Goblin Queen [Worm/Exalted][CrossPost]

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A wild Teaser~ shows up!​

Living in a city that had just experienced an attack by an Endbringer entailed certain things. One of which was the fact that a number of homes and businesses were destroyed, and if enough damage was sustained, it was quite possible that the city wouldn't fully recover... ever.

Then, there is the fact that after every such attack, the city that experienced such would require disaster management, more law enforcement officers with feet on the ground for various reasons, and in some cases... the national guard and actual military soldiers would be need to be deployed.

Thankfully for Brockton Bay, in the aftermath of Leviathan, we had only really needed the first. While the last two were only necessary if the aftermath of the attack had been worse and the rule of law was abandoned much like a Mad Max movie.

Thankfully, that hadn't happened yet. The keyword was yet, there were still a number of foreign capes in Brockton Bay. More than that... there was the simple fact that this was the Endbringer fight with the lowest casualties ever recorded. If one didn't consider the city with its subterranean collapse a casualty.

The status remained as it was.

 

A wild Teaser~ shows up!​

The only thing that wasn't set was how all those cunning plans and schemes would crash and tumble together much like a thirty car pile-up.

 

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- - - Tanuki are typing... please wait warmly. - - -​

Living in a city that had just experienced an attack by an Endbringer entailed certain things. One of which was the fact that a number of homes and businesses were destroyed, and if enough damage was sustained, it was quite possible that the city simply wouldn't recover...

Then, there is the fact that after every such attack, the city that experienced such would require disaster management, more law enforcement officers with feet on the ground for various reasons, and in some cases... the national guard and actual military soldiers would be need to be deployed.

Thankfully for Brockton Bay, in the aftermath of Leviathan, we had only really needed the first. While the last two were only necessary if the aftermath of the attack had been worse and the rule of law was abandoned much like a Mad Max movie.

Thankfully, that hadn't happened yet. The keyword was yet, there were still a number of foreign capes in Brockton Bay. More than that... there was the simple fact that this was the Endbringer fight with the lowest casualties ever recorded. If one didn't consider the city with its subterranean collapse a casualty.

The status remained as it was.

Until the mayor and the good citizens of Brockton decided on the course of action necessary; to rebuild the city or to abandon it for greener pastures.

That, after all, was the whole point of the City Hall meeting this Saturday. This was the meeting that would determine the fate of Brockton Bay....

I knew that my liege had something planned for said meeting. But then I would have wagered that the various parahuman powers all had their own plots and plans in the works.

This, after all, was only common sense. They didn't want to move. To have to start from scratch and fight for territories in the cities they would eventually end up in. Or in the case of the Protectorate Heroes and Wards, rebuild their branding and reputations from the ground up.

No, it was in no one's interests to condemn Brockton Bay. Thus, for all of the bravado and propaganda of the various posters and radio ads, the Fate of Brockton Bay had already been set. The only thing that wasn't set was how all those cunning plans and schemes would crash and tumble together much like a thirty car pile-up.

Still, at the moment it mattered not, one way or the other, to me if the city prospered or fell. For I was in dad's bad books, he apparently liked Lisa over Beefcake... more than that, he felt that given the way I liked to gallivant about... there was nothing to do but have me join him and the other dock workers help clean up the city.

"Just to keep me out of trouble..." My grouchy complain was apparently not quiet enough as it caught the attention of Ken.

Despite what Dad would have liked... cleaning up the city in the aftermath of Leviathan wasn't something that was offered to the Dock-worker union, it was something that anyone could volunteer for and be paid relatively well.

Ken was one of the non-union workers helping out in the area the dock-worker had been assigned. More than that, he was built like a brickhouse with muscles on muscles, he was a man who worked hard doing physical labor. And at slightly over six foot, he was tall for an asian. With slicked back hair held in place with a simple plastic hairband, he looked the part of a gangster or a grown up playing the part of one of those asian gangster in high school movies.

Still, despite the tattoos of dragons and tigers that graced his back and upper arms and which could be seen due to how.... snug the white tee-shirt he wore was, he was friendly enough. At least, he gave that impression to me with the gruff way he had introduced himself with a simple "Call me Ken" accompanied by a firm handshake and now by how he shook his head and laughed at my complains.

"Girl. It is the nature of fathers to worry about their princesses," Ken eventually spoke with his heavy 'engrish' accent after his laughter ended. "Were I in your father's place, I would do the same."

I could only look at him, across the fallen tree branch we were moving, with the full hurt and betrayal I felt at his response. "But..."

"He caught you with a boy, yes?" Ken's question was more rhetorical than anything else.

And yet, I had to nod woefully as we moved the tree branch onto the back of Kurt's pickup. "Yes.... something like that."

"Exactly my point. Girl." He replied as we heaved the branch onto the pickup. "Girls will want boyfriends or whatever... exotic things they want in the springtime of their youth. Their fathers will naturally object to this if they are real fathers."

"This is how the world is and should be," he said with a gesture of his hand. His words held a simple conviction in much the manner of fire burns, water is wet, the sun moves from east to west.

An understandable thing based on my observation of the way he walked and moved. The precise way he held himself, the absolute control in how he breathed. The spatial awareness of where everything was around him, if they were within the circle of his reach. He was a martial artist in much the fashion Brian or I was... he had more than a beginner's grounding in martial arts. More the style he practiced emphasized straight forward techniques that focused on crisp linear stop and go motions. As such, his words were, unsurprisingly, rather straight forward.

It was also clear that he had my measure. He knew that I was a martial artist and that I had his measure, that I practiced some sort of martial arts... more, he knew that I knew that he knew... an infinite loop of knowing.

Still, a man can not simply live by his fist alone. Despite what some might claim, fighting was not the solution to everything. Which was why Ken was helping clean up the city. But that was hardly unusual, after all... he wasn't the only ganger that was doing so. After all, what profit could be found by the AZN Bad Boys, the Empire, the remnant of the Merchants, or the small independent gangs and capes in a ruined city.

