minkus_334

The courtyard walls exploded. Through the smoke and dust, Ta'a Chuun could see figures. It cleared, and he saw the troublemakers! [I]This is my chance to prove myself to the Prelate![/I] The executioners were being cut down, the only one with the bullet killed by a kunai. [I]Curse those cost-cutting measures! If they all had bullets, we'd have more of a chance! Good thing there are other guards...[/I] Although as Chuun was thinking, they were dying as well. Suddenly, a Waska appeared right in front of him. Chuun jumped back and drew his sabre. The Waska lifted the point of his sword so that it pointed directly at him. [I]Sh-t![/I] Suddenly the Waska's eyes blanked out, and the point lowered. [I]Now's my chance,[/I] thought Chuun. He leapt towards the Waska, and was about to strike when he heard the [I]thunk![/I] of a kama lodging itself into his skull. He stopped, and felt blood trickle down his forehead. [I]No... no... it wasn't supposed to end like this... I've... I've failed the Prelate...[/I] Chuun fell over backwards, and died.

OOC:Wow, didn't know I had started a trend with that "flashback" thing.:sweat: Ta'a Chuun was pretty sure that he had never been this enraged. [I]Who do they f-cking think they are,[/I] he thought, [I]Portal Masters? I am going to f-cking KILL them! Portal Mastery is MY magic! I can't BELIEVE their nerve![/I] Screaming with rage, he formed a ring of fire that spread out 50 feet from where he stood. As the smoke cleared, he breathed a deep sigh. Now it was just the cold, calculated rage of someone with a plan. Not a very complex one, as it turned out. [I]Am I sure glad that the magic academy required a rudimentary skill level in all branches of magic,[/I] thought Chuun from under a crude cloaking spell. [I]Let's see... all they're doing is sitting and talking. It's as if they no longer consider me a threat! I'll teach those b-stards to ignore me!!![/I] Chuun snuck up as stealthily as he could behind some of them. It was the Kippor with the kama, talking with the Waska with the staff and a black-furred Rakka. [I]The Waska looks like the most likely target.[/I] He grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back, and pressed the blade of his sabre against her throat. "I suggest that no one tries anything that they would potentially regret in the future." The Kippor spun his kama in a small, fast circle. "That's the second time, Kiros! I'll f-cking kill you!" He was about to let fly when the Rakka slammed into him. "Gothkir, no! Don't try it!" The Waska was trembling. "Gothkir... you don't want to lose me too, do you?" Gothkir hung his head, crying. He suddenly looked up. "Mark my words, Kiros. I will kill you someday." Chuun opened a portal behind him and started to step through. "And I'm a man of my word, Kiros." Chuun hurredly stepped through, with Jiae held prisoner. [ALIGN=Center]----------------[/ALIGN] "So... Chuun... please... explain yourself." Ta'a Chuun was facing the sihlouettes once more. Jiae was tied up on the floor at his feet. "We allowed you to walk off with 150 of our highly trained, waluable troops, and what... do you... have... to show for it?" Chuun swallowed nervously. He had never heard the chairs angry before. "ONE PRISONER? Chuun... you are a disgrace to the prelate. However, as unwise may be... we will give to you... one chance to prove yourself." Chuun was shocked. They rarely gave second chances. "You must kill- not capture- kill... the ones you were originally sent to... apprehend, within the span of two days. If you die in the attempt... it will be better for you than if you fail. Certainly less... painful. And don't try to run. There's nothing we like less than... a coward." Chuun didn't speak. He wasn't sure if he could keep his voice steady if he tried. As he was leaving, a chair stopped him. "Oh and by the way, Chuun, tomorrow, at noon, we will hold the... execution... of your prisoner." [ALIGN=Center]----------------[/ALIGN] The next day, Chuun was watching the excecution from his balcony. It was to be death by firing squad. Everything was proceeding with plan. At 11:59, the walls to the courtyard exploded.

