The Muck Pond

[Fleegle]

(For El_Skwidd, Nixit, Schme)

The two Pink Ones groaned as they collided with one another. The Pink One being bitten by Xev/Vex rolled off his companion, sending Xev/Vex on their back. In the confusion, Briker was thrown clear and landed safely in the grass.
The other five spearmen raised their spears and descended on Xev/Vex, stabbing at Vex/Xev's exposed belly. Finding it almost as tough as the shell, they began stabbing at the heads. One of the spearmen pierced Xev/Vex's neck, severing a major blood vessel. It was not long before the heads fell lifeless, puncture wounds covering their exposed skin.
Felinibis finished off the remaining bowmen easily, then turned on the remaining spearmen. He seemed to know what had happened to Vex/Xev, for he howled a piteous sound. He then charged at the group of spearmen.
They took up their spears, ignoring the other creatures nearby.

(Sorry El_Skwidd, I really liked Vex/Xev, but really I had little choice. I guess you forgot about those five spearmen, huh? MushBall concentrated on the two that were attacking him, and Briker managed to judge one of them, but it was a bowman who probably would have been killed by Felinibis anyways)

[Nixit]

When Briker recovered and saw Vex and Xev dead, he wailed in rage, and ran to the nearest one and started to climb up him and dig through his adams' apple.

[Schme]

(Swat.)


MushBall was filled with rage as the spearmen attacked Vex and Xev as they lay up side down on the ground. He had never really been all that attached to them, espicially seeing as they'd not seemed to be able to see his great vision for a Muck people's homeland, but too see the godless pink creatures murder a fellow Muck Child was more than he could bear.

In his fury, he again used his powers of teleportation in the same manner, beginning to drop the five soldiers closest to him one by one on top of each other, although this time, he opted to drop them headfirst to the ground.

He then hastily teleported Vex and Xev too Ilosep's temple, for surely such a terrible murder was unjust and could not be tolerated by the God of Justice. He'd also seemed to recall the Ilosep being on good terms with the goddess of life, and if anyone could reverse this attrocity, it would be she. There was not point in not trying, anyhow.

[Fleegle]

(For Lumin)

"Do you know where my mommy is?" Gaela asked. It looked like she was about to cry. "I wanna find my mommy..." she said as the tears welled up in her eyes.

(For Pie)

Ilosep was about to answer Ithicus, when the body of Vex/Xev appeared at the base of the steps.
"Oh dear..." Ilosep began. "That's Vex and Xev... they've been killed. MushBall must have sent them here. I heard the Pink Ones were attacking the forest... they must have tried to defend it."
Ilosep's face turned sour. "How could I allow such injustice to occur! I shall send a plague upon their village, that's what I shall do."
He turned to Ithicus. "I'm sorry you had to witness this. Oh yes, your question..." Ilosep said in a softened, sullen tone. "You just will it... really there's nothing to it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to sit down for a minute. Ask your friend to come inside when you leave."

[Leo Luncid]

[Man, I missed a lot... Fleegle, I should've told you this, but I didn't know Ilosep would mention that my construct could mind-speak at the time. If it isn't any trouble, I would like to have my character to be not able to mind-speak, and I have something to explain that. When I created my character, I intend it to can't mind-speak because even though it is of life, it is a construct. Since you don't want to have anything magical or supernatural about my character, I have to reason why my character is like this, so I thought that my character is functioned like a machine. Even though it could do life-like things, it doesn't have what other living creatures have. In other words, I intend for this character to be formed mechanically but yet out of nature. Because of that it couldn't mind speak to other living creatures since it doesn't have life-like properties like a heart or a brain. You could think of this as a new type of creation from the Godess of Life. I just wanted to mention that because I wanted my character to be unique, you know. Sorry if I'm going out of hand.]

[I think this event could explain why the construct didn't come inside.]

The construct watched Ithicus and Ilosep enter the the Old Temple, but as it was about to the same, it hesitated as if something struck it's thinking, and made a moment to examine the whole place. It could sense it's whole surroundings, seeing by the lightning strikes that contrast the night and by the blue orb it made constant light; it looked as if it's realizing this the very first time. It first made note of Ithicus and Ilosep inside the Old Temple with their doings before it found more to see. It looked in all directions, sometimes leaning forward, and sometimes looking up. It examined the rain as well, and as it did it has something to examine again: itself. It looked at it's gauntlet-like hands, it's wiring throughout it's body, arms and legs, and finally it's boot-like feet.

