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+--- Thread: Destination: Desperation (/showthread.php?tid=2614)
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Destination: Desperation - Jaixe Furiael - 09-27-2015
It took only minutes to reach his destination. There were thousands of elevators strewn about the city, so it came as no surprise to Jaixe that one was so close-by to the library. Though, he wished the Taxi would take him further down. Apparently the elevators were the only permitted transit between tiers.
The elevator was large, guarded, and monitored with cameras, a tower of a security barrier to keep the tiers separate. Jaixe did not know the exact reason for such security, but he ventured a guess that it was simply to keep efficient track of those in the upper tiers, while the lower tiers could simply be ignored. Just what he would expect for the Empire.
As he stepped out of the floating yellow vehicle that transported him to the elevator, he took a quick glance around. He figured that it would be some time before he could see clear skies again, or light for that matter. This was going to be an intriguing endeavor to be sure.
He walked quickly across the metal walkway, his black boots thudding against the cold steel that kept him from the void below, eager to depart already. He had had it with the “peaceful, glorious visage of the Empire.” He wanted to see how dark this world could truly get.
The white-armored Stormtroopers that stood resolutely on either side of the wide entrance of the elevator did not stop him, probably recognizing him as a Prime and not some average civilian. When Jaixe entered the elevator, it quickly close and he felt the sudden lurch and the whirring as it descended to the tiers below.
It took a surprising amount of time to reach the third tier, having to stop ever so often for the other mindless civilians to either enter or depart from the cab. Not to even mention that each tier was truly massive in terms of vertical scale. It took tens of minutes, almost a half hour, to reach his destination, and he had one more elevator to find and ride to reach the fifth tier.
With how much time had passed, Jaixe felt somewhat irritated, with it mixing with his intrigue and comfort at how the environment got darker, smoggier, and increasingly poor and desperate. This was the city that he knew, the despair he wanted to see. However, it also made him feel yet more disconnected, as he could not truly feel the darkness surrounding him. This led to discomfort, realizing that he was merely an anomaly in this Omniverse, and the Darkness that he was so familiar with was subverted by Omni for his little game. It was not the same here. Not even remotely.
When the tiny cab of the elevator finally stopped at the fifth tier, Jaixe stepped out impatiently on the now concrete and dirty flooring of the fifth tier. All around him, it was dark, with people, cloaked and wearing ragged clothing, roaming about all around him. Just as he stepped out and started to observe his surroundings, however, he could feel a presence very close by to him, and a strange but loud whooshing sound and a surprisingly colorful blur of a figure came very close over top of him, almost throwing him off his feet as it passed over him to an area beside him. He turned to discern the source of the sudden annoyance that almost flew into him, an irritated expression gazing at the woman that landed on her feet with a loud thudding...
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Ash - 09-27-2015
Ash has been busy for the past couple of days, getting into all kinds of trouble. It was her specialty really. Even before all of this, it was hard for her to fit into groups of people, hard to get along with other's, hard for other people to accept her. Either it was her looks, her attitude, or the self-skin-saving actions over throwing herself into the bullet storm for someone she barely knew.. And really, who the heck even did that? Was the omniverse full of hero's or what? Well not her. Especially when no one's shown any real agenda to save her skin.
Even now she was up a creek without a paddle. Ok.. Maybe she didn't have a motor for the sinking ship she was riding in on, but she had sails. She had a runner, and a steering wheel. She was just headed for the whirlpool, and it looked like it might rain. But it could just be a cloudy day. Really it was just how you looked at things.
What she did exactly to have two men chasing her through a sewer tunnel, was a long story. One that was about to fill this page. The city keepers weren't very happy to find out a tiefling not only jumped off a railing in front of millions of people, but she some how broke some unspoken law to stay within the lines of the coloring book. So while it wasn't bounty worthy, they didn't like her so much anymore. They probably didn't like her even more for catching a pole on the way down with The Claw, nor did they appreciate the perfect 10 any other judge out there would have given her for sticking the landing after the show of athletic skills she did. She imagines looking a lot like a circus performer that day.
There was a bit of chase, but they seemed to care a lot less the further down she went. The sirens died down behind her, and a far more familiar sound and sight appeared before her. It even smelled familiar. It smelt like the sweat and tears of the people who bare the weight of this place on their shoulders. It sounded like gang wars for limited territory which passed hands every decade. It looked.. Like home.
Her old life had her in a cramp apartment with a bed, a bean bag, and a tiny table with a stool. She had a fridge, a bathroom, and a dresser. The television was built into the wall, and she brought along her PC from moving out of her parents. In short, she had a whole lot of nothing, and almost no where to go. So the lower tiers of Coruscant spoke to her on a deep level. But it also reminded her of the hellhole she's already crawled out of.
That's when she landed herself a meeting with Titan, some upstart who was ready to lay down the law of the underworld. He came looking for a fight, but came unarmed. No.. The two beefy body guards, covered in faded green tattoos who were cracking their knuckles, sucking their teeth, and chewing on something foul didn't count. He demanded compensation, payment for all the resources he believed she used without his permission. And the pretty red thing at her side looked like it was worth a lot of money. He wasn't wrong.. Except that he was if he thought he was getting The Claw.
And here she was, her combat boots kicking up dirty water as she sprinted down a hall like pipe. The sound of the water sloshing under her reverberating off the rounded concrete walls, she could hear Titan's bodyguards' big feet splash behind her, though muffled by the echo of her own run. At last she saw the end of the tunnel. There wasn't a whole lot of natural light down here, but there were plenty of sources of man-made light. And she was relieved to see it. Mostly because the girl thought the tunnel was going to go on forever. She grabbed the grapple hook at her side and started to swing it as she reached the illuminated end.
The Claw flung out the pipeline before anything else, it wrapped around the first thing it came in contact, and shortly after a demon looking girl in a bustle corset and choppy pants then slide out of the pipe's mouth, and her body weight shifted and she swung up, over, and just in time to catch the two body guards' poking their heads out to see what happened. She landed on top of the pipe, looped the 'rope' of her hook around their necks, and before the could comprehend what was about to happen, she kicked off the pipe and fell freely until the hair she clung to stopped abruptly.
She could feel them struggle for a short while, but everything went still. And very uncharacteristically quiet.
Ash climbed straight up the rope until she reached where her hook was still bound, wrapped around some smaller pipes, collected to run on way or the other. Carrying what she hoped was important fluids to a needed place. She grabbed the hair at the base of the hook, brought her legs up to hook onto the pipes, and then let go. In the far distance, she heard somethings very heavy fall against the metal cat walks along the side of the wall, where people inspected the pipes, and then she thought she heard something plop into the sewage waters below.
With that, she freed the hook, set it in the launcher on her wrist, and then shot in what seemed like a random direction. But she has been very busy, and knew where she was going by now. She shot the hook up a couple of times before it found the next solid concrete section, and wedged itself in between the elevator's solid walls and the nearby structure. Close behind it she followed, flying through the air arching just slightly in the air, and barely missing someone's head before twisting her body in mid air and letting gravity bring her back down to earth, where she landed with a loud thud with her back to the man she could have decapitated with her boots. With her right hand still gripping the morbid rope of her weapon, she turned to face him.
The usual unpleasant look on her face was replaced with mild curiousity as she looked at him, then twisted into an odd sense of familiarity as she recognizes the man from that day up above. Particularly the orange eyes that looked back at her. "Huh.." Was all she said, her voice having a strong hint of interest in it. She gave the hair a special yank to release her weapon, which landed harshly a couple feet, cutting the silence after that in two with a surprisingly demonic sound as the metal clashed against the concrete. "Didn't expect to see you again."