Ta'a Chuun was greviously wounded. "You... utter... B*STARD, Waska," He managed to gasp. "You? How the bloody f-ck did you get here?" shouted the very surprised Riku. "How the hell did you get out of the Blackmoor alive?" Chuun wasn't about to tell him. "I... have... my... sources, Waska." He wasn't pausing for the effect. He was bleeding in many places, burnt in the others, and his clothes were ripped horribly. He suddenly realized that magic could work here, and healed himself. [ALIGN=Center]--------[FONT=Impact]FLASHBACK[/FONT] --------[/ALIGN] Ta'a Chuun was very stressed out. His troops were being slaughtered by monsters, and the only end in sight was his death. He had to do something. What he did, as it turned out, was run. Breathing heavily, he crashed through the undergrowth, using his sabre as a machete. [I]A shame about the troops, really,[/I] Chuun thought, [I]but there's nothing I can do about that now.[/I] A vulture-thing leapt from the undergrowth at him, and he decapitated it professionally. He cursed as the acidic blood sprayed him, but he had no time to lick his wounds, as more were emerging as he cursed. [I]I must find the end of this accursed wasteland,[/I] he thought, [I]before these things overwhelm me.[/I] Finally, pursued by a pack of vulture-things, he burst from the Blackmoor, and barely opened the weave before they leapt. Falling through, he emerged in the Calms. [ALIGN=Center]----------------[/ALIGN] Straightening up, Chuun put on his best triumphant smirk. "So it appears that I have finally caught up with you, Waska. Now tell me, how does defeat taste?" "Defeat? What happened to your little army? And how do you expect to defeat us without it?" Chuun started to sweat. "I'm going to go check on Riku. I'm a bit worried about him," said Chibi. "Suit yourself," said Riho, splayed out on the ground. "You know where to find us." Chibi followed the trail that Riku had left. Topping the hill, she looked at the scen before her. "You guys!" Chibi shouted, "It's the Kiros! He's back!" Ta'a Chuun was now extremely nervous. Surounded by a ring of unfriendly faces, he had nowhere to turn. Except... "You there! Lyc! Surely you want to aid your government?" The Lyc looked disgusted. "If you are our government, then I want no part of it." [I]Well... sh-t,[/I] thought Chuun, readying his sabre.

Ta'a Chuun was quite worried. "All archers, fire at that thing! See if you can find a weak spot! Snipers, do the same!" The sky grew dark with bolts flying at the monster. Most, unfortunately, merely bounced off, wounding many troops in the process. A few, however, held fast, unfortunately doing nothing but angering the thing. "F-CK! CEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE!" But the soldiers, panicked, had a different plan of action. However, they were firing at where the other bolts stuck, or at the 68 eyes. Chuun, supremely pissed off, strode towards where the two Waska were standing, his red cloak billowing out behind him dramatically. "Waska! I propose a temporary truce. I'll temporarily call off my troops, and all of us work together- temporarily, mind you- to kill THAT." "I think we can handle that. Just leave this to me." The Waska drew his blade and ran towards the monster. Noticing Riku, the monstrous snake drew back its head, striking as fast as lightning. Riku, however, was that much faster. Leaping nimbly to the side, he rebounded off of a tree limb, skidding to a halt at where the neck would be on a 300-foot-long snake would be. He then jumped up as high as he could and thrust the sword directly up. Instead of finding a purchase, however, it glanced off. Riku was naturally quite surprised by this development. The snake, knowing only severe annoyance, simply knocked Riku out of the air and into a tree trunk. "Cleric! Cleric! Someone get a cleric, and tell them to attend to that Waska. He may be the only chance we have. All right, everybody else," Chuun sighed, ad drew his sabre. "Everybody else, hit it with your best shot."

Ta'a Chuun was feeling quite triumphant. "What makes you think that I have less guards this time, Waska?" Chuun said, as crossbowmen surrounded the camp. The vulture-things were all slain, and Chuun, having slipped out during the fight, had found that the end of the Blackmoor's antimatter field was closeby. Contacting the Prelate very quickly, he came back with as many troops as he could get away with. Prelate troops were everywhere, in the twisted trees, on the wrecks of buildings, and, most importantly, surrounding the entire camp. Chuun smirked. "Now, you miscreants, prepare to be... apprehended." [I]Goddamn! Again![/I] Gothkir stood up slowly, and swung his chain in a slow circle. "I would advise against that, Kippor, what with your [I]kordova[/I] friend in such a condition," said Chuun, nodding towards the unconcious Jiae. "[I]What[/I] did you just call her?! I'll f-cking kill you!" Shouted Gothkir, letting his kama fly in a sweeping arc towards Chuun. He deftly deflected the attack. Chuun glanced at a crossbowman at his side and snapped his fingers. The crossbowman fired a bolt into Gothkir's foot. "One more outburst like that, Kippor, and I'm afraid that we'll just have to set our sights a bit higher." Chuun was basking in his own glory when suddenly a shout rang out. "SIR! We have a problem!" shouted a scout, gesturing back the way he came. Chuun looked in the implied direction. There was a gigantic dust cloud, as far as the horizon, and the treetops were rustling madly, some even flying up as if tossed aside carelessly, as far as the forest went. Swarms of small bird-like things were flying up in clouds, disturbed by whatever was coming, which, judging by the spectacle, was every single monster in the Blackmoor. "Soldier, weren't you in a patrol with ten other people?" asked the nervous Chuun. "Sir, I'm the only one that made it back alive." Chuun finally fully noticed the scout. He was covered in dirt, blood, burns, and acid, his clothes were ripped awfully, barely recognizeable as a Prelate uniform, and he was breathing very heavily. [I]This is an issue,[/I] thought the downcast Chuun.