This was not a post-apocalypse movie where the rule of law had collapsed, with gangers running wild intercepting supply trucks and doing as they pleased in the territories that they held.

No, society was what kept things profitable for any criminal enterprise. Capes might have powers beyond mortal men, but in the end, they still needed food to eat, water to drink, and a place to sleep at night. And such things were provided by civilization.

True, there were those who didn't help with the clean up, but they didn't actively hindering the clean-up process. After all, when it came down to it... even if Brockton Bay was abandoned and its citizens evacuated, the various people would want to take their belongings with them... and that would require cleared roads. And if recovery was deemed possible and desired... why, having cleared roads was the first step.

Which was why I was helping dad in this endeavor, and why Ken was here with me as we moved tree branches to the back of Kurt's pickup for disposal.

"I still think it's not fair that he feels I need to be kept out of trouble." I could only grumble in the face of Ken's statement as we lifted another large tree branch from the street. "I mean it's not like I go looking for trouble or anything."

There was a look of disbelief from Ken at what I was saying, before he shook his head. "Somehow, I doubt that."

That vague sense of familiarity from the raised eyebrow as he looked at me was annoying, but I had to mentally shrug. It wasn't as if it was important, after all, if it was... I would remember why that look of his was so annoyingly familiar.

- - -
Goblin Queen : Changes can be Awkward
Worm / Exalted
- - -​

"I don't wanna... don't wanna die. Wanna live." His throat rasped as he focused on his words. "Some... some one. Any one."

"Come on..." The world tilted and slid if he didn't pay attention.

If he did not force the world to be level, to stay still as he held his hands against stomach. To push in the slippery coils that felt so very warm against his cold hands, and keep them in.

He focused on the sparks from the screen and wiring in front of him, the soft crackle as light crawled down the cracked screen in front of him.

He focused on his breathing.

Cold air in.

Cold air out.

Cold air in.

Cold air out.

Every now and then, he could hear the sound of sand shifting about outside the cockpit. He tried not to think on just how he could breath if he was trapped and surrounded by sand and dirt. Surely... they would be looking for him, right?

They would be searching for him. Wasn't he someone who had put his life on the line to help save lives? To help protect the city?

"I don't wanna... don't wanna die. Wanna live." His throat rasped as he focused on his words. "Some... some one. Any one."

"Come on..." The world tilted and slid if he didn't pay attention.

His mind liked to play tricks with him... telling him that he had been in here for... forever. He knew it couldn't have been long. That was stupid, after all, they had to be looking for him.

- - - You have found paw prints and not words. - - -​

Writer's Notes : Way back in Exalted First Edition, unarmed fighting took 2 forms, the disciplined Martial Arts with martial arts styles and the unruly Brawl with no styles, just a rough and tumble in your face. This mean that you had martial artists and then you had brawlers (also how wild animals fought).

Exalted Second Edition rolled about and unarmed fighting got combined into martial arts... and everyone fighting unarmed knew martial arts... even the bears. Hark and ware! Kung Fu Bears verses Kung Fu Velociraptors! :3

It looks like in Third Edition Exalted, it is going back to Brawl as the default unarmed fighting skill used by unarmed combatants who fight based on instinct and a natural talent for violence, rather than any particular discipline or style. With Martial Arts covering formal study of martial systems that is tied to Brawl.

In any event, in Exalted, characters can actually roll dice to determine the respective skill level of someone else. ie a martial artist determining how skilled someone else is in martial arts and so on. :3

 

ish soh! :3

 

A wild Teaser~ shows up!​

People liked to think he was stupid. Certainly, their reasons varied, but it was easy to see him as stupid.

Look at him with his muscles and tattoos. Only a lowborn fool would look like that. And the way he dressed... he had to be a simple laborer. Not very smart, only good for lifting things. Just like any other chink or gook... or in his youth, a 'simple' half-chinese punk.

Just because he was a simple 'brute'. Look at him! All he can do is smash things. Guess he mustn't be too smart! After all, it would be stupid for a power to just provide a changing body that gave a measure of strength. After all, the brain isn't something affected by a power that affected the body. They weren't 'connected'.

Just because he had an accent when he spoke. They said he spoke with an engrish accent like a foreign mongrel. What they didn't take into consideration was that he knew another language. At the very least. After all, it wasn't as if he grew up in another country. Or escaped the clutches of the Yangban, who surely must have spoken english when they tried to convert him into one of their drones.

People liked to think he was stupid, yes. But he didn't mind that. It made them underestimate him.

 

Welp... Taylor is doomed.

 

Indeed. :3

 

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- - - Tanuki are typing... please wait warmly. - - -​

His muscles flexed as he pushed against gravity and raised his body with nothing more than simple physics and willpower.

His breathing stayed even as he reached the apex before he slowly lowered himself once more, an absolute focus on what he did guided his downward motion evenly as he pushed down upon his index finger and thumb into the sand of the beach.

Concentration was key to anything that one did. The sharper the focus, the ability to channel all of his concentration into a single point, it allowed him to hit harder and faster without any wastage.

What he did now with his exercise helped him focus.

And yet, despite the focus that he held in what he did, his senses allowed him to keep track of what was happening around him.

From his bedwarmers as they tittered incessantly where they sat by the fire and kept watch over the roasting ducks, to the roar of the pit fires in the distance down the beach where his followers had set up their encampment.

He kept silent as he pushed his body up before lowering it down once more in and even and steady speed. His thoughts raced ahead of his body.

People liked to think he was stupid. Certainly, their reasons varied, but it was easy to see him as stupid.

Look at him with his muscles and tattoos. Only a lowborn fool would look like that. And the way he dressed... he had to be a simple laborer. Not very smart, only good for lifting things. Just like any other chink or gook... or in his youth, a 'simple' half-chinese punk.

Look at him, just another simple 'brute'. All he can do is smash and burn things. Guess he mustn't be too smart!

