Author Topic: Pulled to the Middle of Nowhere (Read 3160 times)

Queen Bright · « **on:** July 26, 2010, 04:43:46 PM »

With a loud pop, Hikaru, Echo, and Inari who still had a hold of Leserlake, appeared high up into the white 'air,' of the realm, falling and crashing into the splintered wood of the same earthen pirate ship, Inari and Echo had found with Aria, before. Except this time, with more heavy people falling on it, the wood decided to crack and fall through, the group of four falling to the depths of the room below.

Quickly jumping to her feet, Hikaru stood up and surveyed the area around them, her eyes adjusting to the darkness.. It confused the hell out of her, that was for sure. But she refused to let her confusion show.

Inari, meanwhile rubbed her head and looked around without standing, not realizing she was sitting on top of Leserlake and Echo.

Gaserlake · « **Reply #1 on:** July 26, 2010, 05:20:14 PM »

Leserlake pushed Inari off of him and stood up. He adjusted to the darkness, but not just with his eyes, but with his entire body. Naturally, he becomes more stealthy. He's more quiet, and moves slower to avoid any noise. Adrenaline is pumped through the body. His senses become sharper.

"Where are we?" he quietly asked as he looked around. He noticed the hole he fell through.

Queen Bright · « **Reply #2 on:** July 26, 2010, 06:02:53 PM »

"How the hell should I know?!" Hikaru yelled. "If I knew that, I wouldn't be here in the first place. And wherever we are, it's your damn fault for blocking teleportation and messing with my spell. Now shut up and be a good hostage."

"He's a hostage?" Inari called out, picking herself up off the ground from where she had fallen, as Echo did the same. "I thought we were taking him to the meeting.." She questioned aloud while looking up through the hole and seeing the white blank white sky above them. "Heeeyyyy I think I know where we are."

"Think about it, Inari. If he's the leader of them, then having him in hand might just get them to at least compromise. And from my clones knowledge, he disarmed himself in front of you. So he can't just teleport away from us." She glanced up as well, trying to sense their location but having no remembrance of such a place. "Where?"

"It's that one realm place," Echo muttered, mystified. "Inari and I ended up here when Nihil messed up her teleportation once before. A clone of you, Aria, was with us then. It's a weird place though."

"Yeah! It's got all of this junk, everywhere!" Inari exclaimed, climbing up through the hole and back onto the deck. "Like this is a pirate ship, FROM EARTH! Like back in the primitive days. And it's got floating planets, and items, and who knows what all else."

"Messed up teleportation..." Hikaru thought out aloud. "Then that's it then. Whatever they had to inhibit teleportation messed with my spell, and we ended up here. How did you get out last time?"

"We teleported."

"So there's no other way out?"

"Not that we know of." Inari nodded her head, as Hikaru and Echo climbed up to the deck after her. "Why?"

"That also means there's no way in. And thus, those idiots most likely won't be able to detect this place. Beacons or no beacons."

Gaserlake · « **Reply #3 on:** July 26, 2010, 06:32:16 PM »

Leserlake smiled and rolled his eyes. He gave a single "tch". Good hostage, huh? Payback? He remained quiet, and followed the others, climbing up to the deck. He looked at the view in awe.

Queen Bright · « **Reply #4 on:** July 26, 2010, 07:11:15 PM »

"Soo... what now? Are we going to the meeting?" Inari asked while Hikaru stood around on top deck, trying to figure everything out.

"NO!" Hikaru snapped. She then sighed. Truthfully she didn't know what she was doing anymore. She had started a war, become captured, and was now on the run from an entire race who wanted her deader than dead, and now she was dragging their leader along for the journey? For what? True she had said hostage. But to take him without a plan? Without even knowing her demands? That was more likely to piss them off more than to compromise. Just what was she getting herself further into? "We're not going to the meeting... At least not yet. What else do you know of this place. What else was here?"

"Ummm..." Inari blinked, quite scared of her former teacher at the moment. She seemed to be going insane and without reason. True... she couldn't blame her. As she had been running without rest recently. But still... "A lot of stuff. Like technology, ships, broken stuff, junk. That part you might not like... Umm spell books, lots of them, socks... and other articles of clothing... It's like... like one big trash heap! There's also planets..."

"Junk? Broken things? Planets?" Hikaru asked of each one separately. "So... it's like a place of random things. But why broken..."

"It looks like the broken stuff was destroyed or had something wrong."

"So destroyed items... Like a junkyard."

"Yeah!"

"I see..." Hikaru glanced out to the surroundings once again, and then jumped down from the ship to the white 'ground,' below. If it was walkable, than she would find out. If it wasn't, well she could always fly. Thankfully it turned out to be solid.

