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Post by SlvrNight on Aug 11, 2016 20:06:00 GMT -5
Sasha chuckled. "Ha, well I'm glad I'm making your job easier. Although I'm not sure how since this will undoubtedly put me in more danger than turning back would have."
She looked at Seeker as he said he would be joining them, and that they had no choice in the matter. That last part was completely untrue since they could force him to not follow them by fighting him, but it was possible both she and Mars would be killed. Regardless, she had no real problem with the mechanical creature coming along. From their brief time with him he seemed to act more organic than robotic. It could have all just been a simulation, like she was thinking earlier, but that was irrelevant at the moment.
Plainly said, the pros of bringing Seeker along vastly outweighed the cons.
"You say you've been investigating the disappearances for two months, Seeker." The detective spoke as she turned her full attention to him. "That means you likely have a good idea of the area's layout, knowledge of the Gangrites we don't possess, maybe even knowledge on whatever other creatures we may encounter, and possibly more relevant information to this case. Simply put, you're likely to be a very helpful asset."
Sasha sighed and ran a hand through her crimson hair, several clumps of snow falling apart and raining from her head.
"I should really call Norman and let him know about all this. May not get another chance after this." She stifled a laugh, liking her own little bit of, likely inappropriate, humor.
She walked away from Mars and Seeker, approaching the campsite and grabbing her bad from inside the tent. She pulled out the holophone that Norman Salm had given her yesterday and activated it, going straight to his entry and about to begin the call.
However, before actually calling the wealthy businessman she turned and looked towards Mars and Seeker.
"Mars, if you can, wanna try interrogating that surviving Gangrite and seeing if it's intelligent enough to give us something? I don't really care what methods you use, that's up to you."
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Post by Jisui on Aug 14, 2016 15:31:11 GMT -5
Mars wasn't entirely sure whether to share Sasha's sentiments regarding Seeker's decision to join them. It was true that he didn't sense anything dangerous about the robot (lasers aside), but his job wasn't exactly tailor-made to trust others so freely.
...Couldn't be helped. She was the boss after all. He would just have to keep another eye out.
As Sasha walked away from the group to contact Norman, a silence blanketed the mercenary and machine. Shuffling his feet a bit, the half-akma fought hard to find some way to address the robot standing near him. What did one even say to a robot? It seemed human enough... but then again, Mars had never really excelled at talking to humans either. Judging from the silence, he imagined that Seeker was having similar difficulties at the moment.
The adrenaline of battle finally began to wean off, and a dull pain on his right shoulder made the mercenary realize that he was still injured. He pushed the minor pain and uncomfortable silence away, a sudden thought coming to him as his eyes snapped in the direction of their camp in search of white fur.
...Nothing.
At first the thought that a Gangrite had gotten to the wolf came to mind, and he was immediately struck with an odd feeling of concern before realizing that there were no visible trails of red blood anywhere in the snow. It was much more likely that it had simply fled when the Gangrites had attacked. A normal reaction from an animal, but one that he admittedly felt slightly dissatisfied over.
...It could have at least said goodbye.
"Mars, if you can, wanna try interrogating that surviving Gangrite and seeing if it's intelligent enough to give us something? I don't really care what methods you use, that's up to you."
Somewhat relieved to have something to do, Mars nodded in acknowledgement before slowly moving over to where Sasha had downed the unconscious Gangrite. After a slight pause, he moved back into their tent before coming out with what appeared to be rope. Carefully beginning to bind the creature so that it couldn't escape or retaliate, he took a moment to take in its features without the rush of battle clouding his vision.
The heavy glint of faerie dust made his eyes strain, with an unfamiliar feeling in his stomach emerging once again.
"...Ithrin." He muttered to himself again, fully taking in the word to his lips.
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Post by Tokrochiru on Aug 14, 2016 16:32:14 GMT -5
Sasha moved inside the tent before calling Norman. The holophone only had the chance to ring once before it was answered. A flat holographic projection of her current employer, shot from a little to the left at mid-torso level, formed as light beamed from the phone's projector.
"Ah, Sasha! You have excellent timing. All this late night paperwork is driving me batty. Do you have an update for me?"
He smiled just as warmly at Sasha as he did during their first encounter. A genuine smile, showing that he was glad to see her. He enjoyed her company. Perhaps he had taken a liking to the detective, though it was just as likely that he was simply a social man who took pleasure in talking with other people.