After all, it was obvious that a power that gave a measure of strength by physically changing his body to do only that. Surely, the brain wasn't something affected by a power that affected the body. They weren't 'connected'.

Just because he had an accent when he spoke, he had to be dumb. They said he spoke with an engrish accent like a foreign mongrel. What they didn't take into consideration was that he knew another language. At the very least. After all, it wasn't as if he grew up in another country. Or escaped the clutches of the Yangban, who surely must have spoken english or japanese when they tried to convert him into one of their drones.

People liked to think he was stupid, yes. But he didn't mind that. It made them underestimate him.

When all they saw was his body, when all they heard was his heavily accented voice... they could not, would not see him as smart. For such a thing implied that he was superior to them both mentally and physically and that was unacceptable to most people on a base level. I they refused to accept and acknowledge that it was possible that they were the ones who were inferior.

Those who served him feared him, but they didn't think he was smart... just strong. And thus, they obeyed him. And that was well enough for him.

He tilted his head to gaze up at the night sky above the ruined city. The silver sphere in the distance that reflected the light from the police and PRT airships.

With every defeat, a matching ascent.

It had been simple enough to recruit Grace. She had been recruited by him playing up on the notion of fear and control. She liked the idea of being in control, that people feared her. That serving under him would provide her such.

He had high hopes that with her in his gang that he could expand the ABB to be an actual power in other cities... to be more than just another gang or villain in a single city required a proper foundation. Infrastructure was key in any endeavor and Tinkers were good at that. And all it had taken was an Endbringer to bring his designs to nothing.

It had been easy to recruit Bakuda. The new Tinker that he had encountered would be more difficult. After all, it was clear that her theme was broad and that she had had time to grow into her power, to tinker and create assorted wonders for both herself and her teammates.

And yet, there was a chance for him to win her over.

He had seen her eyes at Tadokoro's, even if he hadn't known who she was or what she could do. Her eyes had been clear and full of the vitality that only those in their springtime could hold. The notion of invincibility that only the young could have as she had looked back at him, against his killing intent.

He had remembered her then. That resolution and willingness to fight, even against him.

He remembered her at the fight against the Beast, against Leviathan.

It was true that Leviathan could not be killed, that it was more a force of nature than something that could be fought. But did that not make it worth challenging it, to meet it face to face in combat? She had been there too, even if he knew her not... she had crafted a wall to stop its waves. She had commanded countless insignificant insects and transformed them into radiant energy to carve into the Beast's flesh.

She had been strong.

He knew that.

Too strong, as it were.

Even when she had played with that Ward and that Merchant cape... she had held herself back, unable to bring her entire strength. It was clear to his eyes that someone who could create and put into position a wall for the entire city was someone whose strength was rivaled by a very select few.

But then, wasn't that what they said of him as well? That his strength was unrivalled. The force he brought to bear in the battles against Leviathan was unspeakable. That not even Alexandria could withstand the raging heat that came from his command of fire when he truly fought.

And yet, for all of her power... all she had wanted to do was play, to enjoy her 'springtime'. That oh so brief period of time where she was free to do what she wanted, between the confines of school and adulthood.

Perhaps, if she had not been forced by her father to help out in her civilian identity, he wouldn't have met her again save by chance and then likely only while wearing masks and pretending to be heroes or villains like school children afflicted with Middle School Second Year Syndrome. And yet, chance had brought them together to move tree branches as well as the various detritus off the city streets.

He had worked out the girl was. It wasn't exactly hard, even if the words she said made it easy to misunderstand her. To guide the perceptions and thoughts of those who heard her. And yet, if one truly paid attention to what she said... she told no lies and announced who she was with every word uttered as if without thought of care.

And in return, he had eventually invited her to 'play'... he had told her where he was staying on the beach of the Bay. She could come to him. This, he knew with a certainty. Her curiosity would ensure such. Even if it took time for her to eventually cave.

True, she was no asian. But then... only fools and those ignorant would believe that his gang was filled with none but 'asians', when the very concept of such was as silly as a gang filled with none but 'westerners'.

His muscles flexed as he pushed against gravity and raised his body with nothing more than simple physics and willpower.

His breathing stayed even as he reached the apex before he slowly lowered himself once more, an absolute focus on what he did guided his downward motion evenly as he pushed down upon his index finger and thumb into the sand of the beach. His body sang to him as he continued to exercise it.

He listened to the distant music from his followers' encampment, the roar of the nearby fire, the soft shaa of the sea as it raced up and down the shore...

And in the shifting wind, there was the sound of insect wings. Larger than normal insects that flew... and yet, almost silent in the way they vibrated. She landed downwind of him in the darkness.

A smile graced his face as he got up and brush the sand off of his finger.

"Tonight is a nice night. Isn't it, girl?" He turned to look at where she approach from his blind spot. "I'm glad you could come. We have much to talk about."

- - -
Goblin Queen | Changes in Circumstances
Worm / Exalted
- - -​

He dug into the sand beneath his body. He could smell the sweet coppery crimson deep beneath the shifting darkness.

A dull rumble from the distant sky above gave him pause as he looked about at the dark stone pillars that rose about it, that clawed at the dark skies above. Monuments of darkness and shadows, cut sharp against the soft crimson glow of the clouds above.

His instincts spoke of danger.

Screamed of such, in fact.

And yet, for all of the danger that he sensed. He could not leave. Not when that tantalizing scent of food and drink was just that... beneath the sand.

And so he dug with fingers like claws.

His existence was defined by need and want; by a hunger that gnawed at his body, by a sharp thirst that had never known drink.

His fingers and nails scrapped against cold metal beneath the black sand.

 

​

- - - Tanuki are typing.... Please wait warmly. - - -​

He dug into the sand beneath his body. The fragrant scent of sweet coppery crimson hung tantalizingly in the air at the bottom of the gentle slope.

Here!