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Jaixe Furiael - 09-28-2015
And this week just keeps getting better, as it seemed to Jaixe. He glared incredulously at the young lady when she righted herself and observed Jaixe with what seemed to be a mixture of curiosity and familiarity. A blue-skinned, slender figured, horned being with a grappling hook attached to her wrist, and wearing an interesting set of colorful clothing. How lovely…
Though when she spoke as though she had seen Jaixe before, that’s when he found this whole ordeal even more irritating. He knew he had not seen her before, unless she was some changeling with an impeccable memory. “I didn’t expect to see an imitation demon come dangerously close to knocking me over, though I suppose we all have to live with such annoying surprises… whoever you are.” He spoke with a little more venom than what he intended as he continued to glare at the woman, his orange eyes glowing in the darkened area they found themselves in.
He didn’t have time for this… And given her hastiness, she was probably tracking unwanted company. Likely some upstart crime boss, given the state of affairs he had read about in the library on the first tier. Though he hoped it wasn’t to the likes of Titan or Viper, which were some the larger leaders in this sector of the city, though that wasn't saying much, and they'd probably be viewed as upstarts. Still, their relentless nature would prove irritating, and given Jaixe's fortune... He wasn't going to take that chance if he had a choice.
“I don’t know you and you likely have me confused for some other person who can tolerate your rudeness.” Jaixe stated coldly, and then turned to walk down the concrete walkway with an annoyed atmosphere surrounding him.
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Ash - 09-28-2015
Ash smirked at his remark. 'Imitation Demon' That's a new one. She began to collect her Claw by rolling up the rope and dragging the metal across the stone floor just a couple times before it reached her feet and she bent over casually to pick it up and then put the whole thing on her belt which held a hook for her hook. She did this while he snapped back at her and turned to leave. "Oh.. Now who's being rude?" She said with a smirk, then with long legs she casually followed him, the strings of her pants lightly smacking the denim cloth.
"Of course you don't know me." She started, so he knew she was near by still. "We weren't introduced or anything, not like that was my fault." Still wasn't, as he was walking away from her now. "But there's not a lot of people around with your eyes." She started. Sure that was almost the only thing she remembered about him. Was he always this tall? He looked shorter last time. Maybe it was the distance. She had been pretty far away. But there was something she remembered from before that he couldn't hide, change, or deny. "No one has the aura that you do either." She explained, throwing her hands behind her head now, and walking along with him like they were already friends, companions, partners... Whatever it was that they looked like from some other view, her casual steps and his dark mood.
Aura might not be the right word for it either.. Because its not like she could see it. She felt it though. Actually.. She was drawn to it. It felt... Right.
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Jaixe Furiael - 09-28-2015
Again with the aura-sensing? Clearly I’m missing something in that regard… Jaixe thought, as he suddenly stopped just short of reaching the metal walkway that lined the rusted, dirty steel tower that held the framework for the elevator, and connected to neighboring buildings as something akin to a sidewalk. He turned to glare at the woman, his feet scrapping against the concrete, and his eyes boring into her with annoyance clearly evident. This woman seemed far too relaxed, seeing as she so casually attached herself to him just on the basis of a unique eye color and atmosphere. Jaixe’s glaring expression due to such thoughts could be best described as anything but amused, as he concluded that dealing with her quickly would be the best option.
“What do I care for what others have or don’t, let alone your ability to discern it?” He inquired rhetorically and sharply. He observed her nonchalant posture and the casualness with how she addressed him with increasing frustration, though he felt that he pieced part of the puzzle regarding her already. “I have limited time and patience for dealing with other Primes, so if you have something pertinent to say, speak. Otherwise, I suggest you leave.” Jaixe pieced it together rather easily, given her appearance and the fact that there wasn’t anyone that seemed related to her nearby. A prime seemed the most likely, or a rather independent, not to mention impudent, secondary. Either way, what did it matter?
“Though if it’s help with crime bosses, I’m afraid you’ll find me inclined to drag you to them at this point in time.” He stated coldly, crossing his arms as he waited for the horned woman to speak. He was not going to simply let her wander behind him, babbling as they went along, or let her drag him into affairs that simply didn't concern him in the least.
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Ash - 09-28-2015
Ash could make one observation about the man so far, and that was he indeed had a limit of patience. He seemed like the angry type.
Despite her outer appearance, Ash didn't get mad very easily. Frustrated, sure, but she usually just brushed things off. She did the same with his colorful way of trying to push her off. But what he had said didn't go unheard. The word Prime stood out like a... Well like she did. Prime, as in prime user? Was it all just one big coincident that everything in this place was full of gamer talk and computer lingo? She pulled out her comm to look at the screen, just to confirm Prime was the usual term used for Player-Characters. So he wasn't a quest just walking around on the surface.. She could guess as much by now, obviously. His outer personality was close enough to a mono-emotion sheep program, but his words were full of flavor far more complex for just a randomized NPC.
"You don't care about my ability to sense your uniqueness at a glance." She said as she shoved her comm in her pocket. "I didn't say it so you would care, I said it to explain how I know that was you I saw a few days ago getting into the hover car." She dismissed his argument, slash rising annoyance with a hand-wave of 'I also don't care' attitude. "As for the mob-boss-wanna-be's of this place, I can handle myself." She said flatly, then shifted her weight onto her other leg. "Anyways, what are you doing all the way down here? You look like you belong in that life of luxury." She asked.
No, it wasn't pertinent. But without knowing his task he set out to do today. She couldn't possibly have any helpful input. Maybe that's what he was banking on. That because she didn't have anything to say because she didn't know what he was up to, she essentially had nothing to offer. Now she was just being a smart ass.
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Jaixe Furiael - 09-28-2015
With the sudden change from casualness to a passive, apathetic attitude that seemed to slice right back into Jaixe’s sharp tongue, Jaixe raised a slight eyebrow at the transition, but didn’t comment. Though when she switched to her comm device, Jaixe smirked just slightly, to the point that it would be difficult to notice. Just a new prime after all. Observant, impertinent, rash… Confident, at least. I wonder if she will be worth my time. At the very least, she’s not some mindless nuisance.
“You place plenty of confidence in your abilities, I wonder how true they are. As for assuming I should live in a life of luxury, you are mistaken.” Jaixe replied, apparently somehow conjuring more patience for the conversation in an instant. Though, he didn’t go into the reasons why she was mistaken about her assumptions. “As for what my goal is, perhaps you should speak first.” Jaixe was not so foolish as to reveal his intentions simply by one questioning about them, let alone to a stranger that would so readily attach herself to a passerby.
Whatever this woman was, he at least identified that she was, above all, curious. She was of the questioning sort, though rarely voiced it. Still, he wondered why he even cared enough to make such an observation, and truly, it didn’t do much harm to let her follow. The mob bosses down here were pathetic, after all, and even if she were trailing unwelcome company, with so little security down here, eliminating them would attract no undue attention from the Empire.
“If you are so willing to follow me, then you may. I have little time to keep answering the continual stream of questions from a new Prime, though you might be of some use.” Jaixe spoke, as if uncaring to listen to the woman’s answer to his previous question. He seemed confident that she wasn’t a threat in the least, and as he turned back onto the dirty walkway with litter strewn about wildly, tossed around by the wind of passing cars, he continued without another word. He did observe his surroundings, however, and quite often stopped to gaze at the simple, if not rusted steel buildings and antiquated architecture around him. The steel pipes that flowed in every which direction, the signs that were, often times, malfunctioning, and the odor. What really stood out about this place was its terrible smell, a rancidness and smog that seemed to come from yet further down, from a lower tier.
