the boy for dear life. Strangely, thought Grey, the boy seemed neither scared nor happy.
But there wasn’t enough time to worry about that now. Stu was holding Septimus off right now, and Lardy had Elag. Arachne, Lash and himself were helping as best they could, the battle was now out of their hands. The remaining portion of Septimus’ undead army was leaving the castle, with orders to kill any living person that they encountered, and Grey knew that there was a monastery and scattered peasants living throughout the entire area. Someone had to stop that army.
They were the LMB, after all, and they took care of all problems. There was no way he’d lose sight of that now, and no way he’d let this army roam free while they destroyed the wizard, no matter how vital it was. Innocents were on the line. Time to get to work.
Grey turned to Arachne and Lash, who already seemed to get the picture. Lash looked exhausted and weak, but hid it as best he could. Arachne looked completely serious and determined, as if suddenly fresh and ready to end this. Her attitude was contagious, and suddenly Grey felt that they could finish the army off for good.
“Let’s go Grey,” she said, turning into a spider and hopping on his shoulder.
“Let’s end this,” he replied.
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Lardy watched on, as Septimus and Stu battled a war that would echo in eternity among wizards and mages. He held Elag tightly, and said a quick prayer that this would soon be over. IB was gone, he had gotten that much, and Cobalt suddenly seemed to disappear too. Lash, Grey and Arachne were going to save as many lives as they could, so it was up to him to protect Elag. He would not fail.
“Lard Lad,” said Elag suddenly. “You need to help Stu.” Lardy realized that this was the first time the boy had spoken in awhile.
“Elag, I’m going to stay here and protect you. Don’t worry.”
“No Lardy…” said the boy, visibly getting upset. “He needs you. Go help him! Please!”
“Elag…”
“Lardy, don’t let him die! I promise I won’t go anywhere! Please!”
Lard Lad was quiet for the briefest moment, and then slowly nodded. He felt compelled to help him, as if Elag was pushing him with more than just words. But he was needed out there. After all, he wasn’t going to let an LMB brother die…
Iron Rat continued blasting at Septimus, who attacked back with a ferociousness that he had not felt in centuries. Quickly, Lard Lad entered the battle. Now, with the two most powerful LMBers present together, the battle evened up.
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Cobalt stepped through the portal, and immediately was gone. And just as immediate, he realized that Elag had forced him through the portal. Their connection was broken completely, and their powers were separated for good. Cobalt was the healer, Elag was the one to bring destruction. And Cobalt realized that Elag had been manipulating them a little all along. He was a scared little boy, and he really just wanted to be safe. But how could they have sent him out into danger, or into the possible hands of Septimus? Cobalt knew that Elagabolus was good, and that he was not destined to be evil. He finally felt it for the first time and really knew that he believed it. But he knew now that Elag influenced their decisions, particularly his own. He needed to feel safe and secure, but what price were they all going to pay now?
It was too late for all that, he was through the portal. The knowledge of this hit him like a punch in the stomach. This was where Space Tart died. This is where he lost his wife. Like a bucket of cold water was poured on his face, Cobalt’s magnetism kicked in, and he quickly flew through whatever was between them. It was entropy of some kind, some type of naturally force that was eating matter as it touched it. He had read Eryk Davis Ester’s reports on how Legion World was created, and knew that it had something to do with a search for a home, after a variety of homes (including the LMBers old stomping grounds) were destroyed by some evil. He knew Spacey was near.
And then he looked at his belt, and realized he should just turn on his LMB omni-com. He heard the voices and knew he was right. It was Eryk Davis Ester on one end, new to the LMB, and Space Tart on the other.
“Space Tart, come home! Immediately! It’s too dangerous out there! We have to give this world up!”
“No!” yelled back Space Tart, and Cobalt felt like a bullet hit him. It was her voice. “You’re all still in danger. I won’t let you, Shady or Lucien die. Listen to me, I think I know what to do. I can save you all.”