The fragrance cried to him. Hot moist meat dripping with sweet savory liquid.

Fresh meat that squirmed and squished beneath him, full of succulent juice and energy.

Ahhhh... He sighed with delight before breathing in deeply.

All that was needed was dig down into the shifting dark sand that he was crouched over.

A dull rumble from the distant sky above gave him pause as he looked about at the dark stone pillars that rose about it, pillars that clawed at the dark skies above. Monuments of darkness and shadows, cut sharp against the soft crimson glow of the clouds above.

His instincts spoke of danger.

Screamed of such, in fact.

And yet, for all of the danger that he sensed. He could not leave. Not when that tantalizing scent of food and drink was just there... beneath the sand that he stood on.

And so he dug with claw-like fingers.

His existence was defined by need and want; by a hunger that gnawed at his body, by a sharp thirst that had never known drink.

His fingers and nails scrapped against cold metal beneath the black sand.

- - - Tanuki are typing.... Please wait warmly. - - -​

He looked down. "Oh."

He could feel the coldness moving up his body. His vision slowly narrowed down on what he was looking at, with darkness crowding the edges and crawling inwards to fill his world. The instincts that came from his hind brain and which had evolved over countless generations calmly told him that death was inevitable.

He was looking at his end, even if his mind denied it, screamed that he could and would live on.

All he had to do was...

... was ...

take another breath... and...

... and force his... body...

... to... move...

...

"I don't wanna... don't wanna die. Wanna live." His throat rasped as he focused on his words. "Some... some one. Any one."

"Come on..." The world tilted and slid if he didn't pay attention.

If he did not force the world to be level, to stay still as he held his hands against stomach. To push in the slippery coils that felt so very warm against his cold hands, and keep them in.

He focused on the sparks from the screen and wiring in front of him, the soft crackle as light crawled down the cracked screen in front of him.

He focused on his breathing.

Cold air in.

Cold air out.

Cold air in.

Cold air out.

Every now and then, he could hear the sound of sand shifting about outside the cockpit. He tried not to think on just how he could breath if he was trapped and surrounded by sand and dirt. Surely... they would be looking for him, right?

They would be searching for him. Wasn't he someone who had put his life on the line to help save lives? To help protect the city?

"I don't wanna... don't wanna die. Wanna live." His throat rasped as he focused on his words. "Some... some one. Any one."

"Come on..." The world tilted and slid if he didn't pay attention.

His mind liked to play tricks with him... telling him that he had been in here for... forever. He knew it couldn't have been long. That was stupid, after all, they had to be looking for him.

...

It was colder.

It wasn't his imagination, the temperature really was dropping. It shouldn't surprise him. Not in truth, after all... wasn't he trapped inside an metal coffin build by a damn good tinker?

The best, really.

The skittering sound, of claws and talons on stone and metal, accompanied by the sense of something shifting brought a mixture of fear and relief to his heart. The lizard part of his brain, that provided him with instincts honed over the countless generations since his distant ancestors crawled out of the primordial muck, screamed at him...

Danger!

Death!

Run!

Fight!

Hide!

That overwhelming sense of danger rose as he bared his teeth and turned to look at where the metal hull had been rend and pierced by the tail of Leviathan.

Black beads of sand trickled in from the gap like slow flowing water.

A pair of hands, that belonged more to a mummy all dried out than a normal person, clawed its way into the gap. With a motion that was half swimming and half desperate clawing and pulling, the skeletal figure pulled its body free of the black sand.

"Oh. This is such fucking bullshit." That was all Skidmark could say as he looked at... the thing that had forced its way into the cockpit of the giant robot he had been piloting against the Endbringer.

A perpetual look of desperate hunger was cast upon all too familiar features that belonged to him, the make-up that allowed him to look worse than he actually did had been rubbed off and covered in blood-caked black sand.

"Haaaaaaa...." At the not quite moan and hiss of hunger from that Thing before him, Skidmark found himself listening to his instincts and slowly backed away across the grilling that lay beneath the control harnesses.

Getting in close with a hungry animal was always a bad idea. One which guaranteed that scratches and bites would come, if not worse. He waved his hand, but the power... that familiar warmth in his mind that he could toggle did not respond. Worse, there was an empty gap there in his mind.

"Ni.... Nice zombie... Good ahh... monster... nice monster."

At the sound of his voice, it tilted its head to the side, to a degree that Skidmark knew wasn't possible... at least not without breaking various bones in the neck.

That single licking motion with its pink slimy tongue over cracked chapped lips was all the warning he had as it leaped at him across the grilling that lay over the exposed engine block.

Against such a thing, was it not natural for his reflexes to kick in with a simple twist of body and drawing back of his right arm, fingers bending to make a fist. He twisted the other way, and launched his fist forwards straight forward across his vision.

The sensation of flesh impacting flesh, of teeth shifting... that was familiar. No, it was more than familiar. This was something that he did... beating bitches down.

That flicker of memory as he looked down at his fist brought a smile to his face. He clenched his other fist and stepped forwards firmly, the grill vibrating beneath the impact of his booted feet.

His left fist was slower... but it struck the face of that Thing, snapping its face to the other side. Hits like that to the face, to the head, he knew could hurt bad... could even kill in the right circumstances.

He stepped forwards, following the body of that Thing as it fell back, the jabs to its face were swifter if less hard hitting.

This was something he was used to... reflexes gained on the streets as he fought to take control of the Merchants, and then keep control of that gang, to face off all challenges... and more to show those Nazi cunts in the Empire, those slant-eyes in their many many gangs that the Merchants were there to stay no matter what.

The pain that lanced up from his gut, that wasn't as important as showing that Thing with his face who was boss. And so, he forgot about it in the moment.

The cold that had been consuming him, which had been all he could think about... that he ignored as warmth welled up from the scratches that the Thing gave him with its claw-like fingers.

For every desperate frenzied scratch from that Thing, he responded with another punch to its face.