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Ash - 09-28-2015
Ash made her own observations of the guy, she didn't so much see the smirk, as she felt she did something right for a change. And quickly after all that, he acted as if almost.. He was cooperative now. A switch like that may make anyone else think something was up. But when you've been stabbed in the back so many times, you stop handing over the opportunity to do so to people. You also tend to keep the word 'trust' out of your personal vocabulary, and always out of the deals.
She was casually surprised when he claimed to have no interest in over indulging himself with comforts like silks and leather, precious metals trinkets of wealth, or the very high end company like ladies and gentlemen. Apparently he'd rather roll around in this filth for something hopefully worth a lot more than physical treasures.
So why exactly was she running around in this dank, smelly place? Where the concrete and the metal sidings were stained with a puke green or brownish red color from the constant drippings and various flows of one liquid or another. After the things what she's come across down here, it could be bodily waste, wasted bodies, or just filthy water that the city above flushed down the drain after properly cleaning the streets of gold with it.
"I'm in the process of getting my feet wet." She said, answering his question as she took up her calm pace behind him. Her boots making a clanking sound on the rusted metal sidewalks. Her weight strained the support beams and or wires about as much as a feather's would, but it still creaked just slightly as her weight shifted with her hips. "Still looking for direction, and what have you." She added, not really lying, but definitely trying to make 'I'm not sure' sound a lot better than it did in its simplest form. "You know how it is when you move to a new huge city of clear dividing of classes, slightly corrupt political figures, and possible treasures hidden in the piles of trash." She added, sounding friendly again.
"The thing is my priorities changed rather drastically after landing here, so I can't just pick up where I left off like a week ago." Which was especially impossible because she hasn't heard the voice of Osa in all the time she's been here. She kind of did whatever she felt like doing at the time since they had met and she was 'set free'. Now she's been stripped of every responsibility she's ever known of. She didn't need money for food or clothes, she just needed to keep improving. Build up her arsenal, defend herself whenever attacked, and the only fight she had to do regularly was the fight not to be bored out of her mind. Which wasn't all that hard with the right upstart crime boss to piss off.
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Jaixe Furiael - 09-28-2015
“Yes, I would imagine that would be the case. Your story is probably the same as anyone else that came here.” Jaixe responded as though such a thing was obvious. He continued walking, seemingly unconcerned at how the walkways could simply give way at a moment’s notice. Interestingly, he noticed, there wasn’t a soul on the walkway besides the two of them, and he couldn’t help but feel as if he was being observed.
When he looked without shifting his head noticeably, he saw a shadow disappear around a far-down alleyway out of the corner of his eye. It was on the opposite walkway of the gap that divided the buildings, allowing nonexistent traffic to flow through. Though, perhaps, nonexistent was too strong of a word. Occasionally a freight car flew by at reckless speeds, kicking up winds that threw the litter in all directions, not to mention thoroughly annoyed Jaixe each time it happened. He was considering destroying the next vehicle that decided to fly past him so rudely, but kept his patience.
Still, he kept walking, noticing an increasing number of shifting shadows. He briefly looked behind him to make sure the woman was still following, only to see that they were being followed from behind as well. Clearly this woman did draw unwanted attention. You should learn to cover your tracks more cleanly. He looked forward again, but stopped suddenly. “I’m done playing games, cretins. Reveal yourselves before I start annihilating you by the numbers.” Jaixe announced loudly, his voice echoing with authority in the maze of industry and rust.
Moments passed before the concealed figures started moving into the dim light, revealing themselves as a nothing more than a large following of thugs and bandits. They were ragged and tired looking, though bore menacing, greedy glares all around at the supposedly weak targets. They were all around them, much to Jaixe’s chagrin. He wished he had noticed them sooner, but it was too late now. “I take it these are friends of yours?” Jaixe asked the blue-skinned woman behind him without even glancing at her. “I’d have to ask where your priorities are if you’re going to draw thugs and thieves to you in such large droves.”
Before the woman can respond, a tall, more middle-class dressed, older gentlemen with a fixed, steel glare that seemed to burn due to repeated frustration stepped forth. He was flanked by two interestingly more downtrodden looking, if that was even possible, muscular bodyguards with a multitude of faded green tattoos. He spoke with an equal amount of authority and injured pride in his voice when he addressed the two primes, “We have no business with you, orange-eyes. The girl has something I want, I want her handed over before things get messy. Though if you're in league with her, perhaps it's time we showed you Primes the law down here." It was then that Jaixe recognized who the man was, and shook his head at the revelation.
Titan. Of course it had to be Titan. You couldn’t have annoyed just another minor crime boss, instead you picked one of the larger ones to antagonize… You are a troublesome one. Jaixe thought, sighing with exasperation at how a mere secondary, who thought he could rise above his rank, was now trying to issue commands to him. What a frustrating ordeal Jaixe found himself in. “That certainly answers my questions about you, woman. Care to add to the debate we’ve inadvertently found ourselves in?” Jaixe inquired rhetorically in a surprisingly calm manner, turning to address the woman as he spoke. He was seemingly unconcerned about being outnumbered roughly five to one, and outflanked as well. Nor was he concerned about the sudden appearance of a minor mob boss ahead of him, who spoke with, as he saw it, undue pride and confidence.
“Or shall we start negotiating with yet more pathetic imitations?” It was hard to tell if Jaixe was merely joking or being sincere in his questioning, as his posture was stoic in every sense, though his eyes seemed to burn alight at the sudden change in circumstance. Let's see how brave you are. Ants will be ants, and if I must show them their folly...
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Ash - 09-28-2015
Jaixe wasn't the only one that noticed them being watched, or followed. He however, was the only one who noticed the shadow skittering like rats across the 'street'. Probably because Ash was too busy keeping her eye on the figures at her back, without looking a damn bit of worried. Her hands were on the back of her neck again, her fore arms pressed against the onyx horns that reflected cheap orange lights that did their best to illuminate the trashed out underworld. Her short raven feather like hair tickled her wrists, but she made no smirk or smile.
Her tail, which was following her in smooth unison with her hips that swayed from side to side as she walked, now was actively whipping gently, the only sign that she was preparing for a fight. She walked like that onward, appearing as relaxed as ever as she followed Jaixe in roughly silence. There was a creak of the side railing, a flutter of the papers strewn about, the sound of an industrial sized fan and the clicking of something that probably shouldn't be clicking as a hover car awkwardly passed through, ruining the 'showdown' atmosphere. It also did a horrible mess of the man's pace. He was nearly knocked back by these things as they sliced through what could be a short cut for an impatient driver. It slowed her step down, but for the most part her balance held out.
That and their boots tapping the grating of the 'sidewalk' was the only noise that kept the world from being silent. Until her companion screamed out a bold threat to the rats of the world, challenging them to come forward and fight like men. Or.. Something to that effect. She had stopped as well, and turned slightly bringing her washed out glowing eyes on the men behind her. The cold face she made might not have been what stopped them, but as she made eye contact with first man on the narrow walk he came to an abrupt halt that caused the other man to smack into him.
She didn't recognize the street thug, decked out in piercings, tattoos, shirtless, hairless chest, and pants that hung lower than his skivvies. But she could identify a symbol he paid someone to permanently print onto his chest as the Titan's gang sign. ..Or was he just made that way. Did he even have to earn the scars that caused shadows on his face? Or were they just given to him? Did he choose this life, or did the thug life choose him?