“No!” yelled EDE, and Cobalt realized that up to this point, EDE had never met Cobalt before. “Come home now—“ he was quickly cut off by something or someone. It was Shady, she had grabbed the omni-com.
“Spacey, listen,” said Shady, “you need to come back sweetie. He’s not out there. Don’t give up. Don’t let it all go. You don’t need to make this sacrifice. We’ll figure out another way.”
“I’m sorry Shady,” said Spacey’s voice, and the omni-com went dead.
Cobalt suddenly realized that it was about to happen. Magnetically, he ripped through the clouds, staying on the brink of the entropy, trying to find the point where Spacey was. It ripped through whatever city this was, and suddenly, he realized that if Spacey did not sacrifice herself, all the people in the city would die.
He couldn’t think of that now.
And then up ahead, he saw her. There she was, her blue skin making her obvious to any who cared to look. She looked gorgeous. She looked heroic. This was her final moments, this was her death. She was beautiful. Tears rolled down Cobalt’s eyes, and he realized that he was going to die with her.
Flying full speed at her, he suddenly realized what she was doing. A dead man lay not too far away, and Cobalt knew that this was one of the infamous ‘flame-warriors’ that helped cause terrible strife in the world—which resulted in the creation of Legion World, to get away from these ‘flame-warriors’ and strife. He was dead, and Cobalt knew how. Spacey had pulled something from his ass, a power she had crudely gotten long ago. It was some type of weapon, and she was using it to destroy the entropy.
She leapt into the entropy, and the weapon ignited, as flashes of light went everywhere. Even at top speed, Cobalt was still too late. “NOOOO!” he yelled, “Spacey, no!” He too, flew into the entropy.
They had mere moments, he knew it. “Spacey, don’t! Don’t go! Don’t die! Not yet!”
“Cobie?” she said, bewildered, wondering if this was some sort of illusion brought on by certain death. “You came back for me?” she smiled. “I missed you…”
They began fading away with the entropy, and Cobalt realized that neither his magnetism or healing powers would save him now. And then…
…the spell kicked back in, and the portal reopened. Cobalt and Space Tart quickly fizzled out of the entropy, and reappeared six months in the future. They were both alive.
Above, Septimus rained meteor swarms on Lardy and Iron Rat.
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Lard Lad and Iron Rat dueled with Septimus, although even their combined might seemed to be little match for his power. The battle was stalemated at best, although the more Septimus withered away, the stronger he appeared to get.
Below, Cobalt Kid reappeared, with Space Tart clutched in his arms. Space Tart had been in the entropy for a long time, and her life was slowing ebbing away. She was dying. Had he saved her, and risked so much, just to lose her now. His new found powers kicked in, and he wondered how strange it was that he suddenly have these amazing powers when he needed them most. A familiar blue aura surrounded him, and began healing Space Tart as best he could, trying to repair the physical damage that had been done her, as well as the mental and spiritual in whatever way he could. It was better now, he realized, it was all going to work out. It was meant to be. He had these powers for a reason.
Elagabolus watched all of this, and felt a strange feeling of satisfaction. They had come a long way, and he was no longer scared. He was sure now, that he would never be scared again. He watched the man who had horrified him for so long, Septimus, shirtless and raving like a lunatic, drunk on his own power. Elagabolus felt his own power boiling under his skin, itching to come out, and he knew deep down that he had no need to fear Septimus or anyone ever again. He knew that he could destroy Septimus.
Finally, Lard Lad fell. Long since drained, Lardy could no longer face a thread that he was so unaccustomed to fighting. He had weakened Septimus immensely, and fought as valiantly as he ever had before. Now Stu and Septimus raged on, Stu back in human form, and both wizards with feet planted firmly on the ground. It almost appeared that they would fight with bare hands if need be, but neither had the energy to lift their arms past their chests.