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Mars' "rope" only looked mundane. In reality, it was a tool oft used by police officers in JX City to restrain large species of Akma when they needed to be taken into custody. The rope, when tied, sapped the physical strength of the captive, preventing them from breaking their bonds. It was both lighter and more durable than traditional zip-ties or handcuffs, and it didn't cost much more to make or buy, making it a practical tool for any person who needed to keep subjects immobile for lengthy periods of time.
The creature's legs and wings were bound tightly. Its neck was bound as well, but not so tightly as to suffocate it. The main purpose behind tying the neck was to restrict its ability to move its head and nibble off the rest of the rope.
After he was finished tying the creature up, he gave it a jarring kick to the head. The creature woke up jostling and struggling and cawing loudly. Quite the opposite of how it behaved when it was the silent, creeping predator. Now that it was prey, it was loud and panicked.
It spoke in words only Mars could understand.
"Halfbreed!! Curse your flesh!! Cut these vines from me so that I may feast on the soft meat in your throat!!"
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SEEKER followed Mars from a distance, watching as he restrained the creature and woke up from its impact induced sleep. A sudden jolt of aether surged through his body Mars he kicked the gangrite in the head. A cruel maneuver, but perhaps a necessary one.
It was almost funny. SEEKER had become accustomed to the task of killing on a moment's notice, but he still felt uncomfortable with the idea of forcibly inflicting pain on others. He was glad that he held onto that sort of sensitivity. Even if it wasn't practical, he didn't want to let go of it. He treasured those sensations, even though they were painful.
"I don't like thinking about when other people are hurt, but when I do it, I can't help but think about it. It makes my heart hurt. Aren't you the same?"
SEEKER supposed he was.
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Post by Jisui on Aug 14, 2016 17:32:30 GMT -5
"Halfbreed!! Curse your flesh!! Cut these vines from me so that I may feast on the soft meat in your throat!!"
So, it could speak after all. Those words...
Ithrin. Halfbreed.
They rang out in his mind until they finally connected.
So the creature's animosity was connected to him being half-akma. It would make sense, assuming that this creature was a demon. It had probably seen him as a traitor to his own kind.
"...A tempting offer." The mercenary remarked, his quiet voice carrying sarcastic tones in the quiet morning air. "But, I have a better one."
Mars strolled a few feet over and carefully picked up his discarded Magitech rifle, activating it and hearing a familiar whir of energy fill the empty air. His scarlet eyes, gleaming unnaturally in the darkness of the morning, glanced over at the discarded corpse of Gangrite which had its head blown cleanly off.
They flickered back to the bound creature in front of him, staring like a predator marking its prey. Crouching down, he placed his rifle near the creatures head before speaking in a near whisper.
"You could tell me what you are, and where you've been taking your prey. Or you can join your kin."
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Post by SlvrNight on Aug 17, 2016 12:25:05 GMT -5
Sasha smiled back at Norman, running her hand through her hair. Well at least she didn't wake him up from a peaceful night of rest or anything.
"Well, first thing's first, I'm not dead yet so that's nice. Mars is fine too. We've actually made some kind of meaningful progress. We found out that there were traces of faerie dust back in the first location, the abandoned campsite where Nathaniel Rebock was last seen. That means there's either some kind of mage or akma involved. Can't rule out that it's a group either, which is most likely in my opinion."
She took a step back and held out the device in Mars's direction, hoping Norman could see the mercenary interacting with the surviving Gangrite and Seeker to the side. "We were attacked by a group of flying akma called Gangrites, who are completely covered in faerie dust. Their involvement is pretty obvious but we got confirmation when we were assisted in the battle by a mechanical being named Seeker. He's been doing his own investigation into these disappearances and told us that the Gangrites are largely predatory creatures. They don't often take people unless they plan to eat them or if their territory is being disturbed somehow."
Sasha turned the phone back to herself and continued speaking. "I'm not ruling out the possibility that someone is controlling these creatures though. I'd honestly prefer to think that at this point because otherwise it's most likely that all the missing people have been eaten."
She sighed.
"I'd prefer to not have that be the case. That's all the progress we've made so far Mr. Salm. Mars is currently trying to interrogate one of the Gangrites just in case they're an intelligent enough species to give some kind of information."
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Post by Tokrochiru on Aug 18, 2016 2:18:46 GMT -5
The gangrite continued to squirm in vain as Mars attempted to scare it into spilling its secrets. Its agitation only grew as it listened to Mars' grim threats.