"I don't recall making friends with these three." Was her response, in an almost tired out voice. Not cliche calm, but he could hear no fear in her voice. Maybe boredom. She ignored the obvious gang sign, but then Titan showed his ugly face. And what an ugly face it was.. No ink in sight, no chains, piercings, or scarring, except the ones left on his face by time. Deep set eyes bore into them, and she didn't need to look to know he was glaring a hole into her. And for a man who didn't seem like the laughing type, he had deep webbing wrinkles in the laugh-line area. He was probably younger than he looked, not like she cared to look.
However when the mob boss wanna-be, that she so lightly called him earlier, told Jaixe to step aside that his fight was with her and he was free to go, her bleached out iris shifted to the outer corner - more felt than seen by anyone from the outside - to watch the stranger's reaction. Curious to what he would do, ready to excuse him from the fight if he hesitated. She already had the words picked out: 'Leave if you want to, not like you are that heavily invested in me. We barely met and don't know each other at all. So why should you care?'
But to her surprise, which was surprising on its own, he instead turned around, unconcerned about the 'dangerous' people around them, and confronted her. Asking if she had anything to add to the 'debate'. Which was wording too specific for her to let go, and while she busied her mind to make sense of this, he added a little more to the conversation between them while Titian probably burned with embarrassment and rage, to be ignored by these two Primes! But Jaixe's words only brought a big grin to her face. Because he could have been as serious as a heart attack with that question, but all she heard was a smart ass remark that earned the guy a many points in her book.
It pleased her to the point of chuckling, furthering the view of her sharp eye-teeth. "And here I was sure you were going to walk away.. What was it that you said? '..inclined to drag you to them at this point..'?" She quoted him with attentive detail, as if she was actually listening to him when he was blowing off steam. "Or did you just want to watch?" She turned her face away from him, and looked away from everyone there. "I already told you Titan, The Claw isn't for sale, and you need to remove your dumb, ugly face from my sight before I throw up something that looks like your mother."
At this point she brought her hands from the back of her neck, as electricity was probably a bad thing to have around the jack-in port at the base of her skull, and started to cast 'Shocking Grasp'. Energy sparked to life in her hands, blue electricity danced in them, around them, and they too small of sparks to create thunder but loud pops could be heard in her direction as Ash brought her hands to her side. "So I'm curious... Can you guys feel pain?" She asked, bringing her face to the lackey that had stopped when he saw her face, full of more metal than his own. He seemed to back up a step, as if the word sounded familiar, or at the very least he knew lightening was bad and you should run away. But he didn't move a step further, as if Titan's punishment might be slightly worse than what she could dish out.
"Hey.." She said, addressing Jaixe without looking at him. She didn't know his name, maybe at this point she never would. "I don't care if you don't help, but it would seriously suck if I had to fight someone with as much spunk as myself." She explained, holding off the actual fight to make a comment. She kept her guard up, because the only people that stupid were heroes and people who don't know how dark the world is around them. Her tone wasn't anything like compassionate, sentimental, or uncharacteristically caring. But it also didn't have a warning undertone, like she was demanding it. It was pretty flat and straight forward. She liked this guy, and didn't want to fight him unless she had to. Which she didn't see a reason they needed to fight, but he's already surprised her once.
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Jaixe Furiael - 09-28-2015
When Jaixe turned his attention back, satisfied with the woman’s response and her threats towards the thugs that surrounded them, he seemed to have an evil grin on his face. He delighted in the thinly veiled fury that shone so clearly on Titan’s face now. His expression was wonderful, the eyes of rage that almost glowed as brightly as Jaixe’s enthusiasm at this meeting. His clenched fists at the embarrassment that was thrown at him, the insults, everything about the man was now akin to fire, and Jaixe enjoyed it. It was the closest he had gotten to being able to feel the darkness emanating from a man since he had arrived, and Jaixe reveled in it for every second that passed by.
“Oh, I’d rather you not bar my path in this one.” Jaixe replied coolly, standing upright with black, ominous flames bursting to life in his hands and pulsing with energy and a devious intent. “I trust you’ll give me a good show.”
The scene was tense, and quickly reaching its breaking point, though Jaixe made sure not to make the first move yet. He antagonized Titan to his breaking point, but ensured that he didn’t quite go overboard. He wanted to drink in the tension, the fear and the loathing, for just a moment longer. There was another reason, though, for the purposefully created delay. He began tapping with his foot against the cold metal, it being the only sound that echoed loudly and sharply throughout the area. He knew if he made the first move now, it would only cause the couple of thugs on the walkway opposing them would simply shoot them, so he counted the seconds that passed by.
He hoped the woman wouldn’t make the mistake of charging in just yet, but it seemed even she wasn’t content with being proactive in this situation. He could hear and feel the crackling of electricity flowing behind his back, making the hairs on his neck stand up from the charge. Likewise, he felt the power and heat pulsing in his hand as the midnight-colored energy flowed through his arms and into his palms, almost begging to be unleashed. But he kept tapping his foot.
He noted that a vehicle usually passed by here every fifteen seconds, give or take. He’d use that as cover to quickly smite these pathetic nuisances.
Titan, however, seemed to regain his composure before too long, standing resolutely and adjusting his black and clearly custom-made jacket before continuing to speak. He cleared his throat and then laughed, however fake it was, as his face still had a barely contained frustration emanating from it. The laughter echoed alongside the loud tapping of Jaixe’s foot. Six seconds had passed.
“You can’t possibly think you newcomers have when you’re clearly outmatched?!” Titan spoke with incredulity at the absurdity Jaixe and his partner were offering, but Jaixe’s evil grin turned into a wide, insidious smile at the man’s remarks and improperly placed confidence. Nine seconds. “Turn over the girl or I will gut you myself.” He continued with his spiel of empty threats. Eleven seconds. “I will enjoy watching you writhe in fear and pain, you pathetic little worm of a man.” Jaixe spoke with an almost evil hiss, his eyes flaring with an alighted hatred. This was beyond refreshing! Thirteen seconds.
Apparently the sudden shift from calm stoicism threw Titan off, and he found himself without a voice again, a mixture of sudden fear and rancor now flowing through the man as the other ragged, evil looking thugs suddenly found themselves second-guessing this encounter. Fifteen seconds. He suddenly stopped tapping his foot and then thrusted his arm forward in a swift and blindingly fast motion, leaving a trail of purple flames in the arc of the movement.
Just then, as predicted, a massive freight truck came barreling down the wide alleyway, its horn blaring as it went along at breakneck speeds. A powerful gust of wind followed it, sending everything into confusion and a blur of motion as the litter swirled around them.
Just as Jaixe wanted.
A beam of purple energy flew forth from his palm and barreled down at the one muscular, imposing bodyguard and sliced into his torso, leaving an enormous gap in his chest. His expression was that of stunned fear as he collapsed under an invisible weight. But before the others around Titan could react and bring their weapons and shoddily makeshift rifles to bear, Jaixe flew up his other arm, conjured a series of three orbs that orbited around his clenched fist, and initiated a barrage of dark energy missiles that drilled into the thugs, all except Titan. All around the mob boss, the bodies of his fellow men fell onto the ground with a series of loud thuds and clanks, stricken with a sudden influx of death brought by a few flicks of the orange-eyed man’s arms.
When the truck finally passed with its trays of cargo trailing behind it, the two thugs on the other walkway saw only Titan standing before Jaixe, but that was merely temporary. Before they could aim and fire at the spikey haired monster, their sights were blinded by a series of dark bolts that bore through their heads, throwing them back and eliminating them as being threats.