Elagabolus began moving forward. Lardy looked up, and a look of first astonishment, and then the need to stop the boy overtook his face. Elag looked down at him, and put his hand on Lardy’s shoulder. He continued. Stu faced off against Septimus still, although it was clear that victory was no longer on his side. Septimus continued to slice through Stu’s skin with lightning blasts, singing whatever flesh remained unburnt. Suddenly, Stu realized that Elag was so close.
Cobalt continued healing Space Tart, not knowing what was happening, and Elag looked in his direction briefly. With one look, Lardy realized that Elag was making sure that Cobalt did not know.
Finally, Septimus realized the boy was near. He smiled an evil, old grin.
“Come boy, meet your destiny! Fulfill it!”
Elag looked up. “You’re scared of the whole world,” he said. Stu fell to one knee. “I wont’ be scared of anything ever again.”
Elagabolus suddenly grasped Septimus by the calf muscle, as tight as he could. Before Septimus could react, the red aura that surrounded Elag when he used his powers of destruction exploded throughout the room. Months of fear and anger came rushing out, and the power that boiled under his skin now boiled outside of it.
Septimus looked in terror, as the boy quickly burnt his leg asunder, and the red destruction swept through his whole body. The boy looked at him, and his eyes glistened like freshly polished steel. Finally, a grim look of satisfaction overcame the old wizard. “Give it to me boy…give me my answer…”
Septimus was gone. Ashes remained.
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“Elag, no!” screamed Stu. “NOOOO!” he yelled again. This time, Cobalt heard it, and turned around. Lard Lad looked up.
Space Tart gave a crying breath, and life fled back into her. She was alive. Cobalt had healed her. She was safe.
Cobalt quickly realized that things were happening very quickly. He ran to Elag. Elag noticed that he no longer looked tired and sad. He looked young and restless.
“Elag, what happened?! Are you Ok?!” he said.
Stu interjected. “Elag, no! Stop…” he said, realizing it was over. Elag had killed Septimus. The red aura remained around Elag, and they all knew he held the power of destruction in his hands.
“Elag…” whispered Cobalt, “…I’m…so sorry.” A tear came down his face. “I…broke my promise to you. I wasn’t there for you…”
“No,” said Elag finally. “It’s better now. And I’m Ok. He’s dead. He’s gone. I’m sorry I was in your head.”
Cobalt looked at him, and a feeling of failure overwhelmed him. Elag got up, walked over and hugged him. He gave Lardy a hug too.
“Good bye,” he said, and he disappeared.
“No!” said Stu, who also disappeared.
Suddenly, red destruction rained down from Elag everywhere. It flooded the castle, destroying it, melting it into ruins. It poured through the country side, dissolving every skeleton and zombie it touched, finishing off the remains of Septimus’ army so they never walked again.
Elagabolus hovered over the castle and destroyed ever remnant of Septimus that ever existed. Destruction emanated from his hands.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Arachne gasped as something red in the distance began coming at them faster than her eyes could keep up with. Elag’s destruction flooded the forest, destroying every tree and growth it touched. Septimus’ army, which searched for innocent flesh, dissolved into nonethingness.
Before anyone could utter a word, she was in spider-form, firmly attached to Grey Birdboy’s shoulder. The had been down there destroying every undead creature they could find, but there appeared to be too many. Now all the undead were truly dead, but the three LMBers would be in a moment too if they didn’t get out of there.
Grey felt Arachne leap on and took off immediately at top speed. His wings opened up to their full width, and he flew down and scooped up Lash, who was a little ahead of them.
“Grey, I didn’t know you cared,” he smiled. Lash was covered in stings and bruises, exhausted from physical and mental torture. He needed to get home as soon as possible.
Behind them, the forest erupted into flames. Elag’s destructive force stopped short once it finished off the undead, but it appeared to have no end in sight as far as Grey, Arachne and Lash knew. Grey flew at top speed, until hitting a familiar mark along the forest. Silently, he entered the Green.