In a way, the creature was very bestial. That was what made it such an intimidating foe. However, beasts are creatures of instinct, and what greater instinct is there than the need to survive?
"Curse you, half-breed. Fine. I am caught. I will not risk my neck for the sake of that twisted carcass of a dryad. We have been taking your friends to her. I know not what she does with them, but we obey her regardless. We have no choice. She is our only hope."
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Norman presented a slideshow of expressions as Sasha reported her findings to him. Shock, intrigue, relief, and frustration were all there. Even though he wasn't there, Sasha was perceptive enough to know exactly what he was feeling about about each subject. Relief at the abundance of progress, shock at the mention of gangrites, intrigue at the idea of them working in a group, and frustration at the mention of the automaton.
He took a moment to absorb all the information, contemplating with his eyes closed. A moment later, he opened them, now sharp and determined.
"Where to begin... I guess I'll start with the gangrites. Gangrites aren't akma. They're...something else. They might look like akma to the modern man, but their origins are much, much different. Fey don't rely on the energies of the deep underground. Their magic comes from the elements and their accompanying spirits. They're mostly surfacers, but unlike us, they have an unbreakable bond with nature."
Norman sipped from his mug. From the angle the image was recorded, it was hard to tell what exactly he was drinking.
"They're also extremely reclusive. Most, with the exception of faeries, want nothing to do with akma or mankind. Now more than ever, given how the Eight Hour War transformed the landscape. The vast majority of land-dwelling fey died when the green grass turned blue. Warped biomes like the Azure Forest or the Cloudseat Mountains aren't abundant with the food or magical energies they need to survive. If a gangrite were to attempt to digest a blue leaf, it would likely die from an allergic reaction."
Norman scratched his head, shutting his eyes tight as he thought hard. About what, Sasha couldn't tell, but he was definately deep in though. Eventually, he reopened his eyes and turned his attention back to the investigator.
"The fey of this world are in no position to attack us right now. Not with their current numbers. They're already on the brink of extinction. Since I doubt they'd be willing to take such a risk of their own volition, the idea of them being controlled isn't implausible."
"But enough about that. The way I see it, your most immediate concern should be the automaton that helped you. Tell me Sasha. What do you know about geistmechs?"
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There was little knowledge regarding fey languages in SEEKER's databases. The only one he'd ever spoken to at length...
...Her...
She only ever spoke in human dialect. He knew not why, but that was the tongue she preferred. He never questioned her about it.
To SEEKER's knowledge, the majority of mankind wasn't well versed in feyspeak. Even those who could be considered experts on the subject only knew specific sub-dialects that were used by pre-war druid covens.
The fact that this human was speaking to a gangrite like it was his first language baffled him. Just what was he? Either the Steelborn archives on humanity were embarrassingly inaccurate or this Mars character was something special.
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Post by Jisui on Aug 20, 2016 23:40:54 GMT -5
Unaware of SEEKER's disbelief, Mars was attempting to soak in the creature's words as it squirmed about on the ground. It was surprising that it had been so easy to get information out of it, but he supposed that it was only natural if he likened it to a beast. Just like that white wolf had scampered off at the sight of danger, this gangrite wanted to survive at any cost.
Even at the cost of its master, it seemed.
Master.
Sasha had been right. The gangrite attacks had been too sudden and organized for it to be a coincidence. This... dryad, was behind it. Mars reserved the term in his head for the next time he called Selatia and Duster (which would be quite soon it seemed). For now however, he needed more information.
"Dryad?" The mercenary questioned, lowering his gun slightly. There was no need to continue threatening the creature as much if it was already willing enough to confess.
"Who are you talking about? Who is organizing you?"
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Post by SlvrNight on Aug 22, 2016 19:05:35 GMT -5
Sasha's brow furrowed as her mind went to work. So if the majority of fey creatures were devastated when the world's environment changed after the Eight Hour War decades ago and their numbers weren't that large, there would be no reason for them to be attacking others unless they posed a serious threat. So, at this point, it came down to either them being controlled or somehow Salm Industries' whole operation of construction and mining was seen as a serious threat to their environment.
"Norman...before we go on to talk about Seeker. Are you absolutely sure that the work being done here by your company isn't disturbing any type of fey ecosystem? If that were the case, I could see why they'd be so adamant, yet tactical, with their taking of people."
The detective briefly looked over at Mars and Seeker, checking to see if the mercenary had killed the gangrite out of frustration or not. It was still alive and he seemed to be listening to it closely, so hopefully he was getting something useful from it.
