The bridge of the Defiant

Brandy Tealeaf wrote:Mellin licked his fingers, belched blue flame and smoke and stared like a moth near a campfire at the swirling nebula entering the room. Looking around to hide in a familiar pocket he couldn't see Master. Instead he spotted his own reflection in the glossy metal wall opposite and realised he had grown to be several feet across from his latest meal. He flattened himself against the floor, making a measly attempt to look like a real fire instead of his normal shape far too late after Salt would have noticed him.

--- Meanwhile ---

Brandy stared open mouthed at the scene around her. Unknown if she could be seen she slowly slipped away behind a nearby pillar and then scaled one of the old statues where she remembered the old sentry's couldn't see. She saw the couple, saw their weird costumes and noted how desperately out of place they looked. They appeared as if they had only read about the local costumes but never seen one. Everything was off, somehow.
Salman was not himself. She could smell him from here, but he was in this frail shape of an old man. Brandy didn't like it one bit. This dream was not her normal and she had had enough. She fumbled with the weird device, screwing up her eyebrows trying to work out how it had put her to sleep and if she could get it to stop.

brandy accidentally hit the recall function of the device and with a rush was sucked back up the rainbow river as it flashed with fragments of her past. this time not so overwhelmed by the rush brandy realized that her river was part of an infinitely branching network of rivers sat against a swirling cosmos of stars and nebulae. Her wonderment was cut short by a bright light followed by being thrown back into the engine room beside salt and a familiar giggling fire.

Torvar felt something heavy ontop of him as he came to his senses, his vision un blacking. Surprisingly... Or more unsurprisingly given recent events NOT dead!

With a deep breath loud scream he used all his might to force the rubble off him and get back to his feet. Pausing to gasp for breath "Lungs still work.. That's good" he thought to himself. His body was remarkably unscathed. lucky?

Shaking his head and blinking his eye's Torvar came to his senses. The defiant was in chaos, A cacophony of sounds and alarms blared but he stared taking in the scene for a moment. A wave of battle field calm washed over him. He reached his com crystal

"Lieutenant Luxx Status report!"

Salt smirked; that lively little fire usually hangs around Brandy, doesn't it? He walked past, pretending not to notice.

"Well now, someone's done a great job cleaning up this place. They deserve some sort of treat, I'd say."

He reached out to reboot the gellar fiel, but Brandy's spontaneous re-appearance interrupted him. He turned, mostly unphased

"Oh, there you are. Figured you wouldn't be far off, since they're around," he said, gesturing to the not-particularly-well-hidden Mellin. "Any lasting damage? Time to get us back up and running, I think; this all going pretty well, isn't it?"

With that he tapped the button, triggering a ship-wide jolt and rising electrical hum as their protection from the ravages of voidspace re-formed around the Defiant. At that moment, Salt's comm-crystal also crackled into life and produced a voice. Salt cheerily responded to Torvar, unsolicited.

"Torvar! Great to hear you in speaking condition. Folks on the top deck might need our help, meet you there?"

Salt wrote:Salt smirked; that lively little fire usually hangs around Brandy, doesn't it? He walked past, pretending not to notice.

"Well now, someone's done a great job cleaning up this place. They deserve some sort of treat, I'd say."

He reached out to reboot the gellar fiel, but Brandy's spontaneous re-appearance interrupted him. He turned, mostly unphased

"Oh, there you are. Figured you wouldn't be far off, since they're around," he said, gesturing to the not-particularly-well-hidden Mellin. "Any lasting damage? Time to get us back up and running, I think; this all going pretty well, isn't it?"

With that he tapped the button, triggering a ship-wide jolt and rising electrical hum as their protection from the ravages of voidspace re-formed around the Defiant. At that moment, Salt's comm-crystal also crackled into life and produced a voice. Salt cheerily responded to Torvar, unsolicited.  

"Torvar! Great to hear you in speaking condition. Folks on the top deck might need our help, meet you there?"

