Full Circle (Part 3)

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 5400

Probe:

They say that no battle plan survives it's initial contact with battle. It is up to the combatants to improvise where needed in order to survive and bring about victory.

So it is with this battle.

The plan had been thus. We were to teleport into the city, and the non-magic users were to disperse before Zerm exited his home. While I wish we could have had the Crystallic deploy us to various locations to set up ambush, I was told that the nature of Atlantis prevents such elegant teleportations. It was either a bulk rate, group teleport or we walk to Atlantis. That done, they were to take pot shots at him, either distracting him or-if the magical shields that we all figured he'd use failed in this mage battle-he'd be worm food when a high velocity round drilled him. Belboz ALMOST got the timing down. He struck too soon, apparently.

The man's must have gotten over finding his ghostly friends gone. He must have put two and two together, and come up with us. He must have either internalized his grief and emotional shock, and must have been on his way out to greet us.

He must have, because he's out here and he looks PISSED!


Zerm:

In all the eons I have walked Terra and breathed her air, I have NEVER been so humiliated in my life! That, and I have never have failed my friends so....

I have become so in tune with dear Dr. Vincent and Turoc-Kith that I can tell that SOMEHOW, their anchors to this world have been severed. It doesn't take a large leap of logic to figure out just WHO is responsible.

I know who I scream out in anger against as I rush to the exit to reach for the teleporter block. There are friends that I failed by not anticipating such a bold move on the "heroes" part.

I am not really surprised to see them at my front doorstep.

So be it.

I will enjoy avenging my friends by killing the lucky ones, and torturing those unfortunate enough to be captured by me AFTER this battle!


Fifteen seconds into the battle and we've already taken casualties!

Several of the dragons, the Eastern born ones, were a touch too late in countering something like a combined fireball and lightning bolt. At least my dragon friends didn't get caught with their magical pants down!

I hadn't even known their names, and find myself more than a bit sad that I hadn't the time to ask!

Right now, I'm doing something admittedly stupid, but it's the only thing I know of that could possibly save the less well protected groundpounder (i.e. non-mages).

"Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!" I scream as I switch my plasma rifle to it's most lethal, and most inaccurate, setting. My plasma bolts dance upon the magical shields that the Atlantian mage has up, joined by the magical might of countless spells I have no name for. The automatic fire from my rifle may not be able to slay the foul mage, but it sure has his attention!

I at least have the satisfaction before what happens next....happens. I have the satisfaction in seeing a trace of fear in the tall looking punk as I blaze away while hopping and dodging all over the place. Also, I have the satisfaction in seeing the others get away to cover.

"BARTASTH!" Zerm screams, and I suddenly find myself disconnected from my Avatar, and my base unit up in the arms of a large statue. I find that I can't re-establish contact with my now inert Avatar, nor can I even open up the bays to my shell. I look down from my unit's sensors at the man who's somehow piggybacked some type of combo teleportation/restraining spell upon my tachyon transmission. I'm not even sure that he is aware that I'm really looking down upon him, because he didn't even glance up.

Perhaps I should have asked the Regent to make one of those Circles of Protection around my base unit.

I see him turn his full attention back to the attacking adventurers, and then see him smile a cold....cruel smile.


I must admit, I've never quiet been attacked in such a manner by someone so quick!

If I had been without my mage shield, I surely would be dead.

I even felt a stab of an unfamiliar emotion that takes me a second to recall the name for. A second to recall exactly what it was. Fear.

This mad thing makes me feel fear after eons.

He dares!

He deserves a special fate for such, and I know the perfect way for saving him for my pleasure. I ignore the fleeing rats. Half ignore the spell castors arrayed against me, and call forth a spell that I had invented to strike out at fools who dare insult me from afar using a magic mirror and other telecommunication means. It is overkill, for the man is right in front of me but then again, it's quicker to cast than the other versions I have....

I bark out the command that will neutralize him, making him harmless.

I see his form fall to the ground like a puppet with it's strings severed.

I then turn back to the upstarts, and notice one lone figure aiming one of those new weapons I'd spied upon earlier through my scrying pool. The flame red hair and the female curves provide me with a hint who this is.

It would figure that the ancestor of Helena Thessamer should attempt a rescue.

The magical armor she has chosen to wear probably would have been a good choice if her opponent had been anyone else than it's creator. Hell, it would have been a good choice even against my uncle, Telsa!

HOWever, I know a few quirks within that set of mail.