None of the three said a word, not wanting to speak about what could have happened to their friends. Lash tried to stay conscious, and Arachne went through every possible way imaginable for the rest of the LMBers getting home. Grey just flew as fast as possible for as long as possible until finding a way home. So this was the end, he wondered? He had no idea what to expect when it began, but now he wasn’t sure. Septimus was dead, he knew it in his heart. But that fire had been Elag’s. Had Septimus died in a way that caused the very thing in Elag that they were trying to prevent?
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Elagabolus hovered over the castle, watching it melt into ruins. He had a look of pale apathy on his face. He was no older than ten, yet his eyes looked to be about forty years old. Septimus was dead and gone. His castle destroyed. His armies destroyed. Elag was not scared anymore.
Instantly, Stu appeard beside him, on the ruined beams that were once the castle. It was obvious that Stu had little magic left, after that fight, and needed medical attention as soon as possible. Yet, he only looked concerned for the young boy.
“Elag, what are you doing? Why are you letting your power run so wild?” he asked, stern but also sympathetically.
“I’m destroying Septimus. So he doesn’t bother us anymore.”
“Elag, you need to stop. There isn’t any need for this destruction. Septimus deserved no better, but you need to realize what your doing.”
“No Stu, you’re wrong,” said the boy, “I do realize what I’m doing. I can destroy, it’s what you all said about me. Why shouldn’t I destroy then?”
“Elag, you can do whatever it is you like. That’s your decision to make. But you know the difference between right and wrong. We told you, and I still believe it, that you are a good person. You’re not evil.”
Elag looked at him. Neither spoke.
“Thank you for saving me,” said the boy. He looked up into Stu’s eyes, and for a second, Stu saw the scared little eyes that looked at him when he first saw the boy. Then they faded, and the cold steel eyes that replaced them returned. “I know I’m not evil. But I’m not like you and Cobie, and the LMB. I’m not good.”
Stu moved to put his hand on Elag’s shoulder instantly. How could the boy think this? He bent to hug him. Elag moved back.
“I’m sorry…” he said. Slowly, he blasted away the beams holding Stu up, causing him to fall a little, making him use his own magic to cushion his fall. Stu looked back up, and Elag was gone. Somehow the boy blinked or teleported away.
Stu flew down into the wreckage, searching for a trace of Cobalt or Lardy. And he wondered if his eyes played tricks on him and he somehow saw Space Tart. It couldn’t have been, he thought.
After sometime, he gave up. He realized, coldly, that they had gotten out, or were dead. But he needed sleep and meditation.
Making his way out of the burnt forest, Stu found the place where Elag had stopped burning the forest. All wildlife had run away. Falling down, Stu layed there, under the shade of the trees.
Elag’s journey had not ended the way Stu intended, although it now strangely appeared that Elag may have intended it to end this way all along. One’s destiny is a blurred dream, Stu knew, since it was the journey to it that really mattered. What good is an ending without the way there? Where would Elag end up now, and would he ever see him again?
Quietly, Stu fell asleep under the shade of the trees.
End Act VI Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Epilogue 1:
She wasn’t sure how long it took, but Grey kept flying through the Green until he could go no longer. Setting down, it appeared that she, Lash and he were in for a long walk, when destiny decided to give their feet a rest.
“Going for a stroll?” said a voice, and she looked up to see Varalent grinning. She almost collapsed from the relief of knowing that they had reached their journies’ end.
Varalent, the Emerald Empress, Beagle Boy, Super Lad Kid and Harbinger had been sent out to look for the missing LMBers after the return of Invisible Brainiac. While others were searching in space, this group of five settled on searching through the Green on the off-chance that they were returning that way home. They were overjoyed to see their missing friends.
Arachne walked forward and collapsed into Harbinger’s arms, unable to walk anymore. Grey did the same, so Beagle Boy and Super Lad Kid layed him down. Like all warriors who gain the knowledge that a long battle is over, the relief of it is often too much to take.