"But yeah, onto Seeker. Geistmechs... Machines that used geist crystals as a type of power source. Not really many of them being made anymore since geist crystal technology is often considered obsolete. Although you know as well as I do, but likely even more since you're a businessman, that not everyone agrees on that. You think Seeker is one of those?"
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Post by Tokrochiru on Aug 22, 2016 22:48:24 GMT -5
"Organize? No. None of that. We merely obey her. We obey her because she knows the unknowable, and we a would be fools to cast her wisdom aside. As for her name...Nightshade."
Nightshade.
Midnight Rose.
Mars felt the prick of a needle inside his head as something was injected into his mind. It expanded quickly, overgrowing the inside of his skull almost immediately. Thorny vines reached out from his ears and mouth, and soon after that, his eyes. He felt his face rip apart as the flora rended his flesh and bone until nothing remained but a pile of weeds feasting on the remaining blood in his body.
He could almost see a face. A silhouette of a woman with a flower growing out of her skull. She half-cringed, half-smiled, gleeful and bitter at the same time.
"Finally noticed, have you?"
And then reality resumed.
Everything was normal again. Mars was alive, and relatively uninjured. And someone was speaking to him.
"Mars!? Are you in pain!? Why are you gripping your head so tightly?" SEEKER asked. He was fidgeting, perhaps nervous. "...Are you sick? Are you fighting off a mycobacterial infection?"
The gangrite cackled in glee. "Perhaps he's just realized how-"
The robot slammed the barrel of his gun into the gangrite's face, knocking it unconscious. He immediately regretted it.
"...That was rash of me. I apologize." Neither Mars nor SEEKER were entirely certain who precisely that apology was meant for.
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Norman scratched his chin. "Their territory?...Not to my knowledge. They keep themselves secluded in dens and hidden groves. We haven't explored any territory that they might consider sacred. You might be on to something though." He raised a finger to the air for punctuation's sake. "There is more than one way to disturb an ecosystem. Be mindful of that while you're pursuing your next lead."
"Moving on to the matter of the geistmechs, before the Eight Hour War, there were enough of them around that they actually had their own society. They resided in a megatropolis they referred to as "Area Zero". Their entire culture was built around geist crystal magitech. They weren't a hostile species. They simply kept to themselves. Sadly, the vast majority of their kind were wiped out in an explosion that turned Area Zero into a massive crater. No one knows the specifics of what happened, but it's believed that the akma inadvertently caused it during the invasion."
Certain power generators that mankind built in the past could cause catastrophic destruction if improperly handled or damaged. Nuclear reactors in particular were abandoned long ago when they were deemed too hazardous. Perhaps the geist mechs were a bit too reckless with their own technology...
The possibility also existed that they destroyed themselves on purpose. If they wanted to keep their technology out of the hands of the akma, be it out of fear of their might or simple xenophobia, destroying their home would be a swift, sure way to accomplish that objective.
"There are many theories about what happened, some more plausible than others. Regardless of what happened to them, they don't have much of a presence in the post-war world...Or at least they didn't until recently."
"There have been sightings of them in Skaldra. Confirmed sightings. They haven't attacked my company or its affiliates, but they have been reportedly getting into quarrels with the more violent tribes. We think that they might have an interest in the crystal trees."
Crystal trees. Magical growths from which powerful arcane-infused crystals grow from.
Geist crystals. Magical stones that grow underneath the ground.
"You've probably figured it out by now. The crystal trees that we research and cultivate here produce a specific variety of geist crystal. They're incredibly potent; much more so than any other geist crystal of comparable size. Add the fact that they can be planted and grown in only a matter of weeks, and you have an renewable, all-natural energy source."