With each punch, he stepped forward, always advancing as he forced that Thing back.

All too soon, it was trapped against cold hard metal, unable to retreat... its attempts slowly died down as it cowered before Skidmark, arms covering its head.

Vulnerable.

Weak.

Helpless.

Unable to do more than gargle wetly with blood in its mouth, to beg for mercy, for a cessation.

The villain's reaction was simple; he reached out with a hand and picked up one of the damaged pipes that had once held cables.

There was no mercy here to be found as he lifted it up with both arms before bringing it down.

Over.

And.

Over.

To splatter crimson liquid, flesh and bone against the metal hull and floor before him.

- - - Tanuki are typing.... Please wait warmly. - - -​

"Ahhhh... this feels good." Skidmark sighed as he tossed aside the pipe to the side. The sound of metal against metal brought a shudder to the bloody mess before him, as it shifted and moved away from the sound.

He looked at the Thing before him as flesh ever so slowly shifted as if healing or trying to pull itself back together, before his gaze turned to the dangling cables from the ceiling of the cockpit.

It squealed wetly as he pulled the cables free to make a crude collar and leash for that thing.

He could wait for it to heal and then... he would weight his options.

For now, he looked at his gut, a gut that had been torn open by Leviathan and which had healed when he had forgotten about. As he looked at it... his eyes widened as the wound opened up once more as if it had always been there... before closing up once more as he clung to the notion that he wasn't hurt.

That he hadn't been... killed.

And yet, there was no doubt in his mind that he had died.

Which meant that this was what passed for the afterlife.

- - -
Goblin Queen | Interlude : Man in the Mirror.
Worm / Exalted
- - -​

Tanuki's notes : So... a bit violent there. But this IS Skidmark, were you expecting some pampering and tender love?

Okay... right beyond this. Skidmark is dead. He got killed, and people die when they're killed. That said, death is not a simple thing in the Exalted setting. If you have a strong enough will, if you have unfinished business... you sometimes leave behind a ghost. An imprint of your memories on your soul remains behind. Most souls of the dead tend to move on, they enter Lethe and reincarnate...

Then, you get those who don't reincarnate or dissipate or whatever, and they stick around. Their bodies are malleable to a certain degree, memories, echoes of what resonated in them are what keeps them around. There are tricks and assorted abilities in Exalted land to deal with ghosts, one way or the other.

That said, there is also... the Hungry Ghost when people die.

Basically, humans have 2 souls, the higher soul (their will and intelligence) and the lower soul (their animal instincts and seat of essence/power). The lower soul tends to be stronger and more vicious... and need to be put down by making sure that burial rituals are done and so on to make them happy and rest. This makes desecration of corpses and tombs a BAD thing as they wake up and need to be dealt with by the tomb-robbers.

In any event, generally when a ghost meets its own hungry ghost... 9 times out of 10, the hungry ghost gets to feast on the ghost.

 

A wild Teaser~ shows up!​

Somewhere in the sequence of encounters narratively, something had gone wrong.

 

This is something that Taylor is noting.... So mileages might vary. :3

 

​

A wild Teaser~ shows up!​

It was vexing, and yet... curiosity ate at me me. It didn't make sense, it was clear that he knew. That he could easily take advantage of that knowledge, given who he was; Lung. That very same curiosity compelled me to come to him at night, to where he and his followers had set up camp on the beach.

 

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- - - Tanuki are typing.... Please wait warmly. - - -​

Somewhere along the line, there was a disconnect. And for the life of me, I wasn't sure where said disconnect was... only that introspective thoughts would result in... me needing to dodge techniques like a flying knee strike to my face.

Or at least a sharp twist of my body as I stepped away from the projected motion of Ken... no... Lung's rising knee with my forearms held up high enough to deflect his forward motion.

Somewhere in the sequence of encounters narratively, something had gone wrong. Horribly wrong even, given that I was fighting with Lung one on one at night. And yet, it felt... right that I was fighting him at night. That this was meant to be.

It might have been that brief encounter that I had with at that really good Japanese restaurant that I had fantastic pasta at.

Lost in my thoughts and recollection, he nearly managed to pierce my defensive stance with a straight punch that was telegraphed with a drawing back motion and wide stance that was almost a textbook practice technique.

Perhaps it was those other brief encounters at the Leviathan battle and my patrol with Beefcake... I mused to myself as I locked myself against his forearm before I twisted my body up and over it and slammed my knee against his face.

A face that didn't shift from the impact, despite the force behind my kick.

"Girl. I almost felt that. Try harder."

There was a snort from him before he twisted his face away from me before slamming his cheek against my knee. By reflex, I released my hold on his forearm and allowed the force from his face to launch me away from him.

As I landed on the sand, my thoughts drifted as my body skittered and drifted on the soft beach sand. It was quite possible that it had been when I had met Lung once more without a mask. When I spoke to him as a girl complaining about the actions of her father to him as someone who labored alongside her.

The fact that he had invited me to play as we finished up had been odd and certainly unexpected... even when Ken had simply smiled before holding up a finger around which flames crawled, I could not believe what he had implied with his words. He knew what I was, and quite likely the identity of the masks I wore. Or at least a specific mask.

It was vexing, and yet... curiosity ate at me. It didn't make sense, it was clear that he knew. That he could easily take advantage of that knowledge, given who he was; Lung. After all, the tattoos on his back announced his allegiance. More, he was an asian pryokinetic, there was a total sum of one cape who had that power and was asian. At least, in Brockton Bay.

That very same curiosity compelled me to come to him at night, to where he and his followers had set up camp on the beach. We had gotten to talking about assorted things, such as how my experience as a cape had been. About what it had been to be treated with respect by the members of the Triumvirate.

It was nice being treated as an equal by Lung. He didn't speak to me as if I was anything different, special, worrying, or [annoying]. I was simply me, granted, he called me a girl, but then, he had also called his... women of ill-repute, girls as well... so, it likely was a thing with him. Granted, I could give him a name to call me by, but that would change the dynamics of our conversation.

