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Doubt that will do anything.Time for some localized burninating, I hope.
This Lichen stuff feels just a bit like the hellish ecosystem of Henders Island.
This is not a comforting comparison.
Evacuate the sentient population of the planet, and glass/destroy the planet?Doubt that will do anything.
Melmoth has been setting this up for hundreds of years, by now the stuff should be burrowed so deep into the planet that the only way to eradicate everything would be to destroy the planet itself.
Evacuate the planet, maybe.Evacuate the sentient population of the planet, and glass/destroy the planet?
Doubt that will do anything.
Melmoth has been setting this up for hundreds of years, by now the stuff should be burrowed so deep into the planet that the only way to eradicate everything would be to destroy the planet itself.
Oh man I forgot that book. I think my dog ate it?Time for some localized burninating, I hope.
This Lichen stuff feels just a bit like the hellish ecosystem of Henders Island.
This is not a comforting comparison.
Didn't Paul use singularity weapons, before? At any rate, if he can't destroy the planet by himself, I'm pretty sure he can bring allies who can.Evacuate the planet, maybe.
But I doubt Paul has the ability to actually destroy it, even assuming he could muster up the necessary "want" to do so. Which I rather doubt he will be able to since Melmoth isn't some sort of existential threat to him or the people he considers his.
a go, or possibly a 'go.'
an orange
off
loses
projection, I think?
On the contrary, there are specific laws about finding someone's identifying information and using it to incite third parties.
Yeah, swirly-cheeks' earning a lot of payback from this. When's the last time OL was this hampered by his enemy's ability to block ring scans?4th May
20:03 GMT -5
"The doorway is blocked."
I grimace faintly as I use very strong railgun shots to knock the worms back, keeping them off my barrier as we near the exit. When we headed down I could scan reasonably freely, but now it looks like Melmoth's flipped all of the switches. I can't even scan the next room with a default scan, and alternate sensors aren't returning completely reliable results.
Crud. Let's hope the Rot isn't involved somehow. At least, the Rot of Earth. Anyway, that doesn't sound good at all."By a door or by the earth?"
"Neither? It looks like… Lichen? Dark grey?"
I'm betting this is something from home. Something knife-ears never expected to see here.I feel through the construct holding him as Anarawd twitches in shock.
"If you know something-?"
Talk fast, buddy. Time is of the essence in this situation. And that's a helluva lot of Fear."I have underestimated the Dark King."
"Not a capital offence. Care to narrow it down?"
Great to see such tactical coordination. Not what you usually get from most superheroes."Orange Lantern!" I switch my attention from our Sheeda prisoner to Mr. Yao. "I should be able to sing open a hole, but for us to clear the distance-."
"I'll shield us and move us."
True, conventional booms may be impressive, but they're not gonna beat a well reinforced Environmental Shield, much less a full construct. And this situation can't get any worse...I move closer to the exit, the six of us clustering together. Something else for the slate: an alchemically-enhanced base to go with the alchemically-enhanced acid. Sure, it a situation like this it would cause a colossal explosion, but it would probably be a mostly-conventional explosion and I'm good at surviving those.
Wonder why they're getting sluggish? leaving their effective control radius? Or simply running out of energy.There's no countdown. Mr. Yao opens his mouth and I've already wrapped everyone in a rune-inlayed construct barrier, dropping the barrier to our rear. The worms have lost a degree of their focus and aren't quite as quick to go after us as they were when they first emerged, but-.
Now to see how much damage has actually been caused by that little set-to in the dungeons.Mr. Yao pronounced the-. Yeah, great, now my ears are bleeding. The grey organic stuff covering the entrance is torn apart, the soil behind it blasted aside… For a moment.
I seal the construct and then shoot us forward, spinning construct drill pushing the subsiding soil aside and pulling us through for a few seconds until we're back out over the desolate plain.
And well out of range of most of their attacks, so he could rip them up remotely. Good.I stop, turn, and turn the construct drill into a construct platform.
What little is still visible of the tower is rapidly sinking into a highly acidic bog, though that might be due to the empty chambers below the tower falling in on themselves. The worms are… Breaching the surface in a dozen or so places, though they aren't trying to attack us. I don't see any eyes, so perhaps they can't see us?
