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Post by Ribitta on Nov 2, 2008 20:59:09 GMT -5
Riul couldn't resist a chuckle. Smiling triumphantly she said, "The Nightmare god will not bother anyone here for now. There was something amiss with his self, but I shall look into it another time."
The Master Chief nodded knowingly, even though this was his first time hearing it. "We should move quickly. I've already learned the entrance manner into the temple, so we can go whenever you're ready."
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Post by BD on Nov 2, 2008 21:43:28 GMT -5
Tsaul stopped and put his hands on his hips as he leaned against a small brick hut, "Now hold on a second. Even if we do know the entrance manner, Samus and I had Kasdim tailing us. He probably has an eye on us somehow right now, which would give him ample time to prepare a defense. Do we really just want to rush in and throw caution to the wind. We don't even know what their capabilities are yet."
He stood back up to his full height, "That is to say, are we absolutely prepared for anything?"
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Post by Rising Dragon on Nov 2, 2008 23:08:35 GMT -5
"That's why I plan on scouting the area beforehand, Tsual," Samus said. "I know the Cult is dangerous and I know that rushing in with guns blazing is suicide. I don't intend to start a battle."
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Post by Ribitta on Nov 4, 2008 13:23:28 GMT -5
"We're more prepared than we ever will be," the Master Chief said, urgency in his voice as the speed of his words quickened. "Two administrators, a Balance, one with close connections to an administrator. I've spoken with the village people; they leave that temple alone. They've said that on the nights of the full moon smoke can be found rising from the top of it from a chimney like thing. Rituals. For the most part though, they never seem to think about it. It's almost like it only exists in their memory if someone recalls it..." He paused, his tone was quicker than before now, and he seemed to be out of breath. Forcing himself to slow down, he finished. "It's now or never. The full moon was last night, if we strike now... if we strike now we may catch them unaware. Cleaning up whatever mess that came from the rituals, or whatever they do in there. We don't have to run in 'Guns blazing' but we should move soon... now."
Riul eyed the Master Chief curiously and deeply, a look of concern glazing over her young features. She looked as if she would almost ask the Chief to just lie down, but no words came from her. Only a nod of acknowledgment could be found.
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Post by BD on Nov 4, 2008 17:58:52 GMT -5
Tsaul nodded his assent as he stood up and brushed some dirt off his shirt, "So you have done your homework. Alright, i'm in. So which direction are we headed?"
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Post by Rising Dragon on Nov 4, 2008 23:50:59 GMT -5
"Towards the temple, of course," Samus said, walking along the path that had brought them here. "That's where we'll find our answers."
He's certainly gotten talkative lately, Samus noted, keeping her eyes ahead. Wonder what's eating at him.
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Post by BD on Nov 6, 2008 23:38:00 GMT -5
She knows something's up. I can't tell her, not now at least. It's unfortunate, but I don't think I have much of a choice but to lie and pretend everything's dandy down here. Why couldn't they have shown up after I skipped town. Just so he doesn't show up to heckle me i'll be okay for now, but we need to go now.
"Then let's hurry while we can," Tsaul said as he began to take off.
"Hold it right there, kiddo..." A New York accent called, "You're hard to track. It took us weeks to find you here."
A group of 3 thugs, each with slick greasy hair and clad in orange bell-bottomed leisure suitsm appeared behind Tsaul.
"Last we checked you got a little discrepancy to clear up with us."
Tsaul stopped, of all the things, this was the worst possible that could happen,"Ah, Vinnie, is that a new color or did you just get fuglier....?"
The thugs grabbed Tsaul by the arms,"You're coming with us..."
Tsaul didn't take to this kindly, "Repulsor Fist."
His fists glowed orange for a brief moment as he delivered three swift punches to each of their throats; he then leaned down to whisper something in to the thug, now known as Vinnie,'s ear, "Tell your boss I paid my dues. And while i'm at it, tell him that if he ever sends anything as weak as you after me again, you're as good as dead."
He picked his head up and rejoined the group as the thugs lay there gasping for air, "Shall we move on then now?"
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Post by Ribitta on Nov 7, 2008 2:13:38 GMT -5
OOC: <______<
Riul gave an offhand glare to Kite, slight annoyance in her eyes. "Whoever those people were, Tsual," she said casually, "I don't think you need to worry about them too much. After all if, they were stupid enough to--"
The Master Chief cut her off, talking to Tsual as if she hadn't been at all, "We're not being followed here, are we, Tsual? I won't jeopardize this whole mission simply because you've not taken care of some personal affairs."
The silence that came was almost painful, and Riul decided she would end it, "Master Chief, what on earth is up with you? Normally you're well deserved of the description of spartan, but lately you just can't shut up, can you? I'm not putting down talk, but this is already becoming paranoia."
The speed from the Spartan was frightening to say the least. In one quick motion he spun around and picked up Riul like a doll, a Spiker practically materializing in his hand from the speed. The knifeblade of the gun was raised to the Balance's neck within the blink of an eye, but Riul did not flinch. His breath seemed more ragged than before, but he said very slowly, his voice no more than a growl, "If you have a problem with it, then leave!" Thunder and lightning cracked the sky once more with the last words leaving his mouth, and the rain began to come down as the sun was clouded out of view.
"Chief!" Cortana bellowed. "Put her down or so help me I will file an order requesting your removal from this mission and suspension from the staff."
"I'm the only one... it has to be me. I started this, I will be the one to end it. Cortana: Command, personality, nullify. Memory: erase last conversation."
The breaths he took between words came through his speakers. Riul lifted her hands and placed them on the Master Chief's shoulder armor, "Put me down, John. Don't do this to yourself." Under the helmet, he grimaced and released the pressure of the blade a little but continued to hold it near her throat.