"Same to you Mr Salt. Good to hear your voice" Torvar replied "I'll head up to deck once I've heard from my men" Drawing his hold out pistol and a knife Torvar paused to think before leaving the room "all I wanted was a quiet life... But as they say That would be boring." He continued into the corridors of the ship, taking his time to search the rooms in the way the Soldier's had taught him. He was there leader sure and they trusted him. But as far as soldiering went this was a new game and he was having to learn fast! The gruff voice of Sergent Tyr ringing in his ears "SWEEP AND CLEAR!"

Picking up the comm again and trying not to sound fearful "Hounds! This is commander Null. Please respond Hrodger!, Cynmer! Anyone? Respond!

Torvar Null wrote:

Salt wrote:Salt smirked; that lively little fire usually hangs around Brandy, doesn't it? He walked past, pretending not to notice.

"Well now, someone's done a great job cleaning up this place. They deserve some sort of treat, I'd say."

He reached out to reboot the gellar fiel, but Brandy's spontaneous re-appearance interrupted him. He turned, mostly unphased

"Oh, there you are. Figured you wouldn't be far off, since they're around," he said, gesturing to the not-particularly-well-hidden Mellin. "Any lasting damage? Time to get us back up and running, I think; this all going pretty well, isn't it?"

With that he tapped the button, triggering a ship-wide jolt and rising electrical hum as their protection from the ravages of voidspace re-formed around the Defiant. At that moment, Salt's comm-crystal also crackled into life and produced a voice. Salt cheerily responded to Torvar, unsolicited.  

"Torvar! Great to hear you in speaking condition. Folks on the top deck might need our help, meet you there?"

"Same to you Mr Salt. Good to hear your voice" Torvar replied "I'll head up to deck once I've heard from my men" Drawing his hold out pistol and a knife Torvar paused to think before leaving the room "all I wanted was a quiet life... But as they say That would be boring." He continued into the corridors of the ship, taking his time to search the rooms in the way the Soldier's had taught him. He was there leader sure and they trusted him. But as far as soldiering went this was a new game and he was having to learn fast! The gruff voice of Sergent Tyr ringing in his ears "SWEEP AND CLEAR!"

Picking up the comm again and trying not to sound fearful "Hounds! This is commander Null. Please respond Hrodger!, Cynmer! Anyone? Respond!  

As salt hit the restart button the ship shook slightly and glowed purple for a brief second and then returned to normal. Salt noticed his skin had returned to an empty star-scape. Magic surged all around him and the rush of power coursed through his veins.

Mellin looked up in awe and raised little fiery arms towards brandy to be picked up by brandy significantly larger than he normal.
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The ship hummed back to life. The ship rocked forwards as the engines stabilized the spin of the ship and sent the defiant on wards towards Irryevik

A cold calculated voice crackles through Torvar's comm

"Commander Null, I have your men here. They are a little pre occupied with their current predicament. Bring me the one you call Ulam to the upper deck in the next thirty minutes if you want to see them again alive. Make haste Mister Null I dont know how long they will last being exposed to re entry to a plane."

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Ishmael felt a strong surge of Malloras strength fill him as they shunted towards Irryevik. A strong sense of purpose and a clear goal coupled with the magnitude of the task ahead made butterflies circle in his stomach. A familiar high pitched squeal filled his head that could only be silenced with alcohol.

"captain are you okay? you look like you've seen better days" a familiar voice emanated from behind him. Ishmael turned around to see the prostitute from free-port leaning in the door way in a long black dressed tussled ginger hair tied up in a bun and clad in a heavy iron ornate breast plate with a jet propelled huge axe sheathed across her back.