All that was left was Titan… and to see if the woman behind him was as prudently confident as she seemed. He had focused all of his attention forward and to the side, he almost forgot that there were threats behind him.
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Ash - 09-28-2015
Ash, on the other end, was holding out the whole while, too. She didn't normally fight with someone else at her back, but she gathered by the, admittedly wicked, black flames that burst to life in the male's arms mimicking her electricity meant he was on her side in this scrap. Or at the very least, wasn't on Titan's side. But when he tapped his foot as if taunting the underworld overlord, she couldn't help but move only to put her attention on the guys behind her. She didn't know what he was up to, but she felt glued to her spot by his tapping.
Maybe everyone else felt that same feeling, and that's why they all just stood there with mouths ajar, looking like ugly fish now. Instead of being charged up like they were, the surrounding thugs looked lost and somewhat afraid. It must have occurred to Titan that this was bad, because he soon started running his mouth.
Oh, but nothing original at all in his speech and threats. It was all very boring and cliche.. HE was boring and cliche. She could still hear the thumping of the stranger's boot, but only just barely over the drawn out, hopelessly simple, and copious bull that came out of Titan's mouth in louder volumes as if he was trying to inspire his troops. All while spitting a generous amount of saliva with each demand, like a drooling pit bull barking at a passing car. At this point she let out a harsh, loud sigh, and was going to tell him to shut up already, when she noticed the metallic tapping had stopped.
It felt like a gun shot used to start a race, or the old familiar sound of a bell that began the boxing matches of her past. She wasted no time, like a mirror she shot herself forward with arms lifted. A burst of impossible speed made it so any shots fired hit the iron walk ways where her shadow used to stand.
By the time anyone saw where she had gone, she had her right hand around the bigger man's throat, and was squeezing it without mercy. But it was the electricity that was coursing though his meaty muscles that was doing the real damage. He gurgled out something akin to a cry of pain but the next moment he went limp in her hand, and she just grinned as she pushed him over the side of the railing, his body was quickly consumed by the shadows below them. The next guy was already stunned by how quickly she dealt with his buddy, that she had time to make a comment as she deliberately approached him slowly.
"I think he felt that.. But I couldn't hear. Scream for me if this hurts." She said, then balled up her still electrified hand, and punched him in the gut. Which.. Actually hurt her hand. Of course he did look like nothing but muscle and bone, but his long hair flung past his face as he doubled over and coughed up collected saliva. She put her boot on his skinny muscular shoulders and lifted herself up high enough to deliver a whole lot of leather bound pain to the next guy in line by kicking him so hard she heard his jaw crack. He then fell over the railing himself, being top heavy as he was. She landed back on the walk with a heavy thud and it shook the ground underneath her feet, but did very little other than make the metal groan out in pain.
She just had the one guy she had left on the ground and-
BANG!!
A single shot was fired in the whole scrap, and it was at her! However, the short thug that had easily been concealed by the three bigger guys had either been a really horrible shot, or had no idea on how to kill someone with a gun. Because the bullet was now lodge into her side, just above the left hip bone. Ironically, pierced her so called 'protection' spell that was tattoo'd in dark blue on her stomach. She's been shot before.. And the pain was very real, and very much the same. She gritted her teeth, but didn't yell or make any sound of pain. But she was pissed now. "You little twerk." Was all she said before she dashed forward, too quick for his eyes to see.
She appeared to teleport to be in front of him, grabbing the hand with the gun in it, lifting it above his head and then smashing it as hard as she could into the cold damp wall. The gun went off again before it fell though the space between the support beams and was lost forever as far as the two of them were concerned. But hurting his hand wasn't good enough for Ash, not enough repayment, not enough pain. She smashed his hand against the wall once more and then began repeatedly punching him in the face until he stopped moving. His nose and mouth were full and covered in blood, and it began to seep into his shirt, and she couldn't see or hear him breathing, but to solidify his death, she tossed him over the side of the railing as well.
It was at this time the long haired man started to recover, groaning, and sniffling after choking on his own breath. Her anger, though rare, was easily tamed. However, she had some residual 'I'm so done with this' attitude, and with a few quick steps she pulled out the other half of her weapon collection, The Quill, and in one smooth motion she yanked the man's head back, slit his throat, and then shoved him back face down so he could drown in his own blood. The blade twirled once around her fingers before she held it backwards and approached Titan himself with burning eyes.
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Jaixe Furiael - 09-28-2015
Looks like the horned woman was a skilled fighter after all, as Jaixe had judged of her. When the pair redirected their attention to the now dumbfounded mob boss called Titan, who stood surrounded by the cold corpses of his fallen employees, Jaixe’s wicked leer persisted.
“If you were an alliance of Primes, you might have been worthwhile…” Jaixe taunted the man, stepping forward and over the bodies of the slain without a care or respect for their efforts. Titan seemed to crawl back at every step the two took towards him, a dark aura erupting from Jaixe in particular, in tandem with the burning enmity from Ash behind him.
“But as it stands, you’re just insects waiting to be stamped upon, as that’s all you’re really worth.” Jaixe sneered at the shrinking mob boss, energy flowing into his palm once more. “It’s a shame that we have to take the life of someone so wretched, but I can’t abide having witnesses... now can I?” His stopped a few feet from the man, who was now up against the railing, clenching it for whatever false security could be found in the act.
His fists were white, he was sweating, his eyes were filled with fear, and his expression was that of confusion and a silent loathing. He was made silent and humble before the duo, and here a man stood, poised to wipe out his existence forever.
And Jaixe reveled in it all. This was what he missed so dearly in the past few days. This thrill that flowed through him, empowering him.
He grinned even wider, if that was possible, and a purple beam of violently shifting energy flew forth from Jaixe’s palm, slicing cleanly through Titan’s head and obliterating it entirely. The now limp, charred, and smoking body seemed to let go of the rail it clung to for false hope and fell to the abyss that waited below. The darkness, in turn, seemed to welcome him with open arms as he dissipated into its embrace.
Jaixe stood for a moment longer, his eyes glinting like stars and his beaming face seeming to shine at the events that transpired. “How exhilarating their faces were…” He murmured softly, before snapping out of his enthrallment in the moments and turning his attention to the onyx-horned woman, his smile seeming to evaporate as he did so and his expression returning to a more collected and, more importantly, sane. Though his eyes still seemed to glow ever so brightly in the dimly light area of the Fifth tier of Coruscant.
She seemed livid at the time, though he was curious to see how she fared now.
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Ash - 09-28-2015
At the time, the only thing Ash could think to do to Titan was stab him in the chest with The Quill, making him only good for one thing, that would be a random string of words she may or may not write out in his blood. And while an appropriate ending for a man who's only use to her was to waste her time, her partner had taken an extra few steps more than her. So she stopped where she had been and with dead eyes she just watched as the orange eyed man dealt the final blow. He was but a burning corpse, clinging to the bar, but when he felt he looked like a scared child that had to face his demons and fear of the dark.. And he had lost.
She sunk the blade into its harness that was strapped to her leg, and moved even closer now. He was just standing there, watching. So she decided to bend over the railing to watch too. He muttered something to himself, but she didn't quiet understand. She didn't try to. She just waited.. leaning on her arm and laying her head in her hand. The fires of her anger had already turned to ashes and like that, she was back to her collected self. Now she couldn't even remember why she had been so mad.