His retaliation to my kneeing attack was a series of clawing attacks as he chased after me across the beach in a motion that was light enough to leave few traces in the sand. In and of themselves, they were simple clawing motions with his hands, darting out and then swapping down or to the side... if one were to break down their motions. The only problem was that they were far faster than one would expect from a man with Lung's mass.

More worrying was the way fire flickered and flared behind his clawing strikes to create a surging wave of fiery clawed hands that reached for me... to incinerate my throat, to tear out my heart, to gouge out my eyes. All of this was clear to me as I took in the fullness of his strikes blazing bright in the darkness of night, as the heat from his heart reached for me.

If I didn't know any better I would have sworn that the attacks had been chained together with a charm designed to strike multiple times within the span of a single moment.

My eyes darted up and down briefly. More importantly, I looked inside myself and reached within my soul... and twisted the world around the treasure that lay in the depths of my soul. Precious motes of essence flared within my mind and soul.

For a single timeless moment, the world and I could see. If I stayed still, my defeat was assured. I wouldn't die, no. The attack essayed by Lung wouldn't kill me, just hurt me and deal me a crushing defeat. I could see the progression from there, possibilities of joining him, of fighting him to the death as I reacted poorly to the defeat... or at least clawing out a victory.... and all it would take was for me to bring in my countless army of insects.

Or... I could move just so.

I stepped forward into his attack, twisting around his clawing motions, the heat blossoming on my face as I closed my eyes against the brilliance of his flames.

Surrounded by his arms, there was a moment of not quite intimacy as the heat from his attack fluttered my shirt as I kept my arms folded in front of my body, ready to push away his arm. But that wasn't why they were positioned the way they were.

I turned my head to look at him, a smile on my lips. It was clear from the resigned look on his face that he knew what was about to come. Essence flared from my heart and pulsed up to my shoulders, and down my legs as I found a stable footing while my elbow lashed out at his chest.

The impact was simple, the force behind it... not so much as essence lent me a certain might beyond normal human capability.

"That was an excellent strike, girl." He nodded at me as he stomped on the sand to stop his backward motion. "But you're still distracted."

"I'm just confused at why you invited me here tonight." I kept a careful eye on him as we circled closer once more. I could hear the crackling flames from the fire pit that Lung's women had been seated by. That there was silence from them and his other followers didn't matter to me. All that mattered was their intent.

"Was it not obvious, girl?"

I could feel their fear and wonder, but there was no indication of an attack. They seemed content to observe the fight.

"You need worthy challenges."

"What?" What he said had me blinking owlishly at him.

"Join me and I will ensure that you need never go without a worthy challenge." I had to admit that it was tempting to yield to him, he had a certain presence as he looked at me with the shadows from the fire shifting on his face.

I stopped and thought about it. Truly thought about what Lung could offer me and yet I could not betray my liege like this. "You do know that I have someone I already call a master, yes?"

There was a snort, and a moment of silence from him before he replied. "Coil is too much of a coward to give you what you need, he plays things too safe."

".... how?" I could only look at him in shock. "How did..."

"It was obvious. You are not part of my gang, the Empire, the Merchants, nor the Wards and the Protectorate." He twisted his neck with an impressive sounding crack as he listed out the reason why it was obvious. "Even if you are part of the Undersiders, you said master... and previously mentioned an employer. Which means that you belonged to Coil."

"That's kind of a stre..." He simply shook his head at my attempt of a defense.

There was a look of disappointment as he continued. "Girl, there is no need to try and pretend."

"I will say this again, girl." He looked at me once more. "Join me, and I will give you the challenges you desire and need. For I intent to take this world and make it mine."

"I... I will need to think about this."

- - -
Goblin Queen | One Mountain, Two Tigers
Worm / Exalted
- - -​

 

​

A wild Teaser~ shows up!​

I... was upset and confused.

This was a state that was unacceptable, simply unacceptable to me. I could withstand being upset. Certainly, I stood up well against confusion. But both at once was something I could not abide.

 

Snuggles the ghost bob

 

Ask Skidmark, he'll teach you~

 

Tanuki is typing still. But here's a teaser... from what might be the most lewd chapter of Goblin Queen yet....

A wild Teaser~ shows up!​

Which was a sharp contrast to the wholesome protective big brother image that Brian had. I had noticed the way he would clam up when discussions about our normal life, or rather our respective family situations. And yet, there was that something about him that made me think thoughts that went along the lines of if I had a big brother like him... I would totally understand the brocon thing that showed up in certain stories and comics.

This was helped, admittedly, by the six-pack belly he had, those sharply defined muscles, and a butt that I could look at all day long...

Something that Lisa had caught me doing more than once. She would smirk at me every time I did so.

 

​

- - - Tanuki are typing... Please wait warmly. - - -​

I... was upset and confused.

This was a state that was most vexing and worse, unacceptable, simply unacceptable to me. I could withstand being upset. Certainly, I stood up well against confusion. But both at once was something I could not abide.

Both states were things which stemmed from a lack of knowledge.

Thus, I did what I always did when faced with that dreadful certainty that I didn't know something. I researched, gathered up precious points of data. This was something I was quite used to. Certainly, it would seem to not be so to my avid readers on the ParaHumans Online forum in the Creative Writing subforum.

I could even heard them cry out now... as if in disbelief at the amount of research I put into my works of fanciful fiction. Just to write my tales the way I did. It was one of the reasons, after all, that Lisa called me the enemy of all who write. I took absolute care to ensure that the subject matter I wrote about held an air of legitimacy by virtue of holding knowledge within it that lesser works did not and, indeed, could not possess.

Still, to do proper research, one requires an environment conductive to such.

In the past, I made full use of the public library. From actual books, laden with information and datum, to the very depths of cyberspace, where nothing was ever truly lost... I devoured knowledge. What some might call useless trivial knowledge. It was all information to be acquired for the purpose of writing my stories.

