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Post by Greed on Apr 8, 2013 14:14:55 GMT -5
-???-
"Powering up. Checking systems. Anomaly resolved. Errors 1-9899 resolved."
The bleak and bloody depths of the Grand Divide sewers were teeming with life once more, somehow, as rats and other pests were now going completely unchecked. And yet, they were scattering.
"Scanning surroundings. No subjects of consequence found. Devoid Network established. Ileris network offline. Main network access.... denied.... denied.... granted. Increasing readout range."
A strange metal pod let out a low, pulsating hum. The rats ran further, as though they couldn't run far enough. A loud roar echoed from above ground even, as a Tyrant Rex shook its head in pain, and retreated from the horrid sound, that seemed to drive away everything living. It was a horrid thing, a piercing sound that seemed to affect most of the animals in the area.
"... No lamian life signs detected. Extending range.... Anomaly detected. Lamian corpse movement. Network query; moving corpse. Search results; zombie, undead, necromancer, necromancy. Constructing new classification. Query."
The thought had come to a halt, as it waited. How to proceed. It needed to be told.
"Determination received, directive established. Releasing locks."
As the pod's hatch slowly lifted, a sleek, metallic, inhuman figure bounded from the vessel, spots of its body lighting up in a crimson glow, before fading away, leaving the cybernetic beast in the darkness, as it stalked its way down the tunnel.
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Post by Advix on Apr 10, 2013 2:14:33 GMT -5
A howl echoed throughout the sewer tunnels as the horrid sound bore into the ears of a figure in soiled Devoid armor. She didn't know what the sound was, but that did not stop her from fearing it. She ran away from it, panicked. She had begun to think that the sewers were relatively safe. Most legends and folk tales concerning the sewers had proven false, and the ones that did not seemed afraid of her. How could she blame them, though, considering the monster she'd become. But now... there was something down there with her, and she ran from it. She ran and ran until she finally stopped, and fell to her knees. What was the use? Why run away from it? Wouldn't it be better if it found her, and killed her? She climbed into a large pipe, and curled into a ball. She wanted it all to end. Surely any fate was better than her slavery.
...Right?
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Post by Greed on Apr 11, 2013 21:42:43 GMT -5
--Through the murky gloom of the sewer, the mechanical monster quietly made its way, though stealth wasn't its priority; its body lit up with green lines, as it scanned its surroundings once more. Curious; the undead lamian bio signature had vanished.... "... target lost. Insufficient equipment to track undead. No notable biological differences from deceased lamia detected."Unbeknownst to the beast, it had drawn incredibly close to Zeina's position, its pristine, hi-tech body visibly clearly in the darkness. Red lights lit up all over its body, as its many eyes swiveled around, visually scanning the room. "Re-extending scan range. Linking with Devoid satellite #11. Scanning for lamia bio signatures." The beast seemed to "look" up at the ceiling as its mechanical voice echoed throughout the sewers. WIthout warning, the green lights covering the drone turned blue. "Lamian bioforms confirmed to be congregating in the sector referred to as "The Bridge".Proceeding to exterminate." With that ominous declaration, the mechanical monster began to walk away from Zeina, completely unaware of her presence the entire time. It would be up to her to choose how this would end.
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Post by Advix on Apr 15, 2013 16:52:46 GMT -5
Zeina froze as it spoke those words. Her mind began to race as the despair she felt before shifted towards a fresh wave of dread.
"Did you hear that? It's going to the Bridge," a voice whispered inside her head.
"Why?" she whispered brokenheartedly. "They've already suffered... so much... Why can't everyone leave them alone?"
"They're alive, so you know."
"What?" she whispered to the putrid air.
"Your husband, and your precious baby girl," the voice added with a certain, unmistakable sliminess. "Maybe if you ask nicely enough, it will stop and say hi to them for you."
"Stop it!" she blurted out loud.
"Why get yourself worked up? If it kills them, I can bring them back to life, and then you can all be reunited as a happy family again!"
"No no NO!!!" Zeina exploded out of the tube she was hiding in, quickly dragging herself to her feet as the armor on her right palm opened up. Her heart began to race as a rush of blood erupted from her hand, maintaining a semi-solid, thin, blade-like form. "Please, just leave them alone!" she cried out. "Don't hurt my daughter, or I'll never forgive you! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!!!" Zeina rushed at the drone at a speed far surpassing any normal creature, swinging frantically in wild hysteria.
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Post by Greed on Apr 16, 2013 7:29:24 GMT -5
-Omega-The outburst the undead lamian made was all that the drone needed to lock onto her location, apparently. With impossible speed, it wheeled around towards the source of the noise. Its many eyes analyzed the movement patterns of the hysteric woman, and it raised one, catching her sword arm mid swing as she came within his range. The drone's AI was very capable of vocalizing its deliberations, but only if they didn't interfere with its directive. Omega stepped forward, pushing Zeina back against her will. Boss Battle: Bio-Drone "Thanatos Omega"
"Leaving lamian lifeforms 'alone' goes against my directive. Your forgiveness is meaningless." For a machine without even an AB, it was somehow fairly well-spoken. But there was no time to dwell on that, as the high tech bio-drone's free claw lit up in a quartet of green laser blades, as it swiftly brought them down towards Zeina. Attacking an unknown opponent blindly had been her first mistake, but was there a way to rectify it?