Just in case. Never good to assume the enemy have no air support, it has a bad habit of dropping out of nowhere on you.The grey lichen-like material is visible in patches all across the wasteland, and… I can see it slowly growing. It doesn't appear to be affected by the worm's acid. Our mounts have gone. The worms might have taken them, or they might have fled. There aren't any flying Sheeda creatures that I can see-.
I add a dome shield around the platform we're standing on.
Eh? Did he get hurt? Never even noticed. Price of him begin an arsehole, I suppose."Anarawd, I would appreciate it if you would expand upon your answer."
"It-."
"Orange Lantern." Mr. Yao fixes me with a steady glare. "His leg."
...Huh, How'd I miss that happening. At least OL gives enough of a damn to fix it."Right." I move Anarawd into a standing position and attach filaments to the acid-burned parts. "You might experience a few moments of discomfort."
Unlike with the creatures below, when he's not wearing armour Anarawd is perfectly simple to scan. Reconstituting his leg using my own revulsion at physical imperfection and desire to hear what he has to say is a simple matter.
...That's an odd reaction. Then again, how many times has OL regrown an entire limb for someone?When I'm done he stares at his new lower leg is nearly as much discomfort as he showed when he lost it.
"How long does it last?"
And how many of those times did he do it to someone with strong metaphysical senses... Fascinating."I don't know. How long to Low Born Sheeda usually last?"
"The discomfort. It feels physically normal, but it does not share my soul."
I'm not seeing a connection. Though it explains why they drag fresh blood back from the past..."I'm afraid that I can't really help you there. If you come back with us to Earth, I can ask a biomancy specialist to take a look. Now about that lichen-stuff."
"The Earth of the Land of Summer's End is not like your Earth. The light of the vampire sun weakens and kills; it does not nurture and strengthen as your sun does, nor the suns of this world."
This is not really news. We saw the flies, and the armour. Even the computer consoles..."Yes?"
"But the rest of the world is altered as well. Our creatures may borrow some parts of their form from the creatures of your era, but they are altered; larger, fiercer, enhanced by magic and possessing something of Sheeda biology."
...Oh. Well, shit. They're basically living in the aftermath of a biological grey goo scenario, are they? That would explain so much about their altered biology."So.. I've already noted."
"Our buildings are the same. Our great vessels as well. Each is in part alive; a creature as those Core Worms are or as the Spider Mounts are. Our buildings are the same, and the Earth itself, that is enveloped by it the… Lichen? That is what you call it?"
Feeding on the lifeforce of their harvested victims. Not a new concept. But does that mean.. everything around them is trying to do the same to them?"Until I can analyse it properly, yes."
"Our entire world is alive in some form or another. But our world is sustained by the Harrowing."
Which he probably would do, just to be an ass about it. Like I said, he'll flip the table if he thinks he's losing...While… Melmoth's… "You think he's transforming this world?"
"I am not High Born. I do not understand the magics while allow us to raid the past. But if Melmoth feared that no more Harrowings were possible, or if he intended to cause this one to fail to spite the Queen-."
So... Melmoth's plan is to.. Sheeda-form this planet, and Columbia with it? And in effect, create the very world he and his were born into."We'd remember you, and never let ourselves become you. You'd need somewhere to come from, like a planet full of people with Sheeda DNA who used Sheeda-style magic."
"The pathways to future and past bring us from our world to yours. I always assumed that they were the same world; that we were your future. But if Dark Melmoth sought to secure us a new past… This…"
Like a mass of kudzu. The red algae from War of the Worlds. Or, as Queshire put it, Zerg Creep from Starcraft. And it won't stop until all else is consumed...I take another look at the grey-coated worm-ridden landscape.
"This is how it would start."
So hard times ahead for the Columbians and warlock-breed. Either they remain, fight the growth and learn to adapt, or they flee to another world..."You do not understand. Everything we know about ourselves-."
"No, I just don't care. Will the people who live here be able to survive if the world is Sheeda-formed?"
"I-. Yes, certainly. Not so easily as we, but the beasts are controllable and for the most part work at their intended function without distraction."
Good point, there's a whole town of people unaware these worms are on the move.Not to mention any other villages around..Abednego nods. "'T'would mean then end of Columbia."