There would be those who would argue that I should acquire knowledge to enrich my life with the wisdom of the ages, but the truth was I acquired all that information to enrich my tales and flights of fancy... and in turn, with that narrative strength, I could better word what I desired to do mentally and thus the very world was made a better place.

Why else would I spin my tales?

And yet, the public library was currently off limits to me. There had been concerns raised regarding the structural integrity of the various libraries across the city, a result of the collapse of the majority of the city into the sinkhole that had once been its source of water. A crater that mirrored the aquifer that had once lain beneath the city. There was also the matter of it being late at night and thus the library would also have been closed normally.

I could do my research in the lair of the Undersides. Certainly, the others had made it their home. And yet, I would have no privacy. Worse, Lisa would know that I had yet another cape sniffing after me. I would never hear the end of it.

Granted, what I had seen of Lung only made me more intrigued.

He was intelligent. How else had he simply chained together what I had said and come up with the identity of my liege?

He was strong. Anyone willing and capable of fist-fighting an Endbringer toe to toe, face to face, could only be considered to be strong.

More than that, he had a certain forceful personality that matched his dashing good looks. That smile full of fangs, the delicate curve of the claws that graced his hands, the wings on his back... Then there was the quadruped centuar lower body where the muscles beneath burnished silver scales flexed in glorious motion.

It... it made me want to simply mount him and ride him long and hard while he was being all aggressive and going "Imma dragon! Fear meee!" as we charged our enemies and I waved my sword while going "Get me closer, I want to hit them with my sword!".

That was just part of his wild bad boy charm.

Which was a sharp contrast to the wholesome protective big brother image that Brian had. I had noticed the way he would clam up when discussions about our normal life, or rather our respective family situations. And yet, there was that something about him that made me think thoughts that went along the lines of if I had a big brother like him... I would totally understand the brocon thing that showed up in certain stories and comics.

This was helped, admittedly, by the six-pack belly he had, those sharply defined muscles, and a butt that I could look at all day long...

Something that Lisa had caught me doing more than once and had resulted in a smirk from her afterwards. That knowing smirk.

Unlike the easy going pretty boy attitude that Alec had. He was soft and effete, safe and yet he possessed that hint of quiet danger. That knowing look followed by a gentle smirk that spoke volumes of his knowledge of the impression he cast. The pretty bad boy, one who was laid back... I remembered the way he behaved around Vista and Dinah... like the fun big brother who would play with his younger 'sisters' and enable any mischief that they got up to.

In a way, he was the dangerous version of a big brother, unlike the safe one that was Brian.

With these kind of thoughts, it would be easy enough to claim that my mind was filled with nothing but lewdness regarding the guys I had met... but that's not quite true.

The Undersiders had girls in it beyond me...

Like Rachel, who I hadn't had much of a chance to interact with. She was gruff and seemed content to leave me be... and as such I returned the favor.

Or Dinah who held a solid lock on the know it all bratty sister who stuck by Alec as much as possible.

And then there was Lisa... the blonde that everyone thought I was dating for some reason. But I knew better, that was a cover. One that I, as a friend, was helping to maintain....

After all, she was thick as thieves with my liege. I couldn't deny the way she hung out with my liege, and their explanation of them plotting and abusing the combination of their respective powers, made all the more potent with a choice selection of questions to Dinah. It was a good explanation and yet... it didn't hold water.

After all, the two of them didn't need to be in their skin tight costumes as they rubbed their egos against each other and played about with their cunning plans and schemes ridden with contingencies, multiple redundancies, backstabbing betrayals and so much more. They really were Thinkers who enjoyed stimulating each other intellectually.

And last, but not least, Madison. The cute and innocent-looking Madison who was just the right height to be kissed. The girl who was nice and soft, and bore the scent of apples and roses.

Madison who tasted of cherries with her kisses. I wasn't sure what to do about that one. It was odd to know that someone liked liked me. Unlike Lisa who people thought liked liked me, but didn't, not really... at least not that way.

And so I sat upon the woven branches of a tree, somewhere outside of Brockton Bay. The sounds of a healthy night life surrounded and serenaded me as I made sure with the senses of my insect selves that there were no humans or, at least, no intelligent life.

With the coast quiet clear, I pulled out the one toy that would likely get me killed by Lisa should she ever find out about it. A single bar that I unfolded on both ends perpendicular to itself so that it resembled more a tetris Z block, before extending it's width to a comfortable typing size. Turning it on was simple enough and accomplished with a single tap on the softly glowing button on the side of the bar.

And there was light in the darkness, as a keyboard and 'mouse' pad of light flickered and flared into existence from the lower bar, while the upper projected a screen for me.

This was a simple computer that floated before me on very precisely aligned anti-grav crystals, and which allowed me to hook up to the internet from anywhere I was via Elsewhere. I had to admit its graphic interface was very much... liberated from my home computer. But then, it didn't need to do much, just allow me access to the internet at any time I wanted from anywhere I happened to be.

It was a lack of knowledge that had caused me to stumble in my encounter with Lung, thus it was only fitting that I researched him... to acquire information I didn't have prior.

My first stop, the ParaHumans Online wikipedia... and then after that, I would have to surf the digital seas for more information.

- - -
Goblin Queen | One More Time...
Worm / Exalted
- - -​

What information I had gathered didn't reveal much. Certainly, his power was not in doubt. But everything I could find portrayed him as an unthinking Brute who used force to acquire things. And yet, my impression of him was that he was intelligent, dreadfully so. A fact that he had taken great pains to conceal, it appeared.

And yet, the truly worrying thing wasn't him battling Leviathan when he could.

Rather... there were hints that he had been held captive by the China Union Imperium and its Yàngbǎn parahuman forces. At least, he had been captured by them for some time. Parahumans did not leave China or the Yàngbǎn, and yet, here he was in America.

