xinoehp512

Tom spoke, his voice slightly strained. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you. That blade of hers is almost as bad as a Shardblade." The woman nodded. "Be warned. This may hurt." Then she rammed the key-blade straight through him.

Nekorb entered the elevator.

The breadmunks feasted on themselves for energy.

"Voidbringers are humans who have bonded Voidspren," said Draug after a second had passed. "They wish to take over the world. I don't know why they want to kill you. Maybe because of your magic?" She doesn't know? he thought. Interesting. Combined with her comment on using metals for power, Draug was pretty sure that this was one of those 'other uses of Investiture' his tutor had mentioned. But how had she gotten here? Wasn't Sha-thoexis supposed to be stopping people like this from entering? When he thought about it, he realized hadn't felt her influence directly all day. Maybe she was just weaker right now, or concentrated somewhere else. The thought was not a comforting one, however; she might be weak now, but that could change any time, especially if they were specifically targeting this newcomer. Draug didn't know a whole lot about foreign Investiture, but what his tutor had told him suggested that the odds were not in her favor if the Unmade decided to go after her, especially if she had no idea what to expect. And if she didn't even know about Voidbringers...

Never underestimate the power of Sha-thoexis. Draug slowed down as he approached the figures. What were they talking about? Something about using metal for power? He put it out of his mind. He could figure that out later. There were more pressing issues. "Doc! Cassie!" he cried out, coming to a stop in front of them. "Voidbringers. Coming. For her-" He turned and pointed at the redhead. "We have to go. Now."

Sae said nothing as they approached the building. She knew that Draug was right, of course. But she still didn't want him to get killed. She'd lost too many; she didn't know if she could take losing any more. It was his birthday too, although he'd probably forgotten. Sae hadn't remembered either until she'd seen the date on one of the signs they'd passed. She still hadn't gotten a chance to tell him he was turning nineteen- although, knowing Draug, he probably wouldn't care that much. He was the kind of person who would give away presents on his birthday. She loved that about him. But sometimes she wished he weren't so selfless. ---- Draug perked up as he spotted Doc and Cassie at the entrance. His pulse began to increase. In spite of what he'd said to Sae, he'd been hoping that the Bondsmith wouldn't be Doc. Seeing him made the threat feel realer, somehow. If he didn't do something, they would likely be killed. He couldn't let that happen. Especially not to this pair. Without Doc, the whole operation would fall apart. And his stomach turned at the thought of the Voidbringer getting Cassie. As he got closer, he realized that they were talking to someone else, a red-haired stranger wearing a hat with an unusual triangular symbol on it. That must be 'Miss Worldbringer', he thought. The one the Voidbringer's after. He had to warn them- and fast. "Doc! Cassie!" he cried as he ran towards the trio, trying desperately to get their attention.

Anything else?

Like a code of conduct.

Does the DA have any behavior policies?

Nekorb shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

At that moment, a mime walked into the establishment. Or, well, what used to be a mime. Now it was more. Much more. It fixed the fourth wall with a wave of the hand, then walked over to where Narrator Pheonix was sitting. You called for me? it spoke.

Draug ran across the rooftops with stormlight-enhanced speed, Lashing himself nimbly from one to the next as he trailed the Voidbringer ahead. This one looked to be significantly more powerful than the one he had fought earlier, with carapace already apparent on his arms and legs, and his face beginning to change. He was trying hard not to tip him off that he was following; he doubted he'd be strong enough to face one this powerful in direct combat. Instead, he would hide, and wait for the right moment. Then he would strike. The Voidbringer began to slow as he approached the end of the rooftops, where the space opened out into an airport. At last, he stopped, and Draug did as well, ducking down to avoid being spotted by the red-eye. The creature seemed to be having a conversation with someone on its phone. Draug considered getting closer to try and eavesdrop on what they were doing, but decided against it. In all likelihood, they would be speaking in their strange Voidbringer language, and he wouldn't be able to understand them anyways. All of a sudden, Sae spoke in his mind. Do you want me to go and listen? I know the language. Draug blinked in surprise. "Isn't that dangerous?" he whispered. Sae laughed quietly. I can avoid a Voidbringer any day. Their spren is trapped within them; what can they do? Draug exhaled, then nodded. A moment later, he saw Sae as a ribbon of blue light dart from him over towards the Voidbringer and his conversation. ---- The Voidbringer rolled his eyes as Sae approached. "For the last time, Shavim, I've got this covered." Chatter on the phone. He gave an exasperated sigh. "How hard can it be? I just go in, find her, and summon the Blade." More chatter. "So what if there's Radiants? They won't be able to spot my disguise any better than Miss Worldbringer. I might even be able to finish them off while I'm at it." More chatter, for a longer time. The man's face darkened as the speaker spoke. "This is a waste of time," he spat. "And every moment counts! I don't need help, Shavim. She could be getting away right now. Especially if she's with a Bondsmith!" At that point, Sae zipped back to Draug. She'd heard enough. You're going to want to hear this, she said seriously. ---- Draug was quiet for a moment after Sae finished her narration of the man's conversation. In the distance, he saw him turn around and start running in the opposite direction from the airport. As soon as the man was out of sight, he jumped up and Lashed himself in the direction of the airport. Sae flew besides him. What are you doing? she called, anxious. You're not going to fight them, are you? "Not unless I have to," replied Draug grimly. Do you have to at all? "You heard the red-eye. Doc's in there, and probably one or two of the others, as well." They didn't mention him... "Just how Bondsmiths do you think there are in Seattle?" Sae sighed. I guess so. But couldn't you let him handle it? Sae sounded pleading. I don't want another of my Radiants to die... Draug shook his head as he landed on the sidewalk and switched to running. " I need to protect these people, Sae. I failed before." He looked at her. "I will not fail again." Sae said nothing, and neither did Draug. They ran and flew together in silence until they reached the baggage claim. Draug slowed down as they entered the building. He scanned the crowds, looking for Doc, hoping that he wasn't too late.