Ta'a Chuun was becoming annoyed. He was nailed to the tree by only one remaining kunai, but it was deeply imbedded. He had spent almost as much time getting this one out than the others combined, and it was far into the night. [I]This... f-cking... kunai... will... not... COME... OUT!!![/I] It popped out suddenly, and he was thrown off balance and landed in the dirt. [I]Damn! Does that Waska know just how much it will cost to get my clothes mended and cleaned?![/I] He stormed back into camp. For some reason, the very same Waska was up. He walked over to a very small Waska and tucked her in, whispering something that Chuun didn't catch. Chuun tossed the Waska his kunai. "Merry Birthdate, Waska." He was in a fine mood as he wrapped himself in his cloak and drifted off to sleep. Chuun, an earlier riser than anyone else in the camp, woke up the next morning to find himself surrounded. The camp was crawling with creatures of about waist-height. Their skin looked like it was covered in slick, shiny oil, except for their backs, which were covered in chitonous armor, but with a small break at the neck. Their heads were grotesquely bird-like, looking like they belonged on some sort of mummified vulture, with glowing green eyes and two arms ending in scythe-like blades. They were sniffing around camp, looking for anything edible. Chuun slowly reached for his sabre. He unsheathed it and swiftly beheaded the nearest one. The rest immediatly stopped what they were doing and looked directly at him. They simultaneously emitted a horrible screeching noise. [I]Well, if the others were asleep, they certainly aren't now.[/I] Chuun brought himself up into an [I]en garde[/I] stance, and telepathically shouted [I]They are weak at the neck! Behead them if you can![/I] [I]Nothing to do now but fight. Let's hope that the others know that too.[/I]

OOC: Haven't posted in a while. :sweat: IC: Ta'a Chuun was stressed out. [I]I'm travelling with the very vagrants that I'm supposed to be apprehending! The Prelate will not be pleased with this development. No matter. I'll simply deal with them once we make it out of this accursed place.[/I] He sighed deeply. It appeared that Jiae, the other Waska, and the Kippor he came with were conversing telepathically. The other Kippor, [I]what was it, Gothkir?[/I] was excluded, or perhaps just alienating himself. The Kippor walked off, deep in thought. [I]I wonder what he's up to,[/I] thought Chuun. He decided to stay back, and look out for others of the monstrosities inhabiting this moor. Suddenly, there was a loud gunshot. [I]*****, that'll bring every creature in this accursed fen down on our heads![/I] The others dashed off in that direction, and Chuun followed closely. Gothkir lay on the ground, bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound to the head. [I]Who could've done such a thing? The creatures in this swamp don't have thumbs do they? And how could they have gotten such a clean shot without sticking the gun into-[/I] Chuun noticed the gun grasped in Gothkir's hand. [I]Oh,[/I] thought Chuun, [I]he must've been the type with... issues. *****! Even in my own goddamn mind![/I] Jiae was healing Gothkir. [I]Anything I can do to help?[/I] Chuun communicated telepathically. [I]Just shut up and stay out of this, kordova,[/I] thought Jiae. Chuun was getting angry. [I]I have a [U]name[/U], you know.[/I] [I]Oh do you now, kordova?[/I] Chuun snapped. [I]Tu kr'taani jitonea lutk'gaanti whejutent![/I] Jiae didn't know all of the words in that string, but she knew enough of them to slam Chuun against a tree, and the others must have caught the gist of it, as his cloak and hat were now pinned against the trunk by several kunai and a kama. Jiae was furious. [I]Look, kordova, do you think we want you hanging around? Do you think that we're all your pals? That we keep you around because we enjoy your stimulating wit? We are barely even tolerating you, and one more outburst like that might just cost you your life. Got that, kordova?[/I] Chuun gulped. Suddenly there was a blinding light from all around them, and when it subsided, there was a Lyc standing in their midst. "Oh, sorry, am I interrupting something?"