More concerning was that incident in August oh'two where there was speculation of a double attack by Behemoth, one in Bogotá in Columbia. The other, very shortly afterwards, in China, as something smashed and burned its way out from an unmarked area near Shenyang before going on an eastward rampage. At least if one were to trust the satellite photos that certain conspiracy theorists hosted.

Which left me with disturbing thoughts as the sun slowly rose in the east.

Given that his strength wasn't in doubt, and that he was pretty smart... he clearly wanted me for my ability to craft much like how he had woo'ed Bakuda into his gang. He needed a Tinker, to go beyond what he had.

The only question was... what to do.

 

​

A wild Teaser~ shows up!​

"Your mother is visiting."

 

​

A wild Teaser~ shows up!​

"Taylor Rose Hebert... why don't you set up the plates?"

Or... Dad could know somehow that I had been out all night and had just got home.

 

My pulling an all-nighter wasn't something that I had anticipated doing. Granted, the fact that I had to do research, extensive research across the internet, meant that I should have expected that I would be staying up late.

It was an oversight on my part, and one that would mean that I wouldn't be at my best... but such was life, I had to muse to myself as I attempted to sneak into my home.

True, by all rights, my home should have needed reinforcements and perhaps being rebuilt in order to be safe despite being in part of the city where there was a shift in the geology...

But I could and did say no to such nonsense. One benefit of having bullshit superpowers is that you can do stupid things because you could do so.

I couldn't be the only parahuman who used her powers outside of battling crime and other parahumans and so on. Granted, some of the other parahumans did seem rather straitlaced with a stick up their butt... who likely used their powers to only fight for truth, justice and the american way... or something like that.

Admittedly, I did more than just ensure that my home was safe. I did it for the houses in the vicinity of mine... plausible deniability and all that. Surely, this few blocks of houses must have slid downwards gently enough that their structural integrity weren't compromised. Any and all initial surveys must have been in error.

And thus, I attempted to sneak into my home. I could not say that I was successful for all actions and endeavors held an element of failure in them. This was a fact that held true even for me.

I carefully stepped over the squeaky step... avoided the gazes of my neighbours, or at least those who had moved back after Leviathan. The neighborhood had never been the best, the downward spiral that came from Earth Bet's economy slowly cooling down hadn't helped. Our home was just another syndrome of the decay.

Things wore down.

Things fell apart. The center can not, could not, hold.

Not against the relentless tide of time and entropy.

Now and then, [_____] liked to speak of [time-not] when there was no linear time and everything happened in the same moment. It would regale me with things it remembered.

Of an existence where entropy didn't exist. Where the known laws of thermodynamics were just guidelines.

Certainly, it sounded interesting.... But it was a lost Utopia as such things had to be, should be.

As I gently unlocked the door, taking care to make sure I had the door knob pushed up to avoid the creak of the door opening, I pondered using my insect selves to survey the lay of the land as it was... and decided against it. Such a thing would not be necessary, not in my home.

The savory scent of bacon being fried wafted out the gap along with the sound of movement in the kitchen. An odd thing that, as dad was seldom up this early... at least, early enough to start cooking after his shower.

"And next up, we have an oldie, but still a goldie..." The radio interjected, covering the sounds of my entry. "And remember, here at ninety seven point seven Wild FM.... we have the hottest hits past and present."

As I stepped inside, after my moment of surprise, I made sure to close the door as quietly as I could.

Deep down Louisiana close to New Orleans.

The not quite audible click from the latch surely would not be heard by dad who was busy cooking. I nodded to myself as I took off my shoes before heading up the st...

Way back up in the woods among the evergreens.

"Taylor Rose Hebert... why don't you help set up the plates?" Dad's voice wasn't really loud, but it was enough to be heard over the radio.

Or... Dad could know somehow that I had been out all night and had just got home. That was like one of the special powers of parents... or so I had heard.

Given that he had said my name, I couldn't very well pretend I hadn't heard him.

There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood. Despite there being a catchy beat to the song, I tuned it out and sighed. I was in trouble.

Still, it was odd that despite the anger and the not quite concealed disappointment in his words... there wasn't much tension in him as he cooked. Rather he was far too relaxed, it was as if all the stress in him had been drained out... leaving him mellow.

The word I would use to describe him would have to be tranquil. A calm lake beneath which simmered a heady brew of anger that just needed a spark or two to ignite. Or perhaps more than several I amended to myself as I sat out plates on the clean table.

Perhaps I had been too careless, but it was clear that he knew that I had been out all night.

As I laid out the plates for the two of us, the not quite creak from behind me was the only warning I had before the nostalgic scent of cigarette smoke wafted around me.

"Taylor." There was a cross note in the way mother said my name. I was in bigger trouble than I had anticipated. "Don't forget my plate."

"Your mother is visiting." Dad decided to helpfully interject as mom stepped around me.

Looking at her, it was as if she had never 'died', as if she had never gone away. She was looked like she normally did whenever she pulled an all-nighter for work; one of dad's oversized tee-shirts that was far too large for her, boxers, and a pair of fluffy slippers. Her hair was... tangled and messy. More than that, there was the way she had settled down into the kitchen chair.

I wasn't blind or oblivious to facts.

That didn't mean there weren't conclusions I wanted to reach. No one wanted to know THAT kind of thing about their parents, of what they were doing in the middle of the night.

Perhaps, it was because I was on automatic, I somehow found myself seated at the dinning table with a plate of bacon, toast, and scrambled eggs before me. The gap in time was worrying.

But... it wasn't as worrying as what I experienced next.

"Taylor, we need to talk." The look on mom's face as she warmed her hands with the cup of tea told me everything. She was... displeased with me, and what I had gotten up to. More than that... dad had been explaining what I had been doing.

I could only look down in mortification and shame.

- - -
Goblin Queen | One's Parents
Worm / Exalted
- - -​

Writer's notes : My apologies for the late update... I hope it is worth the wait for you, my readers.