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DM wrote:

\"Torvar Null wrote:

"Same to you Mr Salt. Good to hear your voice" Torvar replied "I'll head up to deck once I've heard from my men" Drawing his hold out pistol and a knife Torvar paused to think before leaving the room "all I wanted was a quiet life... But as they say That would be boring." He continued into the corridors of the ship, taking his time to search the rooms in the way the Soldier's had taught him. He was there leader sure and they trusted him. But as far as soldiering went this was a new game and he was having to learn fast! The gruff voice of Sergent Tyr ringing in his ears "SWEEP AND CLEAR!"

Picking up the comm again and trying not to sound fearful "Hounds! This is commander Null. Please respond Hrodger!, Cynmer! Anyone? Respond!  

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The ship hummed back to life. The ship rocked forwards as the engines stabilized the spin of the ship and sent the defiant on wards towards Irryevik

A cold calculated voice crackles through Torvar's comm

"Commander Null, I have your men here. They are a little pre occupied with their current predicament. Bring me the one you call Ulam to the upper deck in the next thirty minutes if you want to see them again alive. Make haste Mister Null I dont know how long they will last being exposed to re entry to a plane."



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Torvar's eye's widened as he spoke into the crystal, calmly and sincerely "You listen here very carefully. If you harm any of them I will not hesitate to end you. Bullet or blade it matter's not. I'm the Pack leader and they are the hounds" Torvar held the grip of the side arm firmly, trying not to let his hand shake. Blade would be preferable to bullet in this case. Loyalty to his men was all Torvar had. It's what drove him, after all he had been through that team was now his world. His twin elven swords, Dant and Eir were in his quarters, if his quarters were still intact... Revenge can be swift or long, But justice need always be swift.

In the background Torvar heard voices mimicing dogs barking and growl. But through the crystal he was unable to tell who or how many. Switching the channel on the crystal "Ulam? Did you get all that? Who is this joker? Why does he need you?"

Brandy, having been spat back in to her home reality and tumbled face first into the wall opposite. She dusted herself off and took in Salt, swirling skin and smiles and also Mellin who had gorged himself and was now taller than herself.

As the ship started back to life around her she jumped, having momentarily let down her guard. She tore the device from around her neck and threw it into the corner away from her, using her trusty quarterstaff to guard against it. Sounding as adult as possible she summoned her biggest voice.

"Salt, step away, it's some sort of machine that makes you dream weird things about time. It made me see my parents. It made me see my home. I don't think we should be playing with it... But I think I got the ship working, this thingy was wired in to it. I pulled it off and then there was this river but it was all wrong and weird."

Torvar Null wrote:

DM wrote:

\"Torvar Null wrote:

"Same to you Mr Salt. Good to hear your voice" Torvar replied "I'll head up to deck once I've heard from my men" Drawing his hold out pistol and a knife Torvar paused to think before leaving the room "all I wanted was a quiet life... But as they say That would be boring." He continued into the corridors of the ship, taking his time to search the rooms in the way the Soldier's had taught him. He was there leader sure and they trusted him. But as far as soldiering went this was a new game and he was having to learn fast! The gruff voice of Sergent Tyr ringing in his ears "SWEEP AND CLEAR!"

Picking up the comm again and trying not to sound fearful "Hounds! This is commander Null. Please respond Hrodger!, Cynmer! Anyone? Respond!  

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The ship hummed back to life. The ship rocked forwards as the engines stabilized the spin of the ship and sent the defiant on wards towards Irryevik

A cold calculated voice crackles through Torvar's comm

"Commander Null, I have your men here. They are a little pre occupied with their current predicament. Bring me the one you call Ulam to the upper deck in the next thirty minutes if you want to see them again alive. Make haste Mister Null I dont know how long they will last being exposed to re entry to a plane."



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Torvar's eye's widened as he spoke into the crystal, calmly and sincerely "You listen here very carefully. If you harm any of them I will not hesitate to end you. Bullet or blade it matter's not. I'm the Pack leader and they are the hounds" Torvar held the grip of the side arm firmly, trying not to let his hand shake. Blade would be preferable to bullet in this case. Loyalty to his men was all Torvar had. It's what drove him, after all he had been through that team was now his world. His twin elven swords, Dant and Eir were in his quarters, if his quarters were still intact... Revenge can be swift or long, But justice need always be swift.