Astra 2

A twisted hand gesture by Zerm and a flash of red from the crimson glyphs upon her armor are the only clue given to Astra 2 why she'd slammed into the wall behind her. She passes out to the sound of links of chainmail falling from the spot she'd just occupied. She would awaken to find herself suffering from several cracked ribs and a monster of a headache.

Right now, she's out for the count.

Head turn at a whining sound that is rapidly building in volume....


Probe:

Zerm is still looking at, what my optics inform me from the edge of it's visual field, at Astra 2. I see that, he's getting ready to say something. Perhaps even a spell to finish off the sister to Queen Astra.

No. This will not be.

This would be Aryan must be brought to an end, and quickly before any of my friends have been by this slug of a man!

Within each base unit of the Inuit line, there is a bay for almost any type of component the unit feels is needed to carry out his or her mission.

I myself use a small pulse laser in there, just in case I ever get captured and boarded by Enemy scum. It can be used in it's deployed mode, or it's stored mode. With it deployed, I'd be able to have taken a few potshots at Zerm safely enough. However, I can't deploy the damn thing.

B plan, I guess.

The unit was also the electronic equivalent to a gun put in one's mouth and pulling the trigger. I mean, I could use it as a last resort to deny sensitive, vital information to the Enemy. I'd basically blow my electronic brain out with that pulse laser.

It was more of a ship to ship weapon than an anti-personnel weapon. The Alliance foot soldier preferred the more reliable plasma rifle to an equivalent laser rifle. Laser rifles had the bad grace to break at the wrong times. The mirror for the laser were a nightmare to do maintenance upon, and it's deadly beam could be blocked by chaff...even a heavy enough dust storm!

My laser drew enough power from my base unit's power source to be usable, unlike the equivalent plasma weapon or rail gun system. It could vaporize my higher functions easily, and continue out through my armored shell to hit whatever I darn well wished.

Besides, I notice that while plasma bolts and magical bolts don't penetrate this joker's shields, I can still see Zerm plain enough. Meaning, light gets through! Meaning that while it may defract the light, I have a special deilvery for Zerm. I have an offer he's not going to refuse!

The charging capacitor whines up to a screeching banshee wail as I make a few minor adjustments to just WHERE the beam with splash out. Estimates show that this will still fry me, but ironically enough the I/O inerface will be be intact.

Not that it'll matter to me.

Malachi Dronocis, Regent Queen of Ethiopia:

I curse silently to myself as I view the horrible scene before me. Tears run down my scaley muzzle as I watched Probe sacrifice himself so the others could live! I'd felt it via the link we magic user had made to quickly gather everyone needed for the final safe destruction of the slipgate.

I had made all manner of preparation for this battle, ready to protect myself with every scrap of magical knowledge I'd learned since freeing myself from my egg, and I'd totally overlooked Probe!

Initially, I'd hated that Golem....hated them all.

He and his comrades had shaken my race to it's foundation.

Then I'd learned that it had all been due to a deception perpetrated by a race of alien reptilian men, the Enemy, were the actual cause for my race's near extinction.

Even more to my dismay, the Golems had even given what I'd only be able to term as a fair warning to the Council to disassociate themselves with the Enemy. The Council of Wyrms had reacted in typical manner, and had damned all of dragonkind in the process.

I still hadn't trusted Probe much when he'd joined us, but finally he and his companion, Probe, would prove to me and my draconian friends.....he was a person of trust and honor.

Hell, he was a friend! He even SAVED my lovely Sigin from death, as well as my friends (dragon and human). He'd saved my friends again and again.

I should have put a circle of protection around his base unit.

I cry as I watch, through the Crystallics, the others gather around the crater hole that had been their enemy, Zerm. I watch as several mages cry out as they realize what sacrifice Probe had made. I watch Astra 2 stir, and groans.

I then pause, confused, as Inquirer shouts something while pointing up at a panel that had popped open as that bolt of searing light had vaporized Zerm. I then see Inquirer pull out one of those sapphire that were bespelled in the same manner as the one that had entrapped her spirit within. Suddenly, my jaw drops open in amazement at what she does next!

She had taken that gem into battle on the off chance she could use it against Zerm. She still gets to use it as she climbs quickly up the statue and touches the gem to the still active I/O port on Probe's lobotomized base unit. People look slack jawed as the gem begins to glow and pulsate in a similar manner to Inquirer's gem.

See, though Inquirer's mind had been sucked into the gem and the magical crystalline matrix within mimicked every circuit of the old shell that had housed her conscious, the bottom line was it had sucked Inquirer's soul within the gem.....

  1. As it did with Probe's spirit.

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11/4/1999 1:41:20 PM

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