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Post by Advix on Apr 16, 2013 19:25:57 GMT -5
Zeina flinched as the drone caught her arm, spouting how meaningless her words were. As it pushed her further and further back, she could think of only one way to evade its blades; she wrenched the arm it held her by, and yanked it forward as it stepped, pulling it off balance before flinging it away from her across the tunnel. Her arm returned to its rightful place with a sickening crunch as she cried and howled down the tunnel after the drone. Her speed was not to be trifled with either, and her armored finger tips gleamed to reveal their sharpness. The armor on her back opened up in plates, as bloody tendrils erupted from her backside. Animal instincts began to take over as she sped through the sewage ridden tunnel.
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Post by Greed on Apr 16, 2013 22:03:28 GMT -5
-Omega-
The drone bounded several extra feet back as Zeina threw it off of her. It had other plans, ones that involved using the geography of its current location.
Planting both of its strong forearms in the ground, the mechanical monster opened its mouth, and a large beam of plasma shot out, melting the floor and evaporating the sewage beneath it as it shot down the tunnel. If Zeina didn't move out of the way, she would be incinerated to ashes... and this monster would continue its potentially genocidal rampage unhindered.
[[Artillery Grade Plasma Cannon - An incredibly potent, straight line plasma cannon that can instantly burn through several several layers of most kinds of armor, and is concentrated enough that it can force through smaller particle dispersal fields. ]]
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Post by Advix on Apr 18, 2013 13:49:46 GMT -5
Zeina found her body twisting and turning out of the way of the beam, the side of her armor glowing red hot from the proximity. As she drew nearer her bloody tendrils began to whip about wildly. She didn't know what was going on anymore, she simply knew that she wanted this thing dead. Her body needed it dead, and her claws sought it's throat as she caught it before it could right itself from its firing position. Her bloody tentacles lashed out razor thin as she assaulted the bio-drone with claws, blood and all.
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Post by Greed on Apr 18, 2013 23:07:04 GMT -5
-Omega-
If this had been one of the drone's more outdated brethren, the assault would have worked. But here was the prime example of the best... and in many senses, worst that Devoid had to offer, in terms of raw combat ability and utility. The plasma cannon's firing cut itself short, as the drone then closed its mouth, raising one of its armored arms to defend itself; anything that struck the gleaming silvrite glanced right off, leaving little more than nicks in the armor. Where the armor wasn't, Zeina drew strange, silvery blood that splattered on the ground beneath the drone. Oddly, the letting of its blood garnered no reaction; it seemed the drone didn't even react to pain.
"Deploy."
With no further warning, six flying nodes exited the creature's back, laser blades erupting from each as they slashed down in unison at the drone's attacker.
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Post by Advix on Apr 19, 2013 13:14:55 GMT -5
However, Omega greatly underestimated his opponent as she ducked under his blocking arm and laser drones, and found herself within the blind spot of his reach. Its forearms too long for his upper arms, it couldn't grab her to pull her away as she sunk her pressurized-diamond claws into its softer neck. She tore the synthetic muscle as she twisted the neck before biting down into its throat. Whatever augmentations had been made to her, it was clear that her jaws had been substantially strengthened as they seemed to close all the way, biting off a massive hole from Omega's neck. Her bloody tentacles began to flail wildly, knocking away anything that came into range of her backside in the frenzy of her blood lust. Even if Omega's blood wouldn't sustain her, the act of biting sent signals to her brain, telling her to feed.
And so she did.
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Post by Greed on Apr 19, 2013 14:28:29 GMT -5
-Omega-
"Severe damage sustained to important biological systems." The mechanical eyes of the monstrous drone stared at the feral opponent tearing into its neck; one eye on its chest, one on each shoulder. Omega's "blood" looked like liquid metal, streaming out of its neck. It had to deliberate on its best course of action. Its opponent was much smaller, and yet now had the advantage because of that. However... it figured out a way to take advantage of that fact.
The drone stood fully upright, amusingly enough pulling Zeina along like an overly zealous bulldog latched onto its neck, her feet leaving the ground as it reared up to its full height. And as it did, its powerful arms wrapped around her midsection. And squeezed.
Hard.
