05-30-2017, 08:52 PM
Flickers of orange and red danced off the glistening walls of the glacial fissure as hunks of superheated carapace were hacked away from the beast. Clinging to the Remorhaz's underbelly, Essent delivered blow after savage blow to the monster, who responded in kind by writhing and bucking her off endlessly. It was becoming a drawn out, gruesome match of dexterity and strength, and Tearen was becoming concerned that neither side was going to win. But, at the very least, Essent had proven her tenacity through and through, which was really the only thing a Prime ever needed, given their immortal lifespan. A few more clangs of claw on scale echoed up to the crow's feathered ears, and the plumed black bird heaved a deep sigh. Alright, that was enough of this.
Essent shrieked a frenzied battle cry as she closed the distance between herself and the chittering horror once more. One way or another, she was going to take this thing down. It was upon that exact thought that she suddenly found herself hanging in the air, like a kitten picked up by the scruff. The remorhaz wheeled around, hissing gleefully as Essent struggled against the telekinetic hold. It lunged, jaws agape, and the Fist of Genetics reflexively looked away from her doom. There came a momentous thud, spurring her to peek open with one eye. Tearen was standing between the her and the insectoid serpent, having reappeared as quickly and casually as he had vanished. The remorhaz seemed to be struggling against some sort of rippling warp in space-time that Essent had to assume was coming from the elder Prime. Essent flashed a wry grin.
"About time! You didn't have me fooled, you know-"
"You can go home now." Tearen said softly. Essent blinked.
"Uh...what?"
Tearen held up a hand to signal for the scientist's silence. Apparently he had been talking to the nightmarish monster that had been trying to eat them for the past five minutes. The towering centipede reared up to its fully height, its bulbous eyes somehow managing to convey a confused expression.
"Go on, go home. No food here." Tearen said, making a small shooing motion with his hands. He sent a flood of basic sensory horomones and neuro-transmitters ricocheting through the simple predator's mind, coaxing it into believing that he and Essent were nothing more than set-pieces in this frozen landscape. After a moment of guttural clicking, the remorhaz turned away from them and began to scuttle off the direction the two Primes had been coming from. Essent's mouth dropped.
"Wait! Hold on! You're just gonna let it go?" she snapped as Tearen lowered her back to the ground. The eldritch human raised a white eyebrow at her.
"Is there a problem with that?" he asked softly.
"Well what if it tries to eat someone else?!"
"It probably will. That's what predators do. You would have it killed because of how it is forced to sustain itself?"
Essent rolled her eyes.
"That's not what I'm saying! I know predators need to eat, but if they're near where people are-"
"What people? Us people? Us people are on its turf. We're the ones out of place." Tearen said. He ran a hand down his long, braided hair and sighed.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought us this way. I was just overly concerned that there was going to be another young girl wandering the Omniverse who couldn't protect herself." Tearen mumbled. In all honesty he was feeling rather foolish. It had been easy to justify when he had assumed himself an authority in this hostile universe, but his own words had reminded him of the reality. The Omniverse was not his home turf; he was still the one out of place. So weren't they all, but that tenure didn't justify putting fresh Primes through hell just to see if they could protect themselves. Even then, what if she hadn't been able to defend herself? Rebecca was one thing, but Tearen couldn't go around toting every invalid Prime he stumbled across. Essent scoffed, appropriately so.
"Well professor, do I pass the test?" she snarked. He didn't sense any overt hostility in her tone, but the seeds of resentment always started very small. Tearen grit his teeth.
"I don't know Essent, how do you feel about your performance?" Tearen asked, trying to maintain a neutral tone.
"Pretty good." she quipped.
"Suits me."
A silent minute passed between them. In all honesty, this life was starting to wear thin on Tearen. He just wanted to see Rebecca again.
"Come on, I don't want to miss dinner." he said softly, treading away in the crunchy ice.
Essent shrieked a frenzied battle cry as she closed the distance between herself and the chittering horror once more. One way or another, she was going to take this thing down. It was upon that exact thought that she suddenly found herself hanging in the air, like a kitten picked up by the scruff. The remorhaz wheeled around, hissing gleefully as Essent struggled against the telekinetic hold. It lunged, jaws agape, and the Fist of Genetics reflexively looked away from her doom. There came a momentous thud, spurring her to peek open with one eye. Tearen was standing between the her and the insectoid serpent, having reappeared as quickly and casually as he had vanished. The remorhaz seemed to be struggling against some sort of rippling warp in space-time that Essent had to assume was coming from the elder Prime. Essent flashed a wry grin.
"About time! You didn't have me fooled, you know-"
"You can go home now." Tearen said softly. Essent blinked.
"Uh...what?"
Tearen held up a hand to signal for the scientist's silence. Apparently he had been talking to the nightmarish monster that had been trying to eat them for the past five minutes. The towering centipede reared up to its fully height, its bulbous eyes somehow managing to convey a confused expression.
"Go on, go home. No food here." Tearen said, making a small shooing motion with his hands. He sent a flood of basic sensory horomones and neuro-transmitters ricocheting through the simple predator's mind, coaxing it into believing that he and Essent were nothing more than set-pieces in this frozen landscape. After a moment of guttural clicking, the remorhaz turned away from them and began to scuttle off the direction the two Primes had been coming from. Essent's mouth dropped.
"Wait! Hold on! You're just gonna let it go?" she snapped as Tearen lowered her back to the ground. The eldritch human raised a white eyebrow at her.
"Is there a problem with that?" he asked softly.
"Well what if it tries to eat someone else?!"
"It probably will. That's what predators do. You would have it killed because of how it is forced to sustain itself?"
Essent rolled her eyes.
"That's not what I'm saying! I know predators need to eat, but if they're near where people are-"
"What people? Us people? Us people are on its turf. We're the ones out of place." Tearen said. He ran a hand down his long, braided hair and sighed.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought us this way. I was just overly concerned that there was going to be another young girl wandering the Omniverse who couldn't protect herself." Tearen mumbled. In all honesty he was feeling rather foolish. It had been easy to justify when he had assumed himself an authority in this hostile universe, but his own words had reminded him of the reality. The Omniverse was not his home turf; he was still the one out of place. So weren't they all, but that tenure didn't justify putting fresh Primes through hell just to see if they could protect themselves. Even then, what if she hadn't been able to defend herself? Rebecca was one thing, but Tearen couldn't go around toting every invalid Prime he stumbled across. Essent scoffed, appropriately so.
"Well professor, do I pass the test?" she snarked. He didn't sense any overt hostility in her tone, but the seeds of resentment always started very small. Tearen grit his teeth.
"I don't know Essent, how do you feel about your performance?" Tearen asked, trying to maintain a neutral tone.
"Pretty good." she quipped.
"Suits me."
A silent minute passed between them. In all honesty, this life was starting to wear thin on Tearen. He just wanted to see Rebecca again.
"Come on, I don't want to miss dinner." he said softly, treading away in the crunchy ice.
And, we dream of home I dream of life out of here Their dreams are small My dreams don't know fear I got my heart full of hope I will change everything No matter what I'm told How impossible it seems We did it before And we'll do it again We're indestructible Even when we're tired And we've been here before Just you and I
Don't try to rescue me I don't need to be rescued
Don't try to rescue me I don't need to be rescued