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Post by Rising Dragon on Nov 7, 2008 3:58:19 GMT -5
The lifeforms appeared on her radar quickly enough, and Samus turned towards them, the threat assessment slowly rising up, though not by much. She watched the incident as it occurred with an irritated frown on her face, not unlike Riul's own expression.
Things went sour after that. When the Master Chief bugged out, Samus could only watch in shock--she had never seen him act like this before. After a few seconds of shocked horror, she steeled herself as she activated and switched it from the Plasma Beam to the Ice Beam, causing the weapon to reconfigure and the upper portion of it extend upwards, releasing cold mist into the air. Her arm cannon was already charging as it whipped up and aimed at the Master Chief--their reaction speeds were on par with each other, she was confident she could freeze him before he could do anything as stupid as killing a Balance Program.
"Put her down, John," she said, using his full name, which she never did.
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Post by Ribitta on Nov 7, 2008 13:38:36 GMT -5
Beneath the helmet, the Master Chief's face contorted in self-conflicting agony. A second passed, and the Master Chief released the grip on the gun, letting it fall to the ground into a puddle of water. Still holding Riul, his boot moved over the weapon and crushed it with ease. "I..." he said slowly, lowering Riul, "I'm so sorry... Cortana: Re-enable personality function." Riul's feet touched the ground, but her eyes still stared worriedly at the Master Chief. Moving closer, she raised a hand and placed it on the armored plating of his chest but retracted it almost immediately, her fingers curling as if she had just touched boiling water.
"An evil is being rooted within you, Master Chief. I can feel it. Feeding. Growing. Any weaker soul would have been driven mad long before this," Riul said slowly, as if somehow reading what was beneath. There was another gap of silence, and Riul said so quietly that her voice was hardly more than a whisper. "Let me see the wound, Master Chief. I can then decide if we will be able to move quickly enough."
The Spartan twisted away from her, as if denying the questions existance. Riul's hand raised toward Samus's weapon to show that there would be no more hostility. Slowly moving his arms, regret tinging his every movement, his hands slid over the backplate, hissing sounds coming to life as he activated several tiny buttons. His back still to Riul, he let the plate fall to the ground with a crash, revealing the wound of where the spear had penetrated.
"Awai protect us," Riul breathed in horror. A hole, nearly three inches across, now marred the backside of the Master Chief. The inside of the aperture was a mix of pitch black and crimson red, but what was even more disturbing was what surrounded the hole. The skin was cracked, as if it was charred by the hellfire itself. Red lines traced across the skin, and smoke came from them with a fearful consistency. With the fresh air, the skin began to flake, revealing deep blackened scabs beneath it that seemed to ooze slightly. "We have little time," Riul said finally, not even daring to touch the wound that had covered the entire backside of the Spartan and was already apparently spreading to the neck and limbs. "If this consumes him, it will kill him outside of the game too. Time is of the essence. Guns blazing may be our best hope now if we wish to save him."
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Post by Rising Dragon on Nov 7, 2008 14:12:36 GMT -5
As the Master Chief finally relinquished his hold on the Light Balance, Samus slowly lowered her arm cannon, dispersing the gathered energy. Orange light swept over it and back, and the upper portion of its armor sank back into the arm cannon, indicating her switch to the Power Beam. With a frown, Samus listened as Riul spoke to the Master Chief.
Her breath caught in her throat when the wound was revealed to her, Riul, and Tsual. My god, Chief, what the hell is wrong with you, she thought, with pity instead of malice. "Why weren't we told of this when you were released?" she said. "Don't tell me you escape from the hospital ward before they cleared you for duty."
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Post by BD on Nov 7, 2008 19:45:20 GMT -5
Tsaul looked at the chief.
Jesus Christ, Post-traumatic Stress much? There's no way this can be healthy.
Then, when Riul pointed out the virus on the back Tsaul finally broke his silence, "Let me guess, he dodged the virus scan to come out here? Idiot."
He looked out at the surrounding rainforest, lush with its rich tropic colors and teeming with life, "Well, looks like guns blazing gets the vote. How unfortunate...I actually liked this place."
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Post by Ribitta on Nov 7, 2008 21:55:11 GMT -5
Cortana broke in for the distressed Chief, "The virus scans came up with nothing out of the ordinary, and at the time it had barely begun to grow. It caused no pain at the time... but now it's grown beyond what was originally estimated. It's moving faster, causing more pain, but it's having some interesting affects too in a more... positive fashion..."
The Master Chief felt as if he had been slightly vindicated, and so described the additional abilities he had felt, "My reflexes are beyond superb now, I can feel people in the area just by hearing them, and the more this thing consumes my body the more this thing grows... the stronger and faster and more aware I become. It's frightening to not be able to control something like this... If I can stop it from spreading completely though and get the artifacts that were mentioned, I think I may be the one who can kill Tsindary."
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Post by Rising Dragon on Nov 7, 2008 22:17:50 GMT -5
"Yeah?" Samus said, frowning though no one could see it. Her tone was not amiable to the idea at all. "At what cost? At this rate you're dead. Why the hell didn't you get it checked out? A virus scan isn't the only thing you need. Now we don't even know if we can stop its spread."
Another thought came to her, and she groaned. "Now that damn PM makes a bit of sense," she said. "Dragonheart and McKnights got hit by that thing as well. Maybe they've got whatever you've got as well."
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Post by BD on Nov 9, 2008 14:16:07 GMT -5
Tsaul froze when he heard Rua and Kite mentioned, "Wait, both he and Kite?"
He paused for a minute, "That's beyond dangerous, especially with those two. There's no telling what either of them could be capable of if it's doing this much to the chief. Any idea how long until it fully spreads?"
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