Lash needed immediate medical attention, so the Emerald Empress did what she could with her Eye until they could get him home to Dr. One’s lab. The most beloved of all LMBers, everyone was overly concerned.
When asked about the others, they did not know what to reply, saying they were unsure. They demanded to know what had happened to Invisible Brainiac, to which they were told he was resting comfortably in the hospital and recovering fine. He even seemed to have a newfound confidence, especially among Sara, although it soon became clear that he never wanted to mention what happened with Tarquin ever again. That was a story that only he could tell.
The LMBers were brought home, although not to a parade, but to a warm welcome from their friends.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Epilogue 2
Lard Lad had ‘ported them out of there the second the castle started to crumble around them. It was clear now to all of them that it would be up to Stu to reason with Elagabolus, and that things had gotten exponentially out of control.
When they reappeared, they were on the edge of the old monastery that they found on the way to Septimus’ castle. The castle was in ruins, and Elag was long gone.
Lardy was shocked to see Space Tart still alive, and as her long time friend and companion, extremely happy to see her. Still too weak to wake up, Cobalt told him what happened. However, it was obvious to see that Cobalt now felt responsible for the final turn of events in the Elagabolus/Septimus saga, and felt that his own greed in getting back Space Tart caused it. Lardy told him he was wrong, that Elag was the one who pushed for it. In a strange way, Elag sacrificed himself for Cobalt’s happiness, and he shouldn’t screw it up.
Finally, Space began to wake up. She was on the verge of death, but Cobalt’s healing powers saved her. However, when she awoke, the happiness that long awaited Cobalt was denied to him. For some reason, Space Tart’s memory was completely gone. She had no idea who she was, or who Cobalt was. Cobalt was devastated. He had saved her from the brink of death, but her memory was gone.
For two weeks, Lardy and Cobalt stayed with Spacey, telling her that her name was Fiona. The head of the monastery welcomed them and accepted them into their ranks. It soon became clear that Space Tart’s memory was not healing. It was the head monk who finally talked some sense into Cobalt.
“Her physical wounds have healed, yes, but there are wounds that exist far beyond those,” said the monk.
“You mean mental?” said Cobalt, nodding.
“Yes, but more importantly, spiritual. This young woman has been through a tremendous amount, and not just in cheating death as you have told me. She has seen her child die, her husband die, and now openly welcomed death to have it denied to her. She needs time to heal, to find herself. When she does lad,” he added, “she will remember.”
Cobalt understood what the old man meant; Fiona became a permanent resident at the monastery. She knew that Cobalt cared for her, but could not remember who he was.
Lardy left Cobalt and Spacey at the monastery, so that he too could go home. It was a long journey, and he had a personal stake in it as well. After all, was there any LMBer more concerned with destiny than he? He knew in his heart there was evil side, and he rarely spoke of it. He saw the good in Elag and the battle being waged in his heart. It reminded him of his own inner most feelings. And now Elag had crossed a line that he might never return from. It was time for Lardy to do some soul-searching of his own.
Lardy left the monastery, unsure if he would be returning to Legion World, or going off on his own for a journey. He would not fully return to Legion World until after the Dark Stu Saga.
Cobalt stayed by Spacey’s side a little longer, but realized he must return. After all, he had a life now, he had responsibilities. On his final day, the old man smiled at him. “She needs to heal now son…and she’s not the only one,” he finished, and Cobalt knew he was talking to him.
*Note*- For many months, Space Tart remained at the monastery, throughout the entire term of Stu, and then Varalent and Quislet, Esq. One day, during a session with the monk who had befriended her, she had a break through. She realized that had been denying love for too long, since the death of her child, than husband. She understood that her journey wasn’t over, that there was a better ending than death. She remembered.
One afternoon, Cobalt had a knock at his office door. He looked up and saw his wife, beautiful blue skin and wonderful eyes. And he smiled.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Epilogue 3
When Cobalt rescued Space Tart, the irony of magic lived on well beyond the life of Septimus. She would live, but with no recollection of her life with him.