Samika smiled all of a sudden. "Your arrogance betrays you, Tom." Red lights began to flash around the room. Tom blinked once, surprised, then leapt into action. Shimmering gloves appeared on his hands and he began making movements with his fingers and hands. Some of the red lights went out, but many still flashed. Samika laughed. "Not as secure as you thought you were, are you?" Tom made only a grunt in reply.

Draug held perfectly still, not even breathing as the Voidbringer turned the corner. It wasn't a very powerful one, by the looks of it; only the red eyes showed that this creature was no longer human. You had to be careful judging by that metric, though. Some of the red-eyes could get more powerful than a second-oath Radiant before beginning to grow carapace. He'd even seen some almost as powerful as third-oaths, although he suspected they were just better at hiding their beginning transformation. In any case, they were no match for his Shardblade, even if they had one as well. That was unlikely; while many Radiants fell to Sha-thoexis, their Blades usually went to higher-ups; and, of course, not every broken Blade went to the Voidbringers. Often times they were recovered by other Radiants and gifted to those without Radiance who wanted to fend off the influence of Sha-thoexis. But, of course, that wasn't the main threat here. He could easily defeat this Voidbringer in combat, true, but this one wasn't the only one. The creature would likely have two or three friends not too far from here, and he'd be able to call for reinforcements if that wasn't enough. The number of Voidbringers had been growing alarmingly in recent years, and they'd begun to be more daring. He'd heard rumors of a new Voidbringer leader that was pushing recruitment in a dangerous new direction- towards the parents and friends of Radiants. He knew from personal experience how insidious such an attack could be. Careful, he thought to himself as the Voidbringer approached his position. Don't want to get distracted. All of a sudden, the red-eyed man stopped, as if he had heard something. He turned his head side to side, scanning the alleyway. His eyes swept across the floor and up the wall opposite of where Draug was standing. He took that for a cue and summoned Sae as a Shardblade. Then he jumped off the roof, landing with a burst of Stormlight behind the Voidbringer. The man spun around, but it was too late; Draug's swing of Sae passed through him, severing his spine and burning his eyes instantly. Draug instantly looked towards the entrance of the alley to see if any of the other Voidbringers had seen his assault. It looked like the coast was clear- for now- but he didn't relax. The others would soon notice their fallen friend; he had to leave before they caught him. He Lashed himself upwards, jumping onto the rooftops and beginning to run.

Nekorb sighed and looked down the hallway. "I don't know," he admitted. "He seemed interested, but then he ran off." He turned back. "They probably have scientists or something, right? Someone who could tell me what's up with my ability."

The History of Everything, a book written at the end of the universe.

Well, almost all.

Nekorb shrugged. "When you're ready. I just wanted to make sure you weren't leaving without me."

Nekorb turned around as the pair walked out of the bathroom. He listened as Alask gave his excuse. It was obviously false; he'd seen them walk in together, after all. Alask was hiding something, likely related to that ghostly form he'd seen on the day of the fight in the streets. Whatever it was, it was dangerous. Nekorb could understand why he wanted to keep it hidden. So he didn't challenge Alask's fib. Instead, he returned the smile. "I was looking for you. I don't know how to get from here back to the Forge, and so..."

Neil followed, relieved that the conversation was over. He always got stressed when talking to strangers. Daa- his seon- floated beside him. He was probably the only reason Neil hadn't gotten killed yet in this sprawling mess of a city. And not just because of the forcefield and energy blasts, either; while he was shy and nervous around people he didn't know, the seon had no problem interacting with others. Which was pretty incredible, given that he'd been locked in one of the golems' seontechs for the majority of his life. Neil wished he could be as outgoing and friendly as the seon was. But whenever he tried, he felt that somehow familiar fear- the fear of failure and rejection. And so, whenever possible, he stayed silent. If it had been possible, he would have let Daa do all the talking. Unfortunately for him, the seon insisted he handle the situations whenever possible.

A tall figure made of stone walks across the desolate landscape towards the group of solemn mourners. In his right hand, he holds a sword etched with glyphs that glow with a deep orange-red light. In his left, he holds a shield made out of shimmering scarlet energy. He holds the sword up, and shoots a bolt of flame into the sky. It races upwards, then explodes.