From the undergrowwth, Ta'a Chuun watched the two. [I]Well this is an awkward situation,[/I] he thought. [I]I get the feeling that I might have to depend on them later on to get me out of this place, wherever we are.[/I] The Kippor stirred, and the Waska looked at him. "Nice to see that you've finally woken up!" She seemed bright and cheery, for such a dismal atmosphere. "We're in the Blackmoor," said the Kippor. [I]The Blackmoor?[/I] Chuun had heard rumors of the place, but he thought that they were just that, rumors. [I]The Blackmoor can't be a real place, can it?[/I] But here they were, and it seemed to fit all rumors' descriptions. "We're WHERE?" asked the Waska. [I]I might as well make my presence known,[/I] thought Chuun. "The Blackmoor," he said, as he stood up from the buses. OOC: ****, I'm out of time, I'll continue this later.

[I]Well, I'd might as well start in the plaza,[/I] Ta'a Chuun thought, [I]it's right in the middle of the city.[/I] He opened the weave just outside the pub, and stepped through the portal to the plaza. Looking around, he took stock of the situation. It was mostly filled with Spherecs, going about their business, with the odd Homac, surrounded by an empty space. Nobody liked a Homac. But wait... there was a black-garbed Waska with a staff, following a Kippor! These could be the infiltraitors Chuun was looking for! He trailed them at a distance through the plaza, until they were right outside the door of a house. The Kippor stopped at the door and said, "Wait." The Waska obliged, with a "Yes?" The Kippor stammered, "I... um..."[I]This seems like as good a time as any.[/I] Chuun drew his sabre and advanced. "I hate to break the party, kids, but I'm afraid that both of you are now under arrest in the name of the Prelate." The Waska whirled around, surprised, and the Kippor drew his weapon, some sort of kama on a chain, with a gaze of burning fury. Chuun sensed that he was in for quite a fight.

OOC: Okay, last time I posted, I thought I had transported Jiae to the other side of the city, but I suppose that could have just been any alley-dwelling female Waska assassin propping herself up on a metal-capped staff with a sleeping Lyc next to her. Not that I'm bitter. I'll go with how things are unfolding. IC: Time was running out for Ta'a Chuun. [I]I need to find the creatures that started this disturbance, and fast,[/I] he thought. [I]Hmmm.... If I was an assassin, and I had just killed a bunch of guards, presumably getting injured in the process, where would I be now? Hmmmm.... A pub, of course![/I] The pub's door slammed open. The barkeep was quite surprised at seeing a red-clad Kiros at the doorway, but in a barkeep kind of way, so it didn't show. Chuun strode over and slipped him a few credits. "Were there any seedy-looking types in here just now?" The barkeep encompassed the entire pub with a wave of his arm. "Take your pick." Chuun, slightly annoyed, slipped him a few hundred credits. "Any assassin types, some Waskas, perhaps?" The barkeep peripherally eyed the hefty some on the bar. "Well, a small Waska, a girl, came in here a while ago and got pretty drunk. Then a little bit after that, another Waska, a guy, dressed in black and with a few crossbow bolts in his arm, came in, sat next to her and asked if she was old enough to be in here. She knocked him clean out with a punch to the face. I reckon she's an angry drunk. Then she dragged him off somewhere, just where I'm afraid I cannot tell." Chuun slipped him a few thousand credits. The barkeep's eyes widened considerably. "She was mumbling something like, 'G*dd*mmit, now I have to drag this big lunk all the way to the center of the city.' I hope that helps you, partner." "It helps indeed. Thank you for your... cooperation."