"M-mistress Hikaru! Where are you going?!" Inari yelled after.

"If it can't be detected, and it has a majority of odds and ends. Then forget the meeting. They can get along without us. There's a few other plans we can look over before doing anything else. The things here may help." Hikaru called back. "If we need to know what's going on, we can just contact someone there. They're all bound to be there."

"Um...r-right.." Inari stammered.

"Has she gone insane?" Echo asked.

"I... don't know." Inari blinked, looking mystified and a little bit scared. "I hope not."

Gaserlake · « **Reply #5 on:** July 26, 2010, 09:55:18 PM »

Leserlake stealthily read Hikaru's mind. Normally, she wouldn't be able to detect it, but in her condition, she would definitely be unable to detect it. "Yeah, she lost it," Leserlake finally said. "It's a mental breakdown. Too many things at once. In this case, she doesn't know what to do, and she's thinking of too many things at once. Overstress is the result."

Leserlake hopped off the ship, hitting the ground, no damage done. He began to look for things out of curiosity.

Queen Bright · « **Reply #6 on:** July 26, 2010, 10:18:56 PM »

Inari and Echo looked edgily at each other. They seemed to be a bit scared of the both of them. But the two of them didn't know what to do. What about the damn meeting? Either way, both didn't dare argue with Hikaru, especially with her in this condition. So they jumped down and followed.

"If she has, it's your guys fault." Inari said loud enough, still within earshot of him.

After several minutes to hours (was there even time in this dimension?) Hikaru came back within earshot of the three of them, holding a stack of spell books that looked, well.... old. One which was blank, and she had materialized a quill pen to write in. "So there's a few plans of action we can take..." She muttered to Inari and Echo, not really seeming to take in account Leserlake, treating him more like a sentient statue of decoration than something to worry about or worry with. He looked like it anyway.

"Plan one, we find their other leader, Gaserlake was it? Either force him to fucking call off his dogs, or kill him. But risk those same dogs trying to find him. Probably not a good idea..." She flipped the page rather fastly. "Second plan is to go to the meeting, and die in the front lines like my idiot brother is doing, according to Hikari who I have contacted and told to sit in on the meeting." She flipped the page again. "Another stupid one. Last two, we stay here and bide time till Hikari says it's safe......Or we find this virus they seem to be afraid of AND WIPE THE WHOLE DAMN RACE OUT! LETTING THEIR BLOOD FLOW FOR ALL THE MAGIC USERS TO BATHE IN! TEACHING THEM ONCE AND FOR ALL NOT TO MESS WITH SAGES!"

"...." Inari and Echo both stayed silent, Inari had found a book to read, and Echo seemed to be playing with some crystal item. Both kinda jumped at Hikaru's plans, especially the last one.

Gaserlake · « **Reply #7 on:** July 26, 2010, 10:30:12 PM »

"Plan one! Plan one!" Leserlake exclaimed in joy. He stopped what he was doing and turned to Hikaru. "Yes. We'll do plan one. They won't be protecting him. They are too busy looking for you. They aren't to protect, only to search and destroy!" He then fell silent. After a quick second, he said, "Don't do plan four. NEVER do plan four! It's like a scale in order, from plan one being the best plan, to plan four, being the worst plan."

Queen Bright · « **Reply #8 on:** July 26, 2010, 10:39:55 PM »

"Plan four it is, then." Hikaru replied matter-of-factly. "I don't trust you. If you say plan one is the best, then that means THEY ARE waiting. Probably an ambush... And Sadly for you, I don't quite feel like dying. If you say plan four is bad, then that means it's good for me.. So plan four it is. And I guess my imprisonment did one good thing. It told me where this said virus is. The place I long ago destroyed. The Guardian Headquarters." She slammed the book shut and dropped it, no longer in need of something to write in.

"However..." She turned to Leserlake. "First I want answers. What is the virus? And why would it be in the same place of those inter-dimensional do-gooders? That place was of magic users.. Either you can answer me, or we're leaving you here when we leave."

Gaserlake · « **Reply #9 on:** July 26, 2010, 11:54:28 PM »

"You want to know that thing?" Leserlake asked in disbelief. "The virus is biomechanical, has no remorse, no fear. It's a goddamn wonder how we contained that thing. That's where they contained it. They couldn't kill it, so they contained it. Don't release it, or it will control you."

Queen Bright · « **Reply #10 on:** July 27, 2010, 04:43:46 PM »

"Try again." Hikaru muttered with a smirk. "I want to know more about what it does and what it's done. You people seem to be so afraid of it... Why? Or was that display of fear over my memories, just an act? And how did you know, the Guardians to contain it there? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you're meddlers... They're meddlers. Makes sen-" She blinked for a second, cutting off her speech.

