03-22-2017, 08:17 AM
Blearily, the hacker opened his eyes, fingers still on his laptop keyboard. He was laying down inside the tent he'd gotten from Darkshire, a pile of wool and furs serving as his mattress. He'd passed out after binging on two seasons of Raft Warriors that he found browsing on Omnetflix after getting good and loaded on the thick dark ale that Darkshire produced as a local favorite. Madotsuki had gone to bed about halfway into the first season, but he was still too jazzed up to crash. Even through the cloth flap of his tent, the glowing white glare of the Nexus stung his eyes.
He reached out for his goggles and strapped them onto his head, fingers passing over the bald spots on his scalp, and croaked a command. "Ugh...tint, 60% filtration." His vision darkened and sight became less painful. Groaning as he sat up, he felt on his torso and sides, peeling off the cloth poultices and bandages. The light cuts he'd received were already healing over, now covered in tender, bright red skin that show no sign of laceration. The deeper wound in his shoulder was still open, but healing, and the poison from the Zerg spines had been flushed out of his system. "Hey, Mads? You up yet?" He called out, his voice still rather hoarse.
Muscle aches still yanked at his bones when he moved, but an hour with one of those handheld massagers had worked out the knots in his legs and chest so he was able to move without wincing. He finally sat up, throwing on his clothes and getting dressed. For all he knew, it was morning. There was no sun or day/night cycle in th Nexus, and it was now apparent why there were no permanent settlements in this verse. It was just too static. Maddeningly so.
"Hiro? I'm over here." Madotsuki waved from the top of her crystal conveyance, perched on a higher structure and staring at the fountain with an introspective look. "So who are we waiting for again?" She thoughtspoke into his mind as Hiro stood up and started to repack his tent and supplies. He had a feeling that Okor would be here soon, and even if he wasn't, the hacker couldn't take any more of the ceaseless brightness. Coughing, he took a sip from a water bottle and swished it around his mouth to moisten his hungover tongue. "Guh. Guy named Okor. He's a.....friend, I guess? Bit intimidating, but a fucking powerhouse. Someone you definitely want fighting next to you rather than against you."
He considered the situation for a moment, and added. "Just...steel yourself. He's not the most typical looking guy. Actually looks pretty evil, but he has a sense of honor and respect. Not as vulgar as you'd thi-"
He was cut off as a jagged set of curved, dripping claws rent the air ten feet away from them, a blood curdling roar issuing from all around as the wicked gauntlet sliced a jagged hole in reality. "HRAAAAARRRGGHHH! I LIVE ONCE MORE!"
The putrid pugilist turned away from the fountain to see Hiro and a young teenage girl staring at him, the hacker wearing an amused grin while the girl had a hand clapped over her mouth as she beheld his rusted, pestilence bulk. "Wow. Good entrance, Okor. I think you scared Madotsuji half to death." The samurai ronin continued to pack up, speaking as he did so. "Mads, this is Okor, Warrior of the Death Guard, Champion of Nurgle, and like forty other titles. Okor, meet my roommate Madotsuki. Quiet type, but a hell of a scrapper in a pinch."
Anothee bundle of supplies went into the trunk as Okor eyed the girl and offered a greeting. " A pleasure, Madotsuki." He took in the girl's form, possibly a bit underwhelmed. But then again, he'd had the same impression from Hiro and the hacker-ronin had ended up proving himself in Darkshire.
"So, Okor. I helped you out with the Darkshire business....now it's your turn to help me out with something else. Something a little more...global, I guess." Hiro shut the trunk and turned around the face the plague marine. "And something that I'm sure will offer a substantial opportunity for chaos and combat." Okor tilted his helm forward to indicate he was listening.
Hiro smirked. "We're gonna completely embarass the Kingdom, and save Camelot from a shadow organization."
He reached out for his goggles and strapped them onto his head, fingers passing over the bald spots on his scalp, and croaked a command. "Ugh...tint, 60% filtration." His vision darkened and sight became less painful. Groaning as he sat up, he felt on his torso and sides, peeling off the cloth poultices and bandages. The light cuts he'd received were already healing over, now covered in tender, bright red skin that show no sign of laceration. The deeper wound in his shoulder was still open, but healing, and the poison from the Zerg spines had been flushed out of his system. "Hey, Mads? You up yet?" He called out, his voice still rather hoarse.
Muscle aches still yanked at his bones when he moved, but an hour with one of those handheld massagers had worked out the knots in his legs and chest so he was able to move without wincing. He finally sat up, throwing on his clothes and getting dressed. For all he knew, it was morning. There was no sun or day/night cycle in th Nexus, and it was now apparent why there were no permanent settlements in this verse. It was just too static. Maddeningly so.
"Hiro? I'm over here." Madotsuki waved from the top of her crystal conveyance, perched on a higher structure and staring at the fountain with an introspective look. "So who are we waiting for again?" She thoughtspoke into his mind as Hiro stood up and started to repack his tent and supplies. He had a feeling that Okor would be here soon, and even if he wasn't, the hacker couldn't take any more of the ceaseless brightness. Coughing, he took a sip from a water bottle and swished it around his mouth to moisten his hungover tongue. "Guh. Guy named Okor. He's a.....friend, I guess? Bit intimidating, but a fucking powerhouse. Someone you definitely want fighting next to you rather than against you."
He considered the situation for a moment, and added. "Just...steel yourself. He's not the most typical looking guy. Actually looks pretty evil, but he has a sense of honor and respect. Not as vulgar as you'd thi-"
He was cut off as a jagged set of curved, dripping claws rent the air ten feet away from them, a blood curdling roar issuing from all around as the wicked gauntlet sliced a jagged hole in reality. "HRAAAAARRRGGHHH! I LIVE ONCE MORE!"
The putrid pugilist turned away from the fountain to see Hiro and a young teenage girl staring at him, the hacker wearing an amused grin while the girl had a hand clapped over her mouth as she beheld his rusted, pestilence bulk. "Wow. Good entrance, Okor. I think you scared Madotsuji half to death." The samurai ronin continued to pack up, speaking as he did so. "Mads, this is Okor, Warrior of the Death Guard, Champion of Nurgle, and like forty other titles. Okor, meet my roommate Madotsuki. Quiet type, but a hell of a scrapper in a pinch."
Anothee bundle of supplies went into the trunk as Okor eyed the girl and offered a greeting. " A pleasure, Madotsuki." He took in the girl's form, possibly a bit underwhelmed. But then again, he'd had the same impression from Hiro and the hacker-ronin had ended up proving himself in Darkshire.
"So, Okor. I helped you out with the Darkshire business....now it's your turn to help me out with something else. Something a little more...global, I guess." Hiro shut the trunk and turned around the face the plague marine. "And something that I'm sure will offer a substantial opportunity for chaos and combat." Okor tilted his helm forward to indicate he was listening.
Hiro smirked. "We're gonna completely embarass the Kingdom, and save Camelot from a shadow organization."
![[Image: MZSDl2O.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/MZSDl2O.jpg)