After making aware of all this the raining stopped, making it's sight to be close to dark except for the lighting of the orb, and turned reactively at some small body that appeared out of nowhere inside the Old Temple, and at last made it's way inside. It searched into what looked like a dead turtle of two heads, then the inside of the building, then the low whispers from the (visible?) ghost audience that is beginning to fade, then at Ilosep with always it's face of no expression. One could hear the grinding of two smooth stones again as the construct made all of it's movements around the place.

[Razorlance]

As the rain and lightning stopped Tek realised the wizard had dissappeared. "The wizard has gone Ao, at least I cannot seem him anymore, perhaps that is the last we will see of them."

[Pie]

*He jumps at the sight of the body, then listning to Isolep, and then seing the construct Entering the tempal* Who are the pink ones?

[Fleegle]

(Global statement)

The rain had now completely stopped, and the clouds were beginning to break up. The moon peeked over a cloud and cast its cool radiance over the land.

(For Pie and Leo)

"I didn't want to trouble you, as you both had just come into existence, but there is a village of creatures not far from here that we like to call the Pink Ones. Really quite a silly name I suppose. They look very much like me, except many of them are younger, but I assure you they are very different from me in every other respect. Recently they have taken up arms to destroy the forest. A group of creatures of the Muck like yourselves took up arms to defend the forest. I see that it is not going as well as they had hoped..."
Ilosep looked over at the construct. "Ah, there you are..."
He noticed that the construct still did not attempt to speak to him.
"Hmm, I'm beginning to wonder if you CAN mindspeak... curious. Oh well, that won't stop me from assigning you a fate. Before I can do that though, we've got to find a name for you. Lets see... how about... Andrik? Yes, Andrik will do nicely. Well now, give me a moment to gather my parchments together. Wait here, please. Oh, and if you feel like making yourself useful, Ithicus, you might want to consider giving our friend there a proper burial."
Ilosep shuffled into a dark room at the back.

(For Nixit and Schme)

As Briker began to dig into the man's neck, the man suddenly disappeared, and Briker fell to the ground again. Moments later, the man appeared in the sky and toppled on top of one of the other men, getting impaled on the latter man's spear. Felinibis did not stop to wonder about what was happening. He roared and slashed at the spearmen still standing. Two went down in one slash, a great swath of blood flying across the moonlit sky. The other man decided he had met his match and began to flee towards the village. Felinibis finished off the fallen spearmen with his teeth and claws. Panting, he slunk over to where MushBall stood and lay down upon his side, spear still lodged in his hind leg, and arrows sticking out of him in various places.
Bassus peeked his head out of the forest and came running towards the injured pair. "Oh! How horrible! How horrible!" He collapsed against Felinibis, sobbing. "That poor, brave creature! Giving his life for the forest! He will be remembered... he will be remembered..."

(For AoM and Razorlance)

In the moonlight, the way ahead of them was clearer. The pine forest thinned out, now nothing but dusty soil ahead of them. There was still no sign of the wizard.
"We must ascend the mountain a little ways to find Mother's Mouth. That's what we call the entrance to Eriadina's domain." Kikkik said. "There is a mountain path just up ahead."

[Lumin]

Squall stared at Gaela, flustered and unsure how to respond to the sudden tears.

"Your mommy? Well...how should I know?"

She winced a little, realizing that that was probably not the most comforting response, but was she supposed to say? In her entire life she'd only been at the muck pond and here, after all. It was a little unfair for this girl to put her on the spot like this, with a question she couldn't possibly know the answer to and the threat of a big emotional scene. Besides, Gaela had been the one to see her mommy last, didn't she remember where she'd left it?

But it wouldn't do to point that out. Obviously Gaela was in no condition to think clearly, so she supposed it would be up to her to take control of the situation.

"Uh...don't worry, I'm sure we'll find your mommy."

Squall glanced outside, seeing that the rain was all gone now, and noticing with pleasant surprise that from somewhere outside a soft white light shone down, partially illuminating the area around the muck pond.

"Why don't we go outside? That's as good a place as any to start looking."

She got up and walked toward the mouth of the cave, glancing back to see if Gaela would follow.