In the background Torvar heard voices mimicing dogs barking and growl. But through the crystal he was unable to tell who or how many. Switching the channel on the crystal "Ulam? Did you get all that? Who is this joker? Why does he need you?"

Brandy Tealeaf wrote:Brandy, having been spat back in to her home reality and tumbled face first into the wall opposite. She dusted herself off and took in Salt, swirling skin and smiles and also Mellin who had gorged himself and was now taller than herself.

As the ship started back to life around her she jumped, having momentarily let down her guard. She tore the device from around her neck and threw it into the corner away from her, using her trusty quarterstaff to guard against it. Sounding as adult as possible she summoned her biggest voice.

"Salt, step away, it's some sort of machine that makes you dream weird things about time. It made me see my parents. It made me see my home. I don't think we should be playing with it... But I think I got the ship working, this thingy was wired in to it. I pulled it off and then there was this river but it was all wrong and weird."

The com crystal in Torvars hand went dull and silent and the room stood still in anticipation. Moments passed in silence.

"Im not going with him again. Its my old captain from the vessel I was on before this one a valian alliance vessel "the intrepid". I used to be his first mate and against regulation he ordered us to enter a pre void tech plane to steal an artifact, when we breached the planar corona many many died as the plane was an immense vacuum with a countless worlds set inside it. only those below decks survived. we drifted for months with our engines unable to function in those condition. eventually we got caught in the gravity well of a forest covered planetoid and we crash landed. The crew were stuck on the planet for two long deadly years. one by one the crew were killed off due to mysterious means. It was only when we found the massasi temple that I learned the horrible truth. Captain Nihilus had been killing off the crew one by one as he was being whispered to by evil spirits living on that horrible plane driving him towards the artifact and harvest the crews souls as tribute. We found the artifact deep in the massasi temple a small gold and glass cube. Once he had retrieved the artifact he spent days attempting to activate it. I took the chance to try and run. Once id made it back to the wreck of our vessel I found it inhabited by section six who took me off plane and locked the plane. I seems like he had managed to escape. We need to run there's no way we can beat him he learnt some kind of foul magic while on that plane and can tear the life force directly from a living being."

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Mellin looked up at brandy and glowed in delight. Shuffled over to brandy and wrapped his huge fiery arms around her in a very very warm embrace.
"where did you go! Please dont leave me again! I dont like being apart from you" mellin cried. As mellin touched brandys skin her hair ignited and she popped straight into fire form. The memories from the time she had just left behind ran through her psyche she shook her head and tried to put it out of her mind and just stay happy about being back with friends.

"Thingy? Weird things about time? Lemme see that," said Salt, squinting at the device, trying to figure out what he could. Something weird was definitely going on with time on the ship, that much was certain.

The exchange between Torvar, Ulam, and the unidentified, threatening voice drew Salt's attention away.

"Nihilus sounds like a real piece of shit, but just because he has magic with him doesn't mean we have to let him push us around," he said, frowning sceptically. He looked at Brandy, grinned again, and began casting a spell. "I'm going to go say hi. Coming?"

With that, and a few final gestures and words, Salt flashed out of existence, instantaneously re-appearing near the centre of the upper deck, allowing Brandy along for the ride if willing.

Salt wrote:"Thingy? Weird things about time? Lemme see that," said Salt, squinting at the device, trying to figure out what he could. Something weird was definitely going on with time on the ship, that much was certain.

The exchange between Torvar, Ulam, and the unidentified, threatening voice drew Salt's attention away.

"Nihilus sounds like a real piece of shit, but just because he has magic with him doesn't mean we have to let him push us around," he said, frowning sceptically. He looked at Brandy, grinned again, and began casting a spell. "I'm going to go say hi. Coming?"