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Post by Advix on Apr 19, 2013 19:25:17 GMT -5
Zeina held on tight as Omega stood up, squeezing the crazed woman as she continued to pull its neck apart. But it was strong, stronger than her. While the cybernetic exoskeleton did well to withstand the damage, Zeina herself was being constricted inside it, as if being crushed inside an elastic metal can. As she tore at its neck more furiously, the pain became too much for her even in her frenzy, and she cried out in pain. She tried to pry herself out its grip, ripping and lashing out at Thanatos Omega, but its deadly embrace grew tighter and tighter until her howls turned into sobs. She cried as her efforts to escape proved more and more futile, until a roar resounded off the tunnel walls with the ignition of verniers, from a source entirely different from Zeina or Omega. Before the creature could turn around, it's left arm was cleaved clean off the shoulder by a full-speed strike from a bony blade. The new assailant was not as large as Omega, though significantly larger than Zeina. Seven-foot-five with the physique of an Olympian, and sporting an exoskeleton similar in design. After amputating the creature's arm, the second assailant quickly grabbed Omega by its shoulder fin, and pried Zeina free from its right arm before launching it across the sewage with a monstrous punch to the abdomen. Zeina could hardly lift herself up to watch as the figure who saved her rushed after the beast it had just sent flying. "A-donis..." was all she had the strength to say as she clung to the wall to right herself. Thanatos Omega had an entirely new problem. Its new foe was much faster, much stronger, much fresher, and much more accurate than its previous opponent. But most notably, it was filled with a fury far beyond what any training simulation could have possibly prepared it for.
And who was to say that he was alone?
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Post by Greed on Apr 19, 2013 21:00:07 GMT -5
-Omega-
It would have been unnerving to a rational man how little this opponent reacted to damage. It did not cry out in pain, nor did it crumple to the ground from its wounds. It righted itself quickly, the silver liquid gushing from where its arm had been severed.... slowly... even more slowly. And it simply just stopped.
"A new hindrance appears. Readying for combat." The arm that Adonis had severed liquified as the nanomachines still spilling from it consumed it, breaking it down, and sliding back along the floor, flowing back into the shape of its arm, before it solidified. The other wounds Omega had sustained showed signs of healing as well, as the monster's exoskeleton gave off a green glow from the lines in its silvrite plating. The armor laser blade drones hovered behind Omega, casting green light behind it as well, as though they were some abominable sort of glowing wings.
"Scan complete. Undead cybernetically enhanced aren subject possessing unusually sophisticated enhancements. Engaging." The drone went from stationary to a blur of glowing lights in the next instant, the sewage and dust blasting out of its path as it charged Adonis head-0n, slashing in a wide "X" pattern with its laser claws. The drones split away from their master, and began to surround the new opponent from behind.
This monster, if nothing else, had tenacity, and power to spare. The real question was... who had the resources to develop something like this?
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Post by Advix on Apr 22, 2013 0:25:08 GMT -5
Time seemed to slow for Adonis as he and Thanatos Omega boosted toward each other. As Omega began its X patterned slash, Adonis' eyes watched closely, predicting which arm would fold before the other. The right arm was moving slightly ahead of the left. That was his cue. Adonis further increased his speed, ducking under Omega's right hand before the arc of the left arm could complete. With a mighty, full-speed back hand of his bony blade, he cut deeply into Omega's abdomen, nearly cutting it clean in two. Suddenly Omega found that its legs were not responding as it sped past Adonis and tumbled across the sewage, its spinal column severed from the waist down. Adonis' right hand seemed to sink into his forearm as his arm transformed into what could only have been a laser weapon, and he kept moving to outpace the bothersome nodes. The tracking systems of Omega's nodes seemed to duel with Adonis' enhanced aren eyes briefly before he quickly predicted their trajectories, and blasted them one by one with the anti-material pulse cannon of his prosthetic right arm. Adonis then quickly turned his attention back toward Omega, jogging toward it. He wanted to see if it would get up, he hoped that it would recover enough to stand before he reached it. His rage wasn't even close to satiated, and he wanted it to stand back up so he could beat it back down, again and again.
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Post by Greed on Apr 22, 2013 0:57:37 GMT -5
-Omega-
Adonis hoped it would recover before he reached it. Oh, if only he knew what he was dealing with.
It recovered in the span of time that it took for him to pass it, the nanites already weaving together the damaged flesh of the drone. The beast's spinal column wasn't simple bone, for all of its "biological" parts were almost entirely replaced synthetics, not the least of which were the reinforced silvrite "bones" that made up the drone's skeleton. With a zealous howl, the drone aimed its laser clawed hands at Adonis' back as he began to blast at the laser-blade drones, slashing viciously with one hand while bringing the other back for a second strike.
Adonis would only have had time to blast one of the drones.
-???-
Several figures gathered around a holographic projection of what Omega saw. The rest of the room lay dark, the figures, undefined.
"Its remarkable, isn't it? The reaction speed, even when put up against such an overwhelming foe."
"Yes, I can tell. Those nanites though, are there measures against-"
"Yes, yes, we had them wired with a remote self destruction code. Any new nanites they create will be affected by it as well. They shouldn't try to replicate more than they're programmed."
"Still though... undead cybernetic... I'd hesitate to use the word soldiers. Things seems more appropriate, truthfully. Do you think this is that renegade's doing?"
"Kross? Yes, it does seem like his sort of thing. Doubt he could manage the necromancy though... and that big one looks tough. I suspect we'll get to see all of Omega's systems at work at the end of this."
"If the zombie aren wins, yes, its likely. We might even get a glimpse of their necromancer, who is probably the co-conspirator with Kross that made these fiends."
"Fiends, really now? The female seems more like a victim than anything."
"Kross doesn't care. It wouldn't surprise me. Though, I'd imagine any necromancer working with him would be even worse."
"We may just find out."
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