Eventually he snapped out of whatever spell he'd be put under, and when he looked for her, she looked back over her shoulder with nothing to say, nor any intention on making a comment. The wasn't much to say now anyways.. Her tail perked up just a moment before she stood back up, drawing attention to who long it was. When she did stand up, the pain in her side rolled like waves on the beach across her whole stomach, making her hiss out and fall back against the railing. She looked down, and as clear as day was the bullet wound, and then she remembered the short guy with the gun. "Oh yeah.." She commented, as her hand came up and poked the tender flesh. Her blood, which was red if that surprised anyone, was already seeping out and staining her skin and her pants.
Chances were the bullet was lodged inside, she was probably expected to get stitches and medicine.. But where other people might be freaking at this point, she just cursed under her breath, applied pressure, stood back up and began to head in the direction they were walking before they were interrupted. Another speeder raced past them, ruffling up the under ground city's feathers, and was gone again before she looked back to see if he was right behind her. "So.. Where did you say we were going?" She asked, as casual as before, like she wasn't in a ridiculous amount of pain now that the adrenaline was wearing off, like she wasn't trying to stop the bleeding with her hand alone.
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Jaixe Furiael - 09-29-2015
Jaixe observed the woman inspecting her injury, and the odd shape of her blade. Her powers were intriguingly unique, to be sure, though he wondered what the woman’s potential was like in this world. Or how much she even knew, given that she seemed to be unconcerned about the injury she sustained. After all, Omnilium passively heals the injuries of the holder, so there would be no need for concern over a small wound such as that. But she probably didn’t know that and was merely acting brave for some foolish reason, Jaixe concluded.
“We, huh? If you must know, our goal is the Archives of Ultan. However, we should cover our tracks a little more cleanly.” Jaixe responded casually, also unconcerned about the injury she sustained but, rather, he was more concerned over the fact that she had blood staining her clothes. He also noted that it was red with peculiarity, but didn’t comment on the matter. “I’d rather not whatever token security lingers around here to be haunting us at every step for cleaning the street of vermin. I’d also rather not deal with questions arising from your injury.” He stated a little sharply at her insistence at maintaining her impertinent attitude about the circumstances.
“Furthermore, you still haven’t given me your name,” Jaixe continued, “I can hardly call you an ally if I don’t even know what to refer to you as besides imitation demon.”
Another car passed, this time much slower than the others and not irritating the litter as much with its fly-by. Apparently not every person was in such a rush, though Jaixe was thankful that they were still flying past too quickly to accurately make out the scene that transpired here. That, and the dim lighting helped as well. Though, when Jaixe looked around him, he figured that it was really the fact that the would-be bandits looked like rust and garbage if seen from a distance and blurred as well.
Of course, in reality, it would be more accurate to say that nobody really cares about what happens on the walkways of the fifth tier or lower…
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Ash - 09-29-2015
Ash stood where she stopped, she could feel what she thought was her heartbeat thump against her four fingers that flatly lay against the wound. She waited for him, but he instead sounded more concerned about cleaning up their mess. Which made Ash's eyes roll, though one couldn't see that. Her head's motion projected it rather easily though. She was perfectly content with leaving the piles of street trash where they lay, but he continued to lecture her about the proper etiquette when dealing with crime lord posers, and exposed bullet wounds that come with that sort of work.
She sighed a heavy sigh, that hurt her more than it relieved her, but she finally submitted to his silly but necessary requests, or at least what she could decipher from what he was saying. She took a step towards the first man they would need to hurl over the side of the railing, only to be stopped by his fast and rough way of asking for her name.
Its been a surprisingly long, long while since she's been asked to introduce herself. Even that last night on the ocean, all the people around her didn't know her name. They hadn't been all too excited about bringing along a girl, but she paid them well, staid out of the way, and staid quite most of the trip. Even if they had known what to call her, she didn't think they would have been too concerned about that while the ship was busy being tossed around like a bath toy. Some time before that she must have told someone her name, but if that person was important or not, she couldn't recall. She couldn't remember anything about the incident, or if it even actually happened. She only assumed someone else out there knew her name, outside the circle of people who met her when she once upon a time was human.
Funny how she couldn't remember a single face outside her daily life as Emma Shutter. But she remembered very well how she came to be Ash, The Storm Demon. It was their usual meeting place, a world outside of time and space, where the walls and ceiling of whatever building she disappeared, and the skies were a flawless bright white that if you looked at it too long it would hurt your eyes the way looking at a light or the sun did.
At the time, she was in a room at the library. The dark stained floors were still there, and a desk that must have meant something significant stood where it had in the room moments before. But leaning on it was this red devil looking figure. His skin was bright red, his hair was black and long, and his horns sprouted out and straight up from his forehead. Osa was dressed in leather and silk, looking every bit as pirate as the pirate king himself. He had his legs crossed, his weight on the desk, and his hand fiddling with something while his tail twitched like a bored cat's. He had a smile on his face, his glowing gold eyes were on her. They spoke for a while, and she finally approached the writing desk to see what he was playing with, it was just a blank parchment, but at the time he was explaining that the ink in The Quill was blood from various people and creatures.
He had peaked her interest more than the books had, somehow, and she walked over pulling the dagger out, flipping it over and then leaning down and pressing the pen to the paper. She held it there, creating a crimson splotch where it bled into the paper as she thought about what to write. He suggest to just try her name. Slowly her hand had made the motions of writing a large 'a', 's', and finally an 'h' in surprisingly well practiced cursive.
Back in the present.. The tiefling took her place on one side of the first dead street rat, waiting for him to get into position to help toss the corpse over the railing. "Ash, like what's left over after a fire." She said specifically so he didn't think it was short for anything, then remembered the face of the last person she told her name to. It was that wooden man, Geno. Guess it wasn't all that long ago after all. "What's at the Archives of Ultan?" She asked. She remembers reading something about that.. It was a library if she remembers right. One of two in Coruscant. At least only two worth mentioning on the site she read about them on.
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Jaixe Furiael - 09-29-2015
Ash, huh? Interesting name for an imitation demon. Jaixe mused, recognizing that the both of them didn’t even have surnames to offer. How intriguingly coincidental... “Very well, Ash, you may call me Jaixe,” he answered in kind to the blue-skinned woman, taking his position on the other side of the first corpse to toss aside into the abyss below.
“Your wound will heal fairly soon, though you will need a new change of clothes. Much as I’m sure you’re attached to that… intriguing choice of attire.” Jaixe explained to Ash, as the two picked up the reeking, charred body of the first ragged thug and threw him over the railing. No sound accompanied his fall into the abyss, as expected, and they spent the next ten minutes repeating the process several times, with Jaixe simply using his beams to incinerate the corpses on the other walkway opposite of them.
The cleanup didn’t take very long overall, much to Jaixe’s thankfulness. Such tedious and filthy work was annoying, but necessary. Ultimately, he still passed blame to Ash for the whole ordeal, but didn’t voice such aloud.
“The Archives of Ultan,” Jaixe started again after finishing their work, answering the question that Ash put forward earlier, “are a less strictly-regulated source of knowledge, where the other library is considerably more censored.” He explained with a degree of patience he hadn’t had before. He began walking down the path they were originally set on before they were so rudely interrupted.
“As to what my course of action will be from there, well, that is something left to be debated.”
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Ash - 09-29-2015
Pain pulsed through her as she bent at the knee and lifted the body with her legs, but the only complaint he heard from her was the occasional hiss through her gritted teeth. Her jaws remained clench through out the whole process of tossing the bodies mob style. They varied in weight and height, but dead weight seemed to make things heavier. She managed to handle her half of it well though, even if she wasn't the strongest physically.
