|
Post by Rane Scarper on Mar 13, 2014 3:58:11 GMT
"Back here again, I see." He sniffed the air tentatively before sesing the metallic scent in the air. This odour wasn't at at like that lf blood (he wished it was blood smelled amazing), but rather one of dangerous technology and oppressive ingenuity. He'd only smelled this once before, and now he was here to destroy what afflicted him on his most recent visit. "I never liked this place, and I suspect I shall like it even less in a moment," he murmured.
The air began to plasmify as Doctor Sapio entered the plane.
|
|
|
Post by Marit Lage on Mar 14, 2014 0:54:27 GMT
The doctor appeared, coughed violently into his elbow, popped a pill from his coat pocket, and gazed over the landscape. "It is unfortunate," he said, "that this plane has been so warped."
"Come. The empress awaits our arrival." He walked off towards the Razor Fields, navigating the Dross landscape with ease.
|
|
|
Post by Rane Scarper on Mar 14, 2014 3:41:51 GMT
The screeches and moans of nim in the distance echoed against the Phyrexian metal junk that littered the area, but Tibalt took no notice. Zombies here were as normal as any zombie anywhere else. Sighing, he followed Sapio.
"Ooh, the empress. I might get a knighthood or something," he snickered, sarcasm permeating his tone.
|
|
|
Post by Marit Lage on Mar 14, 2014 18:35:43 GMT
Sapio chuckled. "What exactly would you do with a knighthood? You don't look like any I've ever seen."
|
|
|
Post by Rane Scarper on Mar 14, 2014 22:14:40 GMT
"That's true, I'd probably use it inappropriately," he acknowledged. "'Excuse me, Sir, I've come to brutally murder your daughter, but everthing's fine since I'm a knight.' That's a good one. I need to add 'getting a knighthood' to my list of things to do in the future!"
The pair walked in silence for a few moments before Tibalt began to show signs of impatience. "Where exactly are we going?"
|
|
|
Post by Marit Lage on Mar 15, 2014 2:41:30 GMT
"Planeswalking directly into the Null Throne is a bad idea. I calculated what should be a safe distance to manifest and continue on foot from there. It isn't much farther. Is there anything you wish to know before we come face-to-face with the empress?"
|
|
|
Post by Rane Scarper on Mar 15, 2014 3:51:50 GMT
"Eh, planning is useless; people always find a way to foil schemes. It's better to just be unpredictable. Let's head out." A feral grin spanned his face.
|
|
|
Post by Marit Lage on Mar 15, 2014 8:40:20 GMT
Eventually the two planeswalkers reached the Null Throne. Clouds of smoke obscured it until they came close, and Sapio gasped involuntarily. It was the largest structure he had ever seen, several times taller than his plane's skyscrapers. He quickly covered up his awe with his professional air again. The tower and much of the landscape around it was a dull grey, as if the life had been drained out of them. The tower's architecture was of questionable stability, but the sheer size of the Null Throne implied that it would remain stable for many years to come. It gave the impression of being hewn from the stone itself, and indeed connected to spaces underground, but its composition was a nearly indestructible metal: darksteel. Even the legendary Darksteel Forge had fallen to the oil. Smoke billowed out of several parapets, and the sounds of heavy machinery echoed constantly across the empty land surrounding it. A single door, seeming tiny from this distance but in fact being large enough to fit a kraken, stood like the entrance to a tomb. "Talona is waiting," announced Sapio, almost unnecessarily, but he needed to make certain that his ability to speak had returned. He began to walk towards the small entrance. [Totally not a pic of Barad-dûr...]
|
|
|
Post by Rane Scarper on Mar 15, 2014 14:59:31 GMT
The sheer size of the structure did nothing for Tibalt. It was, to him, simply another bauble a ruler hd constructed to reinforce their dominance. The multiverse would be so much nicer without rulers.
With a disapproving shrug that ruffled the stained frills of his coat, the pain-mage strode toward the tower's entrance, keeping pace with the doctor.
|
|
|
Post by Marit Lage on Mar 15, 2014 15:13:22 GMT
After walking through the open door, they found themselves in a large foyer. Large staircases in various corners of the room beckoned, but Sapio stopped in the center. It was dark, lacking lighting and having the cold darksteel on all sides. However, some quality of the metal itself seemed to make the room visible if not actually lit, like a soft glow.
"Empress, I know you're here," the doctor stated simply. From the walls cames swarms of small creatures, resembling insects but too small to make out details, that quickly formed a condensed cylindrical swarm a few feet in front of the planeswalkers. The beings swirled closer and closer together, and slowly a shape could be discerned within the swarm. A few moments later the swarm had condensed into the shape of a woman, and the creatures finally locked together like a puzzle. Talona stood before them.
"Oh, you ruined all my fun!" she said playfully, but with a cruel smile. She turned her head to look at Tibalt and her grin grew wider.
"Oh, my dear demon-boy, I remember you! Do you remember me?"
|
|
|
Post by Rane Scarper on Mar 15, 2014 15:28:17 GMT
"Of course! You're the person who tried to kill me and change me into one of your...things! How are you?" He spread his arms, feigning friendliness, before adding, "I hope you're not doing well!"
His narrowed eyes gave Sapio the impression that he wanted to know what to do next.
|
|
|
Post by Marit Lage on Mar 15, 2014 17:10:15 GMT
Talona's expression of friendliness also changed, and she shot a hateful glare at Tibalt before turning back to Sapio.
"I trust you have delivered what you promised?"
"Of course."
He muttered something and another one of the snake-like things slithered out from his left pant leg. It was bluish-green. It made its way to Talona where she promptly stomped on it. Wisps of gas came up from the splattering of organs and floating upwards. Talona breathed it in deeply and her eyes flashed green.
"Very well," she said at last. "I welcome you to my humble abode," she said, sweeping her arm to gesture at the tower they were inside. "I have prepared a room for the doctor, the imp can use the guest room adjacent to it. They are marked Ktha-3810 and 3811, respectively."
A small arachnid-like machine crawled out of an opening in the floor near the easternmost wall. "This skite shall lead you to your rooms. Some porcelain dolls will tend to you."
Talona turned and walked up a staircase, and if one looked closely a small scattering of tiny creatures came down after she had passed out of view.
|
|
|
Post by Rane Scarper on Mar 15, 2014 17:17:23 GMT
The narrowness of his eyes reversed, and they became wider than any eyes Sapio had ever seen. A small fire blazed in each orb. "What did you do? That was amazing!"
|
|
|
Post by Marit Lage on Mar 15, 2014 20:58:41 GMT
"I filled the mind of one of the young with the information Talona desired, and designed it to transmit that data into a gaseous state that is released upon death. The complex chemical signals manifest as information in the brain."
Sapio sighed and pointed at the skite, which was scuttling towards a staircase. "Shall we?"
|
|
|
Post by Rane Scarper on Mar 15, 2014 21:21:34 GMT
"Of course."
The idea instantly came to Tibalt, but he was afraid to voice it. Talona most probably had some sort of metallic abomination watching them through a hidden scrying system, and he wasn't yet going to share his plan.
|
|