05-01-2016, 12:42 AM
When he located the little camp, Seventeen was somewhat amused by just how militant it appeared. The collection of five purple tents (with the central tent sporting some additional golden trim) would have been relatively unimposing by themselves. Unfortunately for the very flashy fabric, the camp was surrounded by a wall of spiked palisades complete with several outward-facing stakes. Inside the boundaries of the encampment, there were two little wooden outpost towers that would provide a pair of eagle-eyed sentries with a few of anything approaching them.
It was one such sentry who spotted Seventeen strolling in from the relatively flat and lava-free terrain that surrounded the astronomer camp. Without even bothering to shout a jolly remark, the man up on the tower simply fired off a warning shot at the ground in front of the cyborg.
“Oi!” Seventeen shouted as he hopped backwards and glanced up at the twenty foot watch tower. A burly man wearing a sleeveless shirt was learning over the railing and pointing a very large, gun-shaped object at him. “You might want to warn someone about that.”
“You’re not a native,” the watchman shouted without moving his hand away from his weapon’s firing mechanism. At that, the machine-hybrid held up one hand and slowly grabbed at the koopa shell dangling like a keychain from his belt. He proceeded to hold it up so the man could see it. “Is that some kind of trophy?”
“Gross!” The cyborg shouted as he shook his head. “It’s like, supposed to show you that I’m an affiliate of those turtle guys. The ones with the castles.”
The guardsman blinked heavily for a few moments before addressing his visitor. “Yes, I know who the Koopas are… I’ve been here for a while.” The man paused, and it was then that Seventeen’s ki senses picked up on a handful of life forms bunched up on the other side of the wall in front of him.
“Listen,” Seventeen shouted as he clipped the trinket back onto his belt loop. “I was just sent here to see if I could help out your operation. You’re looking for one of those star things, right?” The guardsman glanced down into his camp for a brief moment but offered no response. “Man, don’t play me. Your guild’s exploits are all over the internet.” The comment made the man with the gun flash a furrowed brow at the cyborg. “Okay, Dataverse… whatever you people call it here. Now are yinz going to let me in, or you going to leave me out here in the heat?”
There was a silence that followed as the man up on the watchtower carried a silent conversation with someone on the other side of the palisade. After nearly half a minute of discussion conveyed mostly through facial expressions and hand gestures, the guard glanced back at the cyborg and nodded his head. A beat later, he turned and went back to his job of watching the approaches.
As the guard left to handle his duties, a section of the palisade wall in front of the cyborg. The sharpened tree trunks, moving on what seemed to be tiny wooden wheels, swung inward to reveal a group of men and women dressed in purple tabards and sporting a bunch of almost-guns. At their center, a dark-skinned giant of a man strode forward and extended a ham-sized fist toward the cyborg. When Seventeen accepted the handshake, he instantly regretted that choice a beat later.
“Nice to meet you,” the leader said as he casually mashed every bone in the pale man’s hand into paste. “I’m Julius Peppers, Associate Astronomer of the Dalaran Astronomer’s Guild.” The astronomer released his grip and suppressed a sly smirk as the cyborg immediately cradled the throbbing appendage. “I’d offer you some ice, but we’re in the middle of a molten hellscape.”
“N-No problem,” Seventeen muttered as he slid the hand into his pocket and ran his non-molested set of fingers through his long black hair. “I’m sure the bones will reset themselves in due time.”
“Heh,” the astronomer chuckled as he walked over and smacked the cyborg on the back. Seventeen clenched his teeth together even as he felt his scapula shift out of its normal place.
“Okay, I think we’re good,” the raven-haired fighter quipped a beat later as he stepped away from Mr. Peppers and cleared his throat. “I, uh, I come on behalf of the Koopa Kingdom. Apparently the people in charge have been following your exploits, and they want me to see if I can’t lend a hand.”
Julius furrowed his brow and crossed his oversized arms across his wide chest. “You think we trust every yahoo who just strolls over here and cites some internet articles?”
“True.” Seventeen glanced into the camp and noticed that a few of the tents were rather disheveled. On top of that, there were several areas of the walls and towers that seemed to be scorched and splintered. They must not be having a very good go of things. The pristine appearance of the outside of the walls and the top of the towers had to either be deliberate or some type of clever camouflage.
Magic? Aren’t these people from magic central?
Julius, realizing that his new acquaintance was seemingly lost in his thoughts, cleared his throat and pointed off in a direction east of their camp. “If you really want to help us, I need you to go get us something.”
Seventeen twisted his torso around and tried to see what the astronomer was pointing him toward. From this vantage point, it just looked like more jagged hills and ashen clouds of particulate matter. “What’s that?” He asked as he turned his focus back to the man and his followers.
“Caverns.” Julius replied nonchalantly. “We’ve taken to using ore deposits up there as fuel.”
At that, the machine-hybrid let out a soft laugh. “You’re sending me out to get you some coal? That’s what you need?”
The astronomer scowled before airing a flummoxed response. “It’s not coal! It’s a magical ore deposit called Anthracite.”
Fucking coal! Seventeen bit his tongue so hard he thought he was going to feel blood in the back of his mouth.
“Can you acquire us some? It’s a very dense black stone that you’ll find in veins in the cavern walls.”