Jaixe wasn't your common name, not even in her time. That being said, it was actually one of the coolest names she's heard. She had no earthly idea on what it meant, but she had a feeling it didn't matter. A lot of things in the long run didn't matter. Apparently even getting shot didn't. Jaixe spoke like it was more annoying that the bullet wound was visible, despite the red only making her skin look more purple. The black pants didn't carry the color so well, but if she accidentally brushed up against something, she could leave a mark without even knowing it until it was too late. That thought made her note that Jaixe seemed like the careful type. Cleaning up their mess, hiding a suspicious wound, he sounded like the planning type. A complete contrast to her. Ash didn't always go head first into things, but it was her plan B a good part of the time. For someone who originally looked like puberty barely touched her for the majority of her life, she took the world on rather often..
She's had to. It's only been her against the world for as long as she can remember.
"A dress should cover the bullet whole." She mentioned. Really.. A multitude of things would properly hide the wound. A shirt that reached further down, pants that fit higher on her body, a belt if it were large enough. But she found something amusing about wearing a dress after going urban solider and eliminating a faction of gang member who sought to rule the fifth tier. In the grand schemes of things, it was just a game of king of the hill, who could hold this mound of useless ground the longest. But it was probably everything these programs knew. "I'll change as soon as it stops bleeding." She added, before moving on to the next body.
While Jaixe, thankfully, handled the men on the other side of the chasm. She could have swung over with her hook, or tried to just pull them into the hole in the city, but besides being unpredictable, it possibly could have worsen the wound, and the point was to stop it from bleeding. Not reopening it. So she focused on that task, even ripping off a piece of her corsets tail and using it like gauze, putting as much pressure on it as she could. When he was done with that, they started back on their path for the Achieves.
Soon enough they were coming up on the Archives of Ultan, which Ash has been constantly checking their progress on her Comm. According to the map she had downloaded, they were only a few 'blocks' away now. In the mean time she has gone through a change of clothing.
As promised, she was wearing a dress now. Something that looked straight out of a punk catalog, probably because it did. It was a lace up dress, the back missing and a black ribbon crisscrossed in the back, the bow sitting at the bottom, which was the small of her back just above where her tail started. If you were looking at her from behind, you could also see the black bird printed on her skin, and a silver ring on the back of her neck. It jack-port looked like something you stuck a pair of head phones in, but the size of a nickle, with a whole as big as a dime.
The dress itself was a sweet heart top, naturally strapless. The fabric had a black and crimson diamond pattern though out the main part. The diamond patter flared out in an a-line, which made it drape over her hips and came down mid-thigh. There is a solid bright red layer under that, a sheer black layer beneath that, then it all repeated itself once, each going just a little further down her legs, so that it was about 4 inches higher than her knees. In the back, the dress maker attached to tails of the sheer between the first later of sheer and the next layer of diamond, which hung down to her calves. Down the center of the dress was a 6 inch strep of black lace with more diamond patterns framed by silver beading that stopped in a v-shape just before the skirt started.
And a girl in a dress wasn't without accessories. She wore thigh-high stockings that were also red and black, only thinly striped, with frilly red bows stitched in the back on the highest part of the curve of her calves. And on her feet.. Simple shiny black flats. She wore simple black arm warmers that stopped at her elbows, and the only other notable change was a set of earring in the middle of her pointed ears were now rings with flat metal diamonds hanging off chains. She didn't conjure up a necklace of any kind, mostly because she didn't have any in mind. Also, there was already a lot going on in this outfit. "Were almost there." She said, putting the hardware part of her Comm back into a hidden strap. As she was dressed now, The Quill was the only weapon that was hidden, somewhere under the flowing layers of sheer and diamonds. Her launching brace for her Claw remained on her forearm, over the arm warmer, and the grappling hook itself sat at her hip as usual.
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Jaixe Furiael - 09-29-2015
Jaixe didn’t understand the choice for the change in attire, or its flashiness. They were trying to be subtle, after all, but she stood out more than his glowing orange eyes ever could. He would have said something, but Ash seemed the sort to ignore some forms of logic and reasoning just for the sake of it, much to his chagrin on the matter.
Still, they were making progress through the dirty, waste-filled walkways and pathways that wound around the dirty, rusty, bland steel buildings like a labyrinth for rats. Though, given the Empire’s lack of concern for these areas, rats would be an accurate way to describe those that live here. It took a half hour to get through the maze, relying on Ash’s map from the dataverse to guide their paths, though he felt they kept going the convoluted route with every turn and twist they made to wind their way around the industrial maze.
Along the way, however, Ash was apparently quite the curious sort. When she wasn’t offering directions and assurances that they were headed in the right direction, she was asking the ocassional question about the world she found herself in. Jaixe wasn’t impatient in feeding a curious mind when it helped pass the time and drew his mind off of the endless walking they seemed to be doing. Truly, it was almost as unbearable as the elevator ride it took to get to the fifth tier in the first place…
Though Ash did surprise Jaixe at some junctions with her questions and her ability to memorize the information she received. Jaixe wasn’t being particularly detailed, but she seemed to assume the hidden details with relative ease and even come to conclusions about other matters of the Omniverse and its strange rules and existence that Jaixe had yet to go over. She had some level of intelligence beyond her skills as a fighter, and that alone impressed him to some degree. It did make the matter more enjoyable, at the very least.
By the time they reached their destination, a multi-tiered tower that rose in levels higher up than Jaixe cared to crane his neck to inspect. Though aside from that detail, the structure itself was similarly designed as its surroundings, bland, dirty, and surprisingly lacking windows or much in the way of identifiers to make it a useful landmark or even hand in the effort to make it distinct. If Ash wasn’t so certain that her maps were correct, Jaixe would be inclined to even regard the building as possibly being a library in any capacity.
The duo walked over the short steel grated bridge, supported only by a few thin black cables that hung from the opposing buildings on either side of the gap that separated the towering structure from the other, equally unassuming structures that surrounded it. They saw a somewhat faded, light-metal sign hanging over the door that identified it as the archives they were indeed searching for, though Jaixe still held some doubt. The rusted, windowless, cold, gray metal door, which seemed to have lost a significant amount of integrity in the days since it was installed, served as the entrance to the archives. As Jaixe tentatively clutched the cold handle, turned it, and opened the creaking door to what lay beyond, he was surprised to find it almost like a scholarly haven.
Past the small, cramped, dusty, wooden-floored area of tables and makeshift chairs that served as the seating area and lobby for the library, it consisted of endless rows upon rows of books, tablets, scrolls, and other such scholarly items, though rows was inaccurate. It was all laid about a little more haphazardly than that, and the coziness of it all made it feel like a den for readers than a welcoming respite like the library of the first tier. It was all strewn about with what appeared to be little sense in organization, and Jaixe expected far, far less given its exterior appearance. It was a maze of knowledge that was so tantalizing to Jaixe, he almost smiled out of excitement then. Now if only it had proper lighting that didn’t flicker ever so often…
“So this is the Archives of Ultan…” Jaixe murmured as he walked into the cold, dust-filled air of the archives which was filled with the smell of aged paper. It was a welcome change from the reek of the Fifth tier outside, and though it was cold, it was a few degrees warmer yet. But most important of all, it was quiet. Silent as the grave, as one could say, where Jaixe could not hear the loud whirring of industrial fans, the cars and trucks roaring by at breakneck speeds, the trash fluttering about like bugs on a summer’s day, he saw and heard none of that. Nor, in fact, did he see many people roaming about. There were a half dozen at most perusing the archives of information.