Inari and Echo just looked at her.

"I just lost connection with Hikari..." Hikaru quickly raised her hand and created a portal to the meeting. Only the portal ended up not as a portal, and instead she just saw Inari and the other two on the other side of it. "What the hell?!" She exclaimed. Just what was going on..? Trying to keep calm and not show any surprise, Hikaru opened portal after portal after portal, all ending up one sided and open. Finally she gave up. "Something's wrong with the Dimension. Can't get to the meeting, or any of the planets. It works on this side...but it won't connect to the other side..."

"Is that bad?" Inari inquired.

"It's never happened before...." Hikaru glared at Leserlake as she answered. "Well it has.... but those three days were hell..." She thought back to the Day of Alignment where magic had stopped working for three whole days during a battle, and she had actually HAD to use one piece of tech. But that was back before... When tech wasn't such a big problem in the dimension and was more optional. Still... Hikaru shuddered slightly at the thought.

Gaserlake · « **Reply #11 on:** July 27, 2010, 05:03:07 PM »

"It controls you, without killing you. It takes over your mind. It's bio-mechanical, so it can forcefully take over ships. It has done that to many empires." He shook his head and smiled. "Us Aralangs ARE the guardians. We didn't know it was there. We just know that the place has been abandoned. Seems like we know why it's abandoned." When Hikaru is having a problem with the portals, he looked back at them, a bit nervous. "What? Not my doing. Hell no. It's probably the SF." Leserlake knew what she was thinking. He would have smirked, but it would have made it obvious.

Queen Bright · « **Reply #12 on:** July 27, 2010, 05:18:07 PM »

"Damn them! God DAMN THEM!" Hikaru shouted, sending a lightning bolt of Revelation magic at the earthen pirate ship, which promptly exploded into millions of wooden splinters. It was obvious by that action, she was pissed, and insanity did not help the case. "Can't teleport, can't portal, can't get there by any spell or magic at all. I can't even contact Hikari. The only time this has happened was the Planetary Alignment. But that... It killed off magic for three days. No one can do that to the entire dimension! That was a natural event, a happening. But this?!" She suddenly grew quiet and turned her head to hide her expression.

Finally after several more minutes, she spoke up. "...What will they do? If they catch me? They can't kill me, I'll just re-incarnate or come back from Hell. And they can't kill my spirit, yet, anyways... Both of those would lead to Koty killing the entire Dimension against your people... And any imprisonment you try, I'll break out of. So ... what can they do?" She turned her head further, away from the other three. Fear was starting to get to her, and as best she had hidden it, she couldn't change the fact she was terrified. First the Outerverse? Now the whole dimension? She didn't think it possible. "What will they do?"

Gaserlake · « **Reply #13 on:** July 27, 2010, 05:38:31 PM »

"They'll find a way to kill your spirit, so your death would be worth it if Koty comes on his rampage. They won't stop until we get Gaserlake to stop them. I wouldn't be surprised if the SF would destroy the entire dimension over you. That's what they do, I'm afraid," he said sympathetically, noticing Hikaru's emotions. "They would also kill those that protect you. When they capture you, they would put you in stasis until they know how to kill your spirit. By then, I doubt Gaserlake would be able to get them to release her after all that trouble. I'm... sorry."

Queen Bright · « **Reply #14 on:** July 27, 2010, 05:52:11 PM »

"And.... Will they leave?" Hikaru questioned, forcing herself into showing no reaction, though it was getting very difficult to do. "If they catch me, will we get the Outerverse back and whatever they've done to the dimension, fixed?"

"What are you thinking?!" Inari interrupted.

"Shut up Inari." Hikaru shook her head slightly. "All of this over the damn Mark of Eternity... That's the last damn time, I EVER make a deal with the Anrufe for something. Well I guess it is truly the last time..." She paused as she lowered eyes to the ground. "Anyways. Answer. What's Stasis?"

Gaserlake · « **Reply #15 on:** July 27, 2010, 06:05:32 PM »

"What? You're planning to turn yourself in? Well. They might listen to you at that part... If you trade yourself for the Outerverse and to fix the dimension, they probably would, seeing that they would do anything to kill you. Stasis is when they stop all organic processes, without killing them. So, you wouldn't die, but just, like, frozen, kinda. Once stasis is done, the processes start again, like there was no interruption."

Queen Bright · « **Reply #16 on:** July 27, 2010, 06:14:58 PM »

She ignored his first question. Instead Hikaru kept staring at the ground, focusing all her attention to one spot so as to keep calm and give nothing away. "Can stasis be broken forcefully? And how long would it take them to find a way to kill spirits?"