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Post by Jisui on Aug 23, 2016 20:29:12 GMT -5
A feral scream erupted through the air, filled with enough agony to send a chill down the spine of a hardened mercenary like Mars. Scarlet eyes frantically darted about, trying to find the source of the noise in the event that Sasha was in danger. It took only a second before Mars realized that it was coming from him. Something was injecting into his head. His mind. His brain. Digging. Digging. Digging. Growing. In him. From him. A disgusting, familiar sound reached his ears. He had heard this sound before. That day, in the scarlet snow. Like wet cloth being torn apart, it was the sound of human flesh being torn asunder. It was natural then, that he would scream. He was dying, after all. There wasn't a single person who wouldn't scream. Yet, the sound of his desperate voice, even now, sent a wave of disgrace to surge through what was left of his body. If he had to choose his death, it would be something more prideful than this. These thoughts were banished with her maddening words. "Finally noticed, have you?" Midnight Rose. Mars took a sharp intake of air, gulping it greedily as he took in his surroundings. Just like that, it was gone. Like a dream. The mercenary barely took in SEEKER's words of concern to him, mind racing over what he had just seen. Slow breaths. He was still here. He was still alive. "I'm here." He muttered quietly to himself, glancing to the side with a small bit of satisfaction while SEEKER knocked the gangrite unconscious. "It's fine." Mars began after fully regaining his bearings, eyes flickering over to the gangrite with a reasonable amount of disdain in his features. "We probably weren't getting much more from it anyway." He paused again, taking in another deep breath and staring downwards. "...I'm fine."
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Post by SlvrNight on Sept 5, 2016 19:19:19 GMT -5
Sasha paused a moment, hearing Mars's heart rate increase exponentially as if he were gripped with a burst of fear, as if his body was fighting to survive a deathly injury. She turned in an instant, her eyes focusing on the mercenary. Her own heart calmed down once she saw he was fine, for the most part. He was breathing heavily and kept saying he was fine, which was obviously not the truth. She'd need to ask him about this after she was done with Norman.
The detective turned back to the businessman, her attention back to the phone completely.
"So it's possible the geistmechs could be crawling out of wherever they are to try and make use of these trees themselves. I admit, if I was living in an isolated or hidden society that needed to be as self-sufficient as possible, having the ability to plant the crystal trees myself would be an asset beyond value. However, if that's the case, I hope they can do so without causing any conflict. Don't need to have a war with them, especially not now of all times."
Sasha became silent for a moment as her mind ran through her recent discoveries, trying to think if there was anything else of note to tell Norman.
"That's all the development of the case so far, Mr. Salm. Better than when I started, but there's new questions as well. I'll be sure to report again tomorrow. If nothing of note is discovered, I'll just send a brief message indicating that. Wouldn't want to waste time with a call that would pretty much amount to me saying 'yeah, I've got nothing new today'."
After hearing his response, she closed the holophone and made her way to Seeker and Mars. The gangrite was unconscious, which she knew was from the robot because she heard the beast go silent and his quick apology for acting rashly. If the creature has caused Mars's problem then it was likely a good call.
Sasha placed a hand on Mars's shoulder, squeezing it with noticeable pressure but not in a hostile way. The way she pressed her fingers in was more of a supportive action than one of scolding, as if she were showing concern for an ally soldier in a battlefield.
"Heard your heart rate spike, Mars." She said quietly. "You can lie and say you're fine if you really want, but if you have something you want to get off your chest go right ahead. If not, then we should probably head to our next lead, courtesy of our new friend here." The redhead indicated Seeker with a shift of her emerald eyes.
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Post by Tokrochiru on Sept 6, 2016 10:56:34 GMT -5
Norman chuckled. "I have faith in you, Sasha. You'll find the answers in time."
The conversation came to a screeching halt when the creak of a door reverberated through the holophone's speakers. In the backround, a voice nervously spoke to Norman. "I-I, uh, I hate interrupt you mister Salm, but we have an urgent update regarding the northern survey..."
Norman closed his eyes and nodded. "My apologies, Sasha. Business beckons. Keep me posted."
The image faded and all sound ceased.
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What the woman said made sense, but be that as it may...
"Mars. I won't force you to divulge your secrets, but I refuse to cause any person, regardless of species, unnecessary pain for the sake of expediency. I undertook this journey in order to save lives and prevent suffering. I need to know; will the pain you experience outweigh the assistance you provide? If so, then tell me what I can do to change that. I'll do it. No questions asked."
Saying that out loud felt almost hypocritical, given the lives he took only a few hours ago. He banished the thought by reminding himself of the facts: he chose to end the life of an aggressor in order to save the life of an innocent. There was nothing wrong with that.