He essentially had this place all to himself. And he adored every moment of this bliss.
He walked past the front desk where an old, weathered man wearing un-fitting glasses that attached to his clothes with a pin and a chain on his clean, white shirt seemed to keep idle watch over the archives mixed with perusing his own selection of knowledge and books. When Jaixe passed by with his feet stamping onto the ground and echoing in halls of the archives, the old man merely seemed to huff quietly without even looking up at the newcomer, his eyes locked into his chosen texts.
Jaixe waited in the lobby area in front of the desk where the old man stood, where he perused the archives from a distance, apparently attempting to judge where he wanted to start from. Each row, if they could be called such for the lack of organization present in this place, was labeled appropriately, and in reality, the archives were very well organized. It merely seemed to be disorganized on the surface, and it didn’t take very long for Jaixe to adjust to the difference.
He mentally went over the list of topics he wanted to research in further detail, particularly more knowledge regarding Diablo and the Underverse, as well as knowledge about the Kingdom that wasn’t so blatantly censored or propagandized. At least this time he wouldn’t have that Death Knight, Raal staring over his shoulder every time he pulled out a book that talked about the Kingdom and Camelot.
He also wanted to see if there was anything hidden that he hadn’t noticed before in the tier one library. He was certain the Empire had much to hide, and given that this place prided itself on being so unregulated in its supply of knowledge, he was determined to seek those secrets out with the usual skill and precision that he brought to any endeavor such as this.
Now where would such information be hiding…? Jaixe pondered, lightly tapping his foot against the hardwood floor as he did so.
Re: Destination: Desperation (Invite Only) - Ash - 09-29-2015
Through their ridiculously long travel time, they took up talking. A lot more about their current position on a massive and really meta scale. Primes. It's the best way to describe the Player's the game. They were specially selected by Omni to be Primes. No one, or at the very least, Jaixe nor her, knew why they were selected. While the terms were changed to better fit normal conversations, nothing schematically has changed. To Ash that is. She still saw this as one big game, even the lingo suggested gamer knowledge. Primes, Secondaries, Assists.. Gates to other universes sounded more than a little familiar to her gamer mind.
Everything he said she pocketed into her memory, and also mentally filed away into her Comm. He wouldn't see it, because the held held part in her hand, the pen shape and sized device, was more like a monitor. It was more than that, but it functions mostly for something to look at. She could do more things faster with her mind. And she could do even more things when she was jacked into the Matrix.
This place didn't have that, this place had the Data-verse. And Coruscant seemed to be the only door way to get there. That or buy your own doorway. The terminals were free, but you had to get to them, the bought gates to it cost Omnilium, but they were convenient. She has yet to decide which of those options was her preferred.. That was all based on the idea that she wanted to be close with the Data-verse. So far the only thing she knew about it was it was accessible physically from a terminal, and it was accessible as a form of internet. So as to how helpful it is, neither of them knew, and she had a feeling she wasn't going to know until she explored the option.
However, that wasn't going to happen on the way to the library.
Which was right on around the corner. It towered over the rest of the buildings, and could have been one of the pillars that held up the 4th tier by how far up it went. Was the whole thing full of books, or did it stop half way and just seemed more intimidating of a task to look through all of it? Her attention was brought back to the level that she was on by Jaixe walking over the shaky looking bridge to the door on the other side. She waited until he was inside before she stepped up to the door before it closed on a natural swing, catching the handle in her hand and slipping in before guiding the door back into its closed position.
With the stale copper scented air closed off, Ash's nose was flooded with the scents of dust, time, leather, and just a hint of wood. She couldn't pinpoint what flavor of tree the wood came from, but it was there. Like sawdust in the air.. With her hand still on the door handle, she turned around to look through the less than welcoming entryway to see into the archives. She was suddenly yanked back through time to the same memory of that writer's desk. Where there had also been the scent of spiced rum hanging in the air of that pocket in time, wafting from Osa which was presumably the source. Typical pirate, right?
The heavy tapping of Jaixe's boots against the natural flooring, which was vastly different than the harsh stone and steal they've been walking on all this time.. It sounded hollow under his heavy shoes, the silence of the place sliced through by a series creaks, pops, groans, and thuds as he moved past a cluttered desk, as quiet as the sounds were they were magnified by the lack of background noise. He paused when he was among the towers that shelved the tomes, scrolls, notes, and whatever else made its way there. As he looked around, a smile grew on his face, and she guessed he was happy for some reason or another.
She stepped lightly through the same path he did, her flats only tapping the wood instead of harshly stomping against it, though they had much the same response to her weight, perhaps a tad bit less. A glance over revealed a tired looking man at the librarian's desk, and she was curious if that was Ultan who was meant to guard the massive collection, or a decoy. She stopped in front of him, her skirt brushing against her legs as it came to a stop only after she did. He seemed uninterested in anything other than his books, so she looked up and around. There was no sign of mounds of dust, just a thin layer among the baseboards, but she saw that some spiders have created abstract art to lighten the place up in the corners. Where the walls met, there were randomly placed thick lines, an arachnid hiding somewhere nearby in hopes to catch a meal. If it hasn't already starved to death by now.
With that, she walked up behind Jaixe, the dress ruffling back into stillness as she spoke. "I already asked.." She said, in a respectfully quiet voice, that someone who's ever met her might be surprised to know she can actually speak so softly. "But I can't be expected to help research something when I haven't even been told about the topic." If he was keeping her in the dark because he didn't want her in on his secret plots, she'd find something else to do with her time. What exactly that was, was unclear. Maybe she would observe more of the local art.
She took another look around to see if she could immediately find one of these exhibits, only to find there was more cleaning work to be done out here. Books were haphazardly placed on the shelves, there were cobweb barriers around some of them, - at least they were free of the flies - papers collected on the floors, tables, chairs, and shelves. Hopefully only full of notes and not important scribbles that were now lost to anyone who came in with muck covered shoes. The lights fixtures, moldings on the walls and ceilings, and a large amount of the book shelves were thickly covered in dust. The only thing more impressive about this place than its size, was how little it was cleaned.
She even glimpsed a rat boldly walk across on of the more empty shelves, to an opened book, and start tearing at the corners of the pages. She watched this all without flinching, or recoiling from it. She heard people keep rats as pets, that they were really intelligent creatures. But she doubt so much that this one was gnawing at the book for a good read before bed. This place was a mess.. So much that she had her doubts about the labels on the shelves, attempting to tell the truth about what section of literature its contents belonged to, but not being too sure of it itself. There were a variety of books piled up in places that weren't shelves, some were even laid open on the tables, some had other books opened on top of those, or scrolls unrolled over them. It appeared to be used by either one person multiple times, or by a party of very interested people.
Actually.. It reminded her of her past once again. A pack of humans that were in over their heads, a million questions and the only answers they were getting were useless ones. That or cryptic clues to something they assumed was wondrous, valuable, or incredible. Though in truth, no one had a clue. They slaved over information, talked about theories, argued why one person's was wrong or just slightly off. And only one girl had an actual source of real information.
But Osa couldn't tell her anything about the vault, or why his treasures were there and not some museum. Personally, she didn't give a damn about why she was chosen, or what the light had been. In reality, it was probably some symbol of hope, or some other fairy tale reasoning. Mankind was in danger, again, and the planet or whatever reached out for heroes. Instead.. it got her. Osa seemed pleased, but he wasn't even a good guy. His Quill and Claw was plenty of evidence to that, even without the long history of pirating acts, the usual pillage, rape, destroy.. She knew very little of his backstory, maybe one day she will.