Gaserlake · « **Reply #17 on:** July 27, 2010, 06:21:07 PM »

"You can't. You would lose consciousness. It's like sleeping, but you wouldn't be dreaming. Nothing would be happening at all." He frowned at the second question. Hik's definitely won't like the second bit. "You won't like this, but, the SF aren't restricted to Aralangs. Some magic users are loyal to the SF, so they can actually find a way to kill spirits pretty quickly."

Queen Bright · « **Reply #18 on:** July 27, 2010, 06:31:45 PM »

Hikaru shook her head rather rapidly. She was too far lost in thought to pay much attention to the fact they had magic users on their side, much less get angry over such a thing. Of course? Why not? Traitors always turned up on both sides. Instead she just kept shaking her head. "Only higher powered magic users can kill spirits. It's not as easy as you or them keep trying to make it. The spirit isn't just something you can simply blast. It's the persons consciousness, their existence...their whole being... Without magic, or spirit energy, there's just no way.... And if you kill my spirit, Koty will still destroy everything. And he doesn't need magic to do so..."

She closed her eyes and sighed. "Wouldn't they just be content with stasis? If it's like that, then it may as well be death. It sounds like it practically is, just without the passing on part."

Gaserlake · « **Reply #19 on:** July 27, 2010, 06:55:18 PM »

"They would still be able to do it. They would just get very powerful technology to do it. I hate to tell you this, but whatever magic can do, technology can do the same. For Koty? I know who he is, yet he can still be matched. If they kept you in stasis, that would take up a lot of space, and it would give others a chance to get you out."

Queen Bright · « **Reply #20 on:** July 27, 2010, 07:10:22 PM »

"There you go again, underestimating magic." Hikaru gave a short laugh. "And you wonder why we hate you.... Very well then." She turned around. "That's all the information I needed to know... Inari!"

Inari nearly fell over with her name shouted. Her and Echo had been watching and listening tentatively. But now she jumped up from where she was sitting. "Yes ma'am!"

Hikaru had the card with the coordinates in her hand as well as the sheathed katana, both of which, she threw at Inari, who barely almost caught them. "Find their other leader. I don't care how you do it. Just.... " Her expression turned to a look of worry for a split second. "Hurry..." Then it was gone, replaced with her usual neutral frown as she slipped the inverted cross off of her neck and threw that at her as well. "And if you don't make it in time, my son gets that."

"Mistress Hikaru! You can't possibly be seri-"

"She's right, you can'-"

Hikaru held up a hand to silence both Inari and Echo, shaking her head the whole time. "Don't think for a damn minute that I'm going straight to my death. I'll be damned if that happens.... I'm only ....buying time....and giving you a chance to search without them following us the whole time. I can't use that coordinates. Teleporting by magic requires you to have been to the place to be able to find it. To find it any other way would require going back, and they'd chase. Either way, they'll follow everywhere we search and we won't be able to find him in time. That's why it has to be this way...J-j-just FIND him!" With that she was gone, leaving Inari to look very worried.

Gaserlake · « **Reply #21 on:** July 27, 2010, 09:55:16 PM »

When Hikaru left, Leserlake made the "tch" sound as he shook his head. "She hardly knows anything about technology." Her then looked at the two. "Alright, you two. One of you have something that's not magic, so you can get us to the dimension Hikaru wanted to make the portal to. Make it Aralia. We'll be able to get to where Gaserlake might be."

Queen Bright · « **Reply #22 on:** July 27, 2010, 10:07:25 PM »

"Uh... A-a-are you sure we can trust you?" Inari stammered, looking like she was going to cry as she held the items Hikaru had thrown to her. Both her and Echo seemed to be real silent, and could barely say a word after. The two just seemed to be depressed and both glared at him when he dared mock her right after. How dare he at a time like this! "Y-y-you could be sending us on a chase to random dimensions, to waste time till she dies or something."

Gaserlake · « **Reply #23 on:** July 27, 2010, 11:13:10 PM »

Leserlake sighed. "I'm not trying to capture you or anything. Hell, if you want, you can just ditch me here. More like me trusting you, than you trusting me. No. Not a random chase to dimensions, no. I'll take you to two dimensions. The first is the one that has Aralia, then the next is an Aralang Dimension. I can't guarantee you from there. If you don't want to do it, then don't. I'm not making you do it or anything."

Queen Bright · « **Reply #24 on:** July 27, 2010, 11:19:21 PM »

Inari carefully hung the cross onto the katana and tied it all the while staying silent with Echo looking to the ground. Both were still sad and depressed. Finally Inari looked up from staring at the katana to stare directly at him, all hostilities from before, aside. "W-w-will you guys really help her?"