Peter hands me the purple ray back. "We must warn the town. Mayhap we can stay ahead of the beasts."
Man... This is not an easy scenario to resolve..."How does that lichen interact with other plants?"
"It grows best on rock, but it will throttle any living thing not born of the Sheeda, given time."
Let's hope he can do so. Who knows what effect the local environment will have on communications..."Does it have weaknesses? Some way to stop it? To kill it?"
"There are creatures which feed upon it, but never to the point of eradicating it."
"Orange Lantern." I look at Mr. Yao. "Get in contact with Lantern Stewart. I need to consult with Wonder Woman."
Sure, in a situation like this...
Tense feels off. 'Pronounces'?
...his new lower leg in nearly as much discomfort...
How long do Low Born Sheeda usually last?
I do not understand the magics which allow us to raid the pastI do not understand the magics while allow us to raid the past.
Yea, but those aren't going to destroy a planet unless he spends a couple years going at it.Didn't Paul use singularity weapons, before? At any rate, if he can't destroy the planet by himself, I'm pretty sure he can bring allies who can.
I do not understand the magics while allow us to raid the past.
Thank you, corrected.a go, or possibly a 'go.'
an orange
off
loses
projection, I think?
I'm not using the Rot.Crud. Let's hope the Rot isn't involved somehow. At least, the Rot of Earth. Anyway, that doesn't sound good at all.
Thank you, corrected.Sure, in a situation like this...
Tense feels off. 'Pronounces'?
...his new lower leg in nearly as much discomfort...
How long do Low Born Sheeda usually last?
I do not understand the magics which allow us to raid the past
How about the Sivanas? They're certainly inclined to help fight Sheeda, and I'm pretty sure they could cook up a planet-buster if they wanted to.Yea, but those aren't going to destroy a planet unless he spends a couple years going at it.
And the only ally he has that might be able to is Mother Mercy, and they don't have a portal big enough to bring her.
Time for some localized burninating, I hope.
This Lichen stuff feels just a bit like the hellish ecosystem of Henders Island.
This is not a comforting comparison.
Evacuate the planet, maybe.
But I doubt Paul has the ability to actually destroy it, even assuming he could muster up the necessary "want" to do so. Which I rather doubt he will be able to since Melmoth isn't some sort of existential threat to him or the people he considers his.
Yea, but those aren't going to destroy a planet unless he spends a couple years going at it.
And the only ally he has that might be able to is Mother Mercy, and they don't have a portal big enough to bring her.
...That's an odd reaction. Then again, how many times has OL regrown an entire limb for someone?
And how many of those times did he do it to someone with strong metaphysical senses... Fascinating.
Thank you, corrected.'worms' without the '
Maybe 'are gone'
Unless it's his archaic speech it should be 'the end'
I can't find it. Do you have a link?
Not sure how much they would be able to help there, they usually work on a scale a lot smaller then "Zerg Infestation.".How about the Sivanas? They're certainly inclined to help fight Sheeda, and I'm pretty sure they could cook up a planet-buster if they wanted to.
And he did it by colony drop, a feat he can't repeat here.Paul was able to muster up the desire to wipe out the Citadel, and the people he did it for weren't 'his' for a long time.
Melmoth is also a person Paul would greatly dislike.
Basically a sadistic monster that commits evil actions for no other reason than his own pleasure.
No, he couldn't, because E=MC2.He could just make his singularity cannons a whole lot bigger, as well as make a few hundred of them, and then go all out on the planet.
A singularity and black hole are different things.His database also probably has a whole lot of planet killing weapons in it, aside from black hole weapons.
Not sure how much they would be able to help there, they usually work on a scale a lot smaller then "Zerg Infestation.".
He doesn't. The thing is, Paul's outsider knowledge allows him to affect the timeline in the same way a time traveler would. The main difference is that Paul isn't from the future.So a Grey Lichen Goo scenario?
And here we see the usual causality bending results of messing with the past.
The Sheeda seem the result of another stable time loop.
Though if and how Paul fits into that is anyone's guess.
Thank you, corrected.'them' not 'then'
maybe 'bodyguards' seeing as there are more than one handmaiden.