[El_Skwidd]

Name: Shaakh
Eyes: Yellow, slitted
Hair: Dark Brown, tint of green
Skin: Pale down to bottom of torso, dark green scales until end of tail.
Mouth: Normal sized mouth, normal teeth, two fangs in the top row.
Height: 5'0 standing, 12'0 lying down
Weight: 140 lbs
---------------------------

The Muck seeths and boils as a new creature emerges. This creature seems as a human would, emerging from the Muck with arms swinging and a human body. But his movement is too smooth, too graceful for a man. As he emerges, it is seen that the lower half of his body is that of a serpent, tapering off into a tail almost seven feet behind him. Shiny green scales cover the lower half of his body.

Shaakh opens his yellow eyes for the first and last time. The black slits in his yellow irises adjust to the cloudy light, and he looks around.

[Fleegle]

(For El_Skwidd and Lumin)

Gaela stepped timidly out into the open. The ground was muddy from the rainfall and the plants and trees dripped. A new Muckie was standing there to greet them.
A mouse poked its head out from under a rock and darted about, pausing to sniff at the new creatures. It then darted back beneath the rock.
"I don't know where I am..." Gaela started.
A dragonfly buzzed about in the crisp night air.

[El_Skwidd]

Shaakh looks quickly at the mouse, and then at the two newcomers.

"That makes two of us," Shaakh says. His voice is low and smooth. "I was... sleeping... and now I am here. But where is here? And who are you?"

He pauses and waits for an answer, and then catches himself.

"I am Shaakh."

[Schme]

MushBall sauntered over too Felinibis in the other, still clutching his wound and dragging the spear. He looked as though he was going to tip over, but stood standing, and began to speark.

“Well, comrades!” he mumbled. “It appears we are victorious! A glorious day for the true believers, and for the people of the forest. The heretics have been turned back, and righteous justice wrought upon them.” He made of sort of satisfied sighing mumble, and then continued “But alas! We’ve lost our brave friend, poor Vex and Xev! How cruely were they slaughtered by the infidel rogues!” Tears seemed to well in his blue eyes, and he stared at the sky distantly and with great sadness. He then refocused his gaze on those surrounding him. “We cannot let his death go unavenged, my friends. The non-believers must pay for their transgression. They can no longer be allowed to dwell on the land of the gods whilst they oppose the High Ones! They can no longer be tolerated! So long as this outpost of sin and evil remains, the forest will be in constant danger, and not only that, but the will of the gods constantly subverted.” MushBall felt a surge of passion and energy as he made his speech. “I am such an elegant and charismatic speaker, I truly am…” he thought in passing.

He then continued with his conclusion, which he knew must be extremely inspirational and emporwering.
“I say that we strike the Pink Ones again, and soon, and that we attack again and again until this stronghold of heresy is destroyed. We must wipe they’re homes off the earth. This is the first step on bringing them back to the right path. They must learn to respect and honor the gods.”

He paused thoughtfully, and then added. “We would perhaps need to muster more forces if we were to be victorious against the infidels, but I’m sure it could be done, especially with our connections. What do you think?”

He then sat down, feeling weary, and lay down his spear so that he could use both hands to try and stop the bleeding. "I do hope there is a way to stop this unpleasant leaking." he thought. "It's most unbecoming for someone of my stature to bleed in such a manner. And this red discharge is rather unsightly."

[Fleegle]

(For Schme and Nixit)

"I am not cut out for this sort of thing, friends of the Forest..." Bassus sighed. He plucked the arrows out of Felinibis, wincing as he did so. He did not seem to like the sight of blood. Then he placed a foot against Felinibis' hind leg for leverage and hefted the spear out of him. He tossed the spear aside and fell upon his rump.
"Aye, I need a drink... let's return to the Forest, friends."
Wearily, Felinibis shifted his body so that MushBall, Briker and Bassus could mount. "MushBall, friend, that's a nasty wound you have there. We must get you to Anesek immediately! I will summon her when we get back to the clearing. Come." he said as he mounted, patting the spot behind him on Felinibis' back. "Oh, where is the little ant? I hope he is okay..."

[AoM]

Ao once again mindspeaks, this time to both Kikkik and Tek.

"The wizard's still here... Kikkik, you're small, so the wizard might not have noticed you yet... fly off to the right and scout back a bit. Tek, you can hide better than I can... in this dark especially. Get yourself as low to the ground as possible and shuffle off to the left. You can keep in contact with me no matter what the distance so if we get split up we'll be able to find each other. I'll keep going and be a decoy. If either of you find him, let me know through mindspeak. Let's turn the tables on him."