With that, and a few final gestures and words, Salt flashed out of existence, instantaneously re-appearing near the centre of the upper deck, allowing Brandy along for the ride if willing.

With only a pistol, a courageous set of Dwarves steel testicles. Torvar made his way to the Bridge. "No magic for me Mr Salt, But'll back you up old friend. Bullet's beat magicians..." He paused questioning what he had just said, A little distasteful given their history but hopefully Salt would forgive. They were friends really "No offence.... Just stall for time for me Okay?"

Brandy grabbed the device by the strap and stuffed it in her pocket careful not to touch it's activation switch again. She allowed Mellin to clamber on to her back and wore him like a firey cape. She dashed backwards to pop up to the top deck with Salt.

Holding her quarterstaff horizontally in front of her she began to feel the heat build in herself as she prepared to fight yet again. Her hair turning to blue flame and her eyes burning white.

Torvar Null wrote:

Salt wrote:"Thingy? Weird things about time? Lemme see that," said Salt, squinting at the device, trying to figure out what he could. Something weird was definitely going on with time on the ship, that much was certain.

The exchange between Torvar, Ulam, and the unidentified, threatening voice drew Salt's attention away.

"Nihilus sounds like a real piece of shit, but just because he has magic with him doesn't mean we have to let him push us around," he said, frowning sceptically. He looked at Brandy, grinned again, and began casting a spell. "I'm going to go say hi. Coming?"

With that, and a few final gestures and words, Salt flashed out of existence, instantaneously re-appearing near the centre of the upper deck, allowing Brandy along for the ride if willing.

With only a pistol, a courageous set of Dwarves steel testicles. Torvar made his way to the Bridge. "No magic for me Mr Salt, But'll back you up old friend. Bullet's beat magicians..." He paused questioning what he had just said, A little distasteful given their history but hopefully Salt would forgive. They were friends really "No offence.... Just stall for time for me Okay?"

Brandy Tealeaf wrote:Brandy grabbed the device by the strap and stuffed it in her pocket careful not to touch it's activation switch again. She allowed Mellin to clamber on to her back and wore him like a firey cape. She dashed backwards to pop up to the top deck with Salt.

Holding her quarterstaff horizontally in front of her she began to feel the heat build in herself as she prepared to fight yet again. Her hair turning to blue flame and her eyes burning white.

The room folded in on itself the color draining and picture blending together. Salt felt a strong rushing sensation and with a snap stepped onto the upper deck. The Griffon lay on the deck breathing weakly a large seared gash in its side. A black cloaked figure he turns to reveal a white masked face raises his right hand and through no sense able magic lifts salt off the ground. It felt as though someone was grabbing Salts throat. "You have the arrogance to come to harm Me! I can sense your intentions before you even know yourself, predict your every move, your magic is nothing compared to the power that I wield". Salts vision started to go dark as he spotted a familiar flaming child sprinting up the stairs, without having to be prompted Brandy blasted the cloaked figure with bolts of flame energy. His concentration lost salt fell to the deck and caught himself upright.

There was stompling of boots behind Brandy as Torvar reached the deck panting. He steadied himself and fired a round at the now flaming cloaked figure. The figure seemed to anticipate the shot and attempted threw himself to the side the bullet still catching his left arm as he tumbled still aflame. The Figure brought himself to his feet laughed as he threw both of his hands over the side of the deck and threw surges of lightning from his hand to metal ropes tied to the side of the ship. A loud moaning can be heard from the side of the vessel. "give me Ulam and your men will survive. Otherwise continue this amusing little game and listen to them die! I am a Dark Lord one way or another you will bow to me and the force I wield"

DM wrote:

Torvar Null wrote:

Salt wrote:"Thingy? Weird things about time? Lemme see that," said Salt, squinting at the device, trying to figure out what he could. Something weird was definitely going on with time on the ship, that much was certain.

The exchange between Torvar, Ulam, and the unidentified, threatening voice drew Salt's attention away.