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Post by Jisui on Sept 13, 2016 1:33:21 GMT -5
The sound of rushing blood pounded Mars' ears like that of artillery shells slamming earth and soil. His heart was still racing then. Yet, no matter how many times he attempted to slow down his pulse, it seemed to refuse him. The sensation of death was not a new concept to him. He had tasted the near-brink feeling of ruin so many times that by now it had almost become numb to him. But it had never been that intense... that vivid. It was as if he had actually... "Heard your heart rate spike, Mars."Mars almost seemed to tense up at the unfamiliar contact, trying to register the feeling of Sasha's soft hand on his shoulder. It had been a very, very long time, but he remembered this sensation, albeit it had been significantly more rough of a touch. It was the touch of a concerned-companion after the gruel of battle. Faintly in the back of his mind, a cheerful voice rang out along with the imaginary sting of a good-natured shoulder slap. "You alright, Scarlet?" ...That was enough reminiscing for the day. The mercenary slowly stood up, taking another slow breath and locking eyes with his two companions. He appreciated their consideration for him, although it left him somewhat embarrassed. While he was used to such kindness from say Selatia, he hadn't really expected it from someone he met a few hours ago (and a robot). It was also unnecessary. There was no point in keeping secrets anymore. If it helped aid the mission, Mars had no problem divulging what he had seen, along with his abilities. "Its fine. I can tell you what I saw. But first..." He began quietly, glancing around the clearing as if looking for something. "...You were probably wondering how I found that wolf anyway." A few seconds of silence. Minutes. His eyes locked with a smaller silverglow tree that had been damaged in a collision with one of the owls. He couldn't "activate" his precognition so to say, but certain things were closer to destruction than others. Without going into detail, Mars could just... feel them. A silverglow. Leaves shining faintly in the darkness. Creaking bark. Wildlife scattering. "The smaller tree to our twelve, behind the larger one and bush. It'll fall to the right in thirty seconds."
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Post by Tokrochiru on Sept 15, 2016 3:43:09 GMT -5
The metal plates around SEEKER's optics shifted. He looked to the aforementioned tree, turning his head to see if from various angles, hoping that he would find some sort of visual clue that would specify the relevance of Mars' response.
"I'm having difficulty parsing this information into anything recognizable. Is that supposed to be an idiom?"
To SEEKER, it was a completely blank statement. He felt that it was meant to connect to something, but he couldn't see the wires.
His mulling came to an abrupt end as the most literal interpretation of Mars' words came to be true.
Loud creakings and the chirping of Skaldran swallows echoed across the wilderness as the tree collapsed on its side, sending its animal residents fleeing in terror. Sasha recognized that the timing was literally spot-on, down to the millisecond. SEEKER, meanwhile, was more lost than he was before.
"How...How did you know?..."
A dozen different possibilities were scanned and immediately dismissed for their sheer absurdity. His mind was racing so fast that Mars could actually hear the mechanisms inside SEEKER whirring louder. He could see the wires now, but to where they connected, he had no idea.
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Post by SlvrNight on Sept 23, 2016 23:13:17 GMT -5
Sasha's eyes were focused on the downed tree, her mind processing what just happened. Mars's prediction was exactly correct, as if he saw the very molecules of the tree moving and separating as it began to fall. It was obviously some form of future sight, some kind of precognition. But how did he have such an ability? What genetic links did this mercenary have? Perhaps a link to a celestial being that specialized in the process of time and fate? If that were the case, Mars was likely the most powerful being the detective had encountered. But this was also a massive stretch. The origins of his ability certainly grabbed her attention but that was simple curiosity, nothing that was truly relevant to now.
But this explained some things. It explained why Norman Salm had told her to always pay attention and heed Mars's "gut feelings". It explained how he knew about the wolf before. It also explained how he had come to her aid so quickly when the Gangrites had attacked. It wasn't some sort of link to nature, it was an ability to see the future. But how clear could he see it? What were the specific subjects he could see the fates of? It couldn't have been as powerful as being able to choose to see the future of whoever or whatever he wanted. If that were the case, Mars would likely be doing something different with his life. Hell, if that was how it was then they would never have needed to hire her since they could have just had Mars look into the future of one of the kidnapped workers.
"Precognition..." Sasha said quietly. "Limited precognition."
She turned to look at the mercenary.
"This explains things. I'm curious as to how you have this ability but that can be dealt with later. Either you're an extremely intelligent and tactical mastermind capable of predicting the outcomes of your words and decisions and have used that to hide your full control of this ability effectively...or it's significantly more limited than I think. Or you possibly lack full control of it."
Truly the ability to see the future wasn't too farfetched to Sasha. She had seen many people with many strange abilities in her time, often on the opposing side of the battlefield. She was fairly open to the possibility of many more strange traits.
The redhead removed her glasses and wiped them down with her sleeve, taking a single deep breath.
"So how's this thing work, Mars?"
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