Ta'a Chuun stepped out into an alleyway somewhere in Balkazza. [I]I must find this disturbance,[/I] he thought, [I]and deal with it. But where to start?[/I] Hearing a noise, he turned around. His eyes were still adjusting to the dark. A black figure... [I]a Waska girl, an assassin,[/I] was propping herself up on a staff, and a Lyc... [I]dead? No, asleep-[/I]was on the ground. "Jackpot," he mumbled. He put his hand on his sabre. "You there! Waska! Explain yourself! What are you doing in this alley, dressed as an assassin?" She barely glanced at him. "***** off," the Waska replied in a tired, exasperated voice. He drew his sabre. "Do you know who I am, [I]woman[/I]?" Something Chuun said must have aggravated her. Her eyes shone in the gloom. "WHAT did you just call me? Prepare yourself!" She assumed an elaborate stance, and charged. Chuun, being a Kiros, was not tall or muscular, but he had speed, and could anticipate movements very well. Most of the fencing matches held at the old academy he won with ease, but even so, the Waska girl's movements caught him by surprise, and he was barely able to parry the first strike before it was followed by another. His movements were fluid, graceful, and precise, but he soon found himself flagging. [I]I had hoped I wouldn't have to resort to this,[/I] he thought, as he jumped back. "Whatever's the matter, [I]man[/I]? Feeling too tired," she exclaimed as she charged once more, "to keep this up? Well, try this one on for-" She never saw the shimmering portal, and was unknowingly transported to the other side of the city. "I really do hate to pull that move, my dear, but I had no choice." Chuun remarked to the air. He spied the unconcious Lyc, and prodded him with his toe. The Lyc awoke, in a sense. "Shouldn't you be preparing for school?" Chuun said to him. The Lyc blinked blearily, nodded, and promptly fell back asleep. [I]Well, that takes care of one,[/I] Ta'a Chuun thought, [I]but the Prelate said that there were more than one infiltrators causing the disturbance[/I]. He sighed, and stepped out of the alley. "I'm quite attached to my *ss," he mumbled to no one in particular, and set about searching.

Somewhere far away, Ta'a Chuun stood facing sihlouettes in chairs. Someday, he thought, I'll be in one of those chairs. "Ta'a Chuun," remarked a chair. "We trust you have been keeping... well?" Chuun idly wondered if the chairs could even go one sentence without a dramatic pause. "Actually, I-" A chair cut him off. "It has just reached us that there is some sort of... disturbance in Balkazzar. Normally, we wouldn't bother you with such a... trivial matter, but several guards are dead, and it appears... professional. As our most... junior member, we trust you can... handle this... unfortunate scenario." "Gentlemen, I assure you, the mere fact that you have assigned this task to me implies that it is... no longer of consequence." D*mn, Chuun thought, I'm doing it too. "We await your... success." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ta'a Chuun slumped againt the corridor wall. They'll have my *ss for this if I screw it up, he thought. The potential for power in the shadow government was amazing, but if you failed once, you were never heard from again. I'll be in one of those chairs someday, he thought, providing this job doesn't kill me first. He sighed heavily as he began the portal weave.

Name: Ta'a Chuun Race: Kiros Age: Whatever about 40 is in Kiros years Sex: Male Class: Portal Master (Manipulates kinetic energy to create portals) Weapon: Sabre Not very strong or skilled, but fast, and highly magically inclined Eyes: Dark Blue Hair: none Skin: Greyish-blue Build: Small, light, and not muscular Tail: Greyish-blue Favorite color: red Likes: Global domination, control Dislikes: Lack of power, water Wears: Loose red robe with leather strips and the emblem of the Kiros on the front, Big red cape, and a red wide-brimmed hat with a white feather. Bio: Was the Prime Minister of the Kiros nation for two years before being demoted to Vice Minister under grounds of abuse of power. Still, as Vice Minister, he usurped as much power as he possibly could, even going so far as arranging an assassination of the Prime Minister, which ultimately failed, and was about to instrument a military coup and install a dictatorship when he was found out. After some hefty bribes to insure secrecy, he was dismissed from office. His current whereabouts are unknown, but it is believed that he was inducted into the secret shadow government that really runs things. All in all, a control freak. Ta'a Chuun is on the government's side

Sorry black bird, sublime2004, but please take your holland convo somewhere else, like in private messages or something. This is a post on what you think about the future. I haven't looked at this thread since today, so I'll try to answer all questions. On your indignity concerning my food service comment, sublime2004, I meant no offence towards restaurants. I didn't mean offence towards fast food chains, either, but they're who the "food service" comment was direted towards. Also I realize some flaws with my "terminator" comment. I don't think it's a very smart idea to give robots a human's intelligence (and I realize the near-impossibility of it too) so I don't think we will. Well, I can't remember any other questions right now, so I guess that's it.

Boy I really hope there isn't an existing thread on this subject... So, what does everyone think of the future? What do you think it will be like, in terms of religion, politics, other factors... Here is a hypothetical situation I came up with as I was reading my Geography textbook: When all of the countries in the world are equal in all aspects, such as development, government, and oppurtunities, then what motivation would people have to work in the lower class jobs, like food service, or janitorial work? Movement to other countries would halt to a standstill, because who would need to come to the ?Land of Oppurtunity? if they have the same oppurtunities in their country? We would all be required to learn necessary skills, and be completely interchangeable drones. Or, all lower class jobs would be ?manned? by machines, and as any paranoid fan of the Terminator movies can tell you, that plan has its flaws too. Tell us all what you think of the future.