"Nihilus sounds like a real piece of shit, but just because he has magic with him doesn't mean we have to let him push us around," he said, frowning sceptically. He looked at Brandy, grinned again, and began casting a spell. "I'm going to go say hi. Coming?"

With that, and a few final gestures and words, Salt flashed out of existence, instantaneously re-appearing near the centre of the upper deck, allowing Brandy along for the ride if willing.

With only a pistol, a courageous set of Dwarves steel testicles. Torvar made his way to the Bridge. "No magic for me Mr Salt, But'll back you up old friend. Bullet's beat magicians..." He paused questioning what he had just said, A little distasteful given their history but hopefully Salt would forgive. They were friends really "No offence.... Just stall for time for me Okay?"

Brandy Tealeaf wrote:Brandy grabbed the device by the strap and stuffed it in her pocket careful not to touch it's activation switch again. She allowed Mellin to clamber on to her back and wore him like a firey cape. She dashed backwards to pop up to the top deck with Salt.

Holding her quarterstaff horizontally in front of her she began to feel the heat build in herself as she prepared to fight yet again. Her hair turning to blue flame and her eyes burning white.

The room folded in on itself the color draining and picture blending together. Salt felt a strong rushing sensation and with a snap stepped onto the upper deck. The Griffon lay on the deck breathing weakly a large seared gash in its side. A black cloaked figure he turns to reveal a white masked face raises his right hand and through no sense able magic lifts salt off the ground. It felt as though someone was grabbing Salts throat. "You have the arrogance to come to harm Me! I can sense your intentions before you even know yourself, predict your every move, your magic is nothing compared to the power that I wield". Salts vision started to go dark as he spotted a familiar flaming child sprinting up the stairs, without having to be prompted Brandy blasted the cloaked figure with bolts of flame energy. His concentration lost salt fell to the deck and caught himself upright.

There was stompling of boots behind Brandy as Torvar reached the deck panting. He steadied himself and fired a round at the now flaming cloaked figure. The figure seemed to anticipate the shot and attempted threw himself to the side the bullet still catching his left arm as he tumbled still aflame. The Figure brought himself to his feet laughed as he threw both of his hands over the side of the deck and threw surges of lightning from his hand to metal ropes tied to the side of the ship. A loud moaning can be heard from the side of the vessel. "give me Ulam and your men will survive. Otherwise continue this amusing little game and listen to them die! I am a Dark Lord one way or another you will bow to me and the force I wield"

Torvar stood strong staring down the masked figure when an idea entered head. "A man who wear's a mask is always hiding behind a fear, You should show yourself. I come to you with no fear, If you can truly predict my every move tell me what would happen if I die?"

It was a long shot Torvar had little understanding of causality. But he knew he was death was somehow important. If this 'Dark one' knew it too. Maybe he could bargin. "Here is the real game... You know I would die for them. But What happens if I die now...? If you can see that. You know what happens if I do something wreckless!" Torvar managed a nervous grin before slowly drawing the pistol and placing it against his own head. "You want to take that chance?"

Staggered, coughing and heaving, Salt clutched at his crushed throat, still grinning. He felt no urge to unleash magic just now, so he contented himself with his second-favourite activity: talking bullshit.

"So dramatic. Look, if you're really all that why not just go get Ulam yourself? You seem pretty sure she's here." He glanced sidelong, perplexed, at Torvar and his self-destructive stance, but only shrugged before looking back at Nihilus.

"If you really know me so well, you know how I react to folks trying to make folks do things they don't want to. So no, I won't be 'giving' you anyone, just like I won't be stopping my good buddy here from blowing his brains out if that's really what he wants," he said, voice ragged, and turned slightly to quietly add, "But, uh, are sure that's really what you want?"

Salt regained the last of his composure and stood calmly, arms relaxed at his sides, but prepared to fling a deadly beam of magic at Nihilus should he make an aggressive move.