The cyborg nodded his head. “Yea, of course… is that it?”
“Just watch out for the cave dwellers…” Julius muttered as he gestured for his peers to return to their duties inside the camp walls. “They… nibble.”
Of fucking course.
It was one such sentry who spotted Seventeen strolling in from the relatively flat and lava-free terrain that surrounded the astronomer camp. Without even bothering to shout a jolly remark, the man up on the tower simply fired off a warning shot at the ground in front of the cyborg.
“Oi!” Seventeen shouted as he hopped backwards and glanced up at the twenty foot watch tower. A burly man wearing a sleeveless shirt was learning over the railing and pointing a very large, gun-shaped object at him. “You might want to warn someone about that.”
“You’re not a native,” the watchman shouted without moving his hand away from his weapon’s firing mechanism. At that, the machine-hybrid held up one hand and slowly grabbed at the koopa shell dangling like a keychain from his belt. He proceeded to hold it up so the man could see it. “Is that some kind of trophy?”
“Gross!” The cyborg shouted as he shook his head. “It’s like, supposed to show you that I’m an affiliate of those turtle guys. The ones with the castles.”
The guardsman blinked heavily for a few moments before addressing his visitor. “Yes, I know who the Koopas are… I’ve been here for a while.” The man paused, and it was then that Seventeen’s ki senses picked up on a handful of life forms bunched up on the other side of the wall in front of him.
“Listen,” Seventeen shouted as he clipped the trinket back onto his belt loop. “I was just sent here to see if I could help out your operation. You’re looking for one of those star things, right?” The guardsman glanced down into his camp for a brief moment but offered no response. “Man, don’t play me. Your guild’s exploits are all over the internet.” The comment made the man with the gun flash a furrowed brow at the cyborg. “Okay, Dataverse… whatever you people call it here. Now are yinz going to let me in, or you going to leave me out here in the heat?”
There was a silence that followed as the man up on the watchtower carried a silent conversation with someone on the other side of the palisade. After nearly half a minute of discussion conveyed mostly through facial expressions and hand gestures, the guard glanced back at the cyborg and nodded his head. A beat later, he turned and went back to his job of watching the approaches.
As the guard left to handle his duties, a section of the palisade wall in front of the cyborg. The sharpened tree trunks, moving on what seemed to be tiny wooden wheels, swung inward to reveal a group of men and women dressed in purple tabards and sporting a bunch of almost-guns. At their center, a dark-skinned giant of a man strode forward and extended a ham-sized fist toward the cyborg. When Seventeen accepted the handshake, he instantly regretted that choice a beat later.
“Nice to meet you,” the leader said as he casually mashed every bone in the pale man’s hand into paste. “I’m Julius Peppers, Associate Astronomer of the Dalaran Astronomer’s Guild.” The astronomer released his grip and suppressed a sly smirk as the cyborg immediately cradled the throbbing appendage. “I’d offer you some ice, but we’re in the middle of a molten hellscape.”
“N-No problem,” Seventeen muttered as he slid the hand into his pocket and ran his non-molested set of fingers through his long black hair. “I’m sure the bones will reset themselves in due time.”
“Heh,” the astronomer chuckled as he walked over and smacked the cyborg on the back. Seventeen clenched his teeth together even as he felt his scapula shift out of its normal place.
“Okay, I think we’re good,” the raven-haired fighter quipped a beat later as he stepped away from Mr. Peppers and cleared his throat. “I, uh, I come on behalf of the Koopa Kingdom. Apparently the people in charge have been following your exploits, and they want me to see if I can’t lend a hand.”
Julius furrowed his brow and crossed his oversized arms across his wide chest. “You think we trust every yahoo who just strolls over here and cites some internet articles?”
“True.” Seventeen glanced into the camp and noticed that a few of the tents were rather disheveled. On top of that, there were several areas of the walls and towers that seemed to be scorched and splintered. They must not be having a very good go of things. The pristine appearance of the outside of the walls and the top of the towers had to either be deliberate or some type of clever camouflage.
Magic? Aren’t these people from magic central?
Julius, realizing that his new acquaintance was seemingly lost in his thoughts, cleared his throat and pointed off in a direction east of their camp. “If you really want to help us, I need you to go get us something.”
Seventeen twisted his torso around and tried to see what the astronomer was pointing him toward. From this vantage point, it just looked like more jagged hills and ashen clouds of particulate matter. “What’s that?” He asked as he turned his focus back to the man and his followers.
“Caverns.” Julius replied nonchalantly. “We’ve taken to using ore deposits up there as fuel.”
At that, the machine-hybrid let out a soft laugh. “You’re sending me out to get you some coal? That’s what you need?”
The astronomer scowled before airing a flummoxed response. “It’s not coal! It’s a magical ore deposit called Anthracite.”
Fucking coal! Seventeen bit his tongue so hard he thought he was going to feel blood in the back of his mouth.
“Can you acquire us some? It’s a very dense black stone that you’ll find in veins in the cavern walls.”
The cyborg nodded his head. “Yea, of course… is that it?”
“Just watch out for the cave dwellers…” Julius muttered as he gestured for his peers to return to their duties inside the camp walls. “They… nibble.”
Of fucking course.
![[Image: 17.jpg]](http://omniverse-rpg.com/images/17.jpg)