Yet, magic has a larger price than that.
In order for Cobalt’s greatest love to live again, the magic that lived in Septimus decreed that his greatest and most terrible foe must also live. Time was bent. Dr. Albert Hoffman was retrieved from his final moments of life, and sent months into the future. Ironically, it as the same week that Cobalt entered Legion World for the first time that the Dr. Hoffman did. He created the guise of the Royal Inquisitor, and became a new enemy for both Cobalt and Legion World
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Epilogue 4
Stu awoke under the trees, and renewed his search for Elag. The boy was long gone. Everyone was long gone. Stu continued his search, in areas that were only accessible to him and to his kind.
Finally, he knew he’d find nothing. The only way that he’d see Elagabolus again would be for when Elag was ready himself. He had no idea how long this would be, but he knew in his heart that it would happen again.
He remembered what Esk had told Cobalt weeks earlier, that it would be Elagabolus that would bring about the destruction of the LMB. Yet, he had looked into the boy’s eyes, even at his most cold, and still saw some resemblance of the scared little kid he had come to know. In his heart, he knew that Elag’s destiny was not set in stone, and that this was only one journey along a much longer path. Whatever was supposed to happen these many years in the future, he knew they would meet it as they always did.
And that was enough.
Iron Rat returned to Legion World and resumed command of the LMB. He created a scrying crystal to alert him to whenever Elag was detected. It never once worked. But Stu never turned it off.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Epilogue 5
The sun set on Septimus’ castle, and the morning brought rain, which washed away the ash and dust that Elag had created. Septimus was gone, forever.
Elagabolus left that world with a purpose, although he could not quite put into words what that purpose was. He was different from the LMB, he knew that. But he would not be scared anymore, he’d be brave like them. He had magic, he had vast power. He needed to learn how to use it.
But he was boy, barely eleven. He had always been on his own, but he was too young to truly live on his own. He’d survive, as he always did. And one day, he’d be his own man, and he’d never need protection again.
He held on tightly to the gifts Stu had given him: bracelets of defense, a magic vest, a scarab that always shined light in dark places. One day, he wouldn’t need any of it. He’d protect himself.
The End Posted by Greybird on :
Now, THAT'S real coffee.
Bittersweet, as well. My favorite sort-of-flavor.
It sprawled, but epics tend to do that.
Thanks for a wild ride and for letting "me" take part in it.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
It's been my pleasure
It took me awhile to get to the end, but I finally did! While I'm not quite as proud of it as "Price of Security", I'm happy with the way it began and ended. I like the middle chapters to, but it was more of an action story there.
As always, thanks Grey for the comments. And thank you Sonnie, Belinda, FC, Vee, Juan, IB, Numf, and everyone else for the encouragement! It really wouldn't have been finished without you all !
I might start a "Side Notes on 'Journies and Destinies'" thread, but I'm too tired right now Posted by Sonnie Bloke on :
Awww Cobster, you've done it!! It was great and I didn't want it to end....
I loved your take on the characters, you write different people well and you populated a fabulous fantasy sci fi mish mash land with them... and it was great!
More more more!
[ July 20, 2004, 03:33 PM: Message edited by: Sonnie Bloke ]
Posted by Invisible Brainiac on :
What they said; the ending was a blast but now that it's over I want more! Wonderful work, Cobie!
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
I've actually got a cool idea for a quick ten post or so Onevision, that stems from two of the characters in this and the last story. Maybe I'll post it in one full swoop in the next few days...
Sonnie and IB, thanks . You guys (and you too Belinda and Grey!) are the best! That goes for everyone else who has provided encouragement and comments, both public and private!
Posted by Numf El on :
Just finished off reading this yesterday - fabulous, gripping stuff Cobie. An absolute EPIC!
As Sonnie said, I didn't want it to end.
Great stuff, thanks for sharing it with us. I'll look forward to your next one.
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