ic Sting in the Tail

[RocketLord]

Right, then. Venomax was more in the hero category than the villain. It let him focus on Mr. Sting for now.  "That's not justice, Sting. That's just revenge." It wouldn't have been a long time ago that he would have frowned on saying something like that, but not it just came naturally. A snake tried to bite him, but it just passed through him. It paid off to be made of sand some times. He was about to materialize and use the snake to beat up Mr. Sting, if necessary, when he heard the announcement.

 

The voice was reptillian, and the moment that Cassidy saw its owner, he knew why. Yeah, there was no question there. That had to be the Snake. Turning his back to Mr. Sting and the giant snake might not be the smartest, but this was why he was here. Take out the head, end this thing. He shot a glare at Mr. Sting. "You stay put." Then he turned to the Snake. "You're in the Magic Mesa. You had to know the Dust Devil would come for you if you kept spreading your leaves to the outside world." His voice was confident. At least Cassidy tried to make it seem like he knew what he was doing. "Why are you doing it?"

[Exaccus]

Venomax remained silent as he worked, he was in a very difficult situation right now, stings poison had almost slain him outright and now there were gigantic snakes everywhere and some kind of snake man?

 

Man this was definately in the top 5 of his weirdest days ever.

 

His powers were not best suited to this situation at all, he was in danger of poisoning abdul, dust devil and sting if he went too wild...well as far as he knew anyway.

 

So for now he kept to himself and tried to stop the bleeding from becoming a haemorage with some coagulant.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Revenge....justice...it's the same thing. Just sometimes justice don't do the job right" said Mr. Sting, pleased with his work. 

 

"The Dust Devil....yes....yessss....." hissed Setho the snake, standing up from his throne and taking a step or two forward. "Guardian of this ancient place, in one form or another. Whatever that means. Guarding it from...what? I wonder...."

 

"Maybe you think from me? hmmm? I was here uncounted years before you. The mad sorcerer-priest of the Lemurian empire. Driven mad by this place, they said, although all wanted it's power...." he slithered. 

 

"Sssoooo, I came to this age, travelling through the tunnels and turns of this rock. You ssseeeee.....I have no loyalty from snake or man, for the snakes spurned me and men are fools. And yet, maybe I can open their eyess....." he said. It was hard to see if the Lemurian was smiling or not. 

 

"I cultivated the leaf over thousands of years. Grown in the harsh soil of the mesa, connected to the centre of the universe, beyond time and space, where the pipes of idiot Gods float, and the yellow sign frees of from ourselves...." he added, hypnotically. 

 

"All should take it, yet I force it on no - one. You can only open your eyes for yourself!"

Edited November 4, 2018 by Supercape

[RocketLord]

Lemuria? Mad sorcerer-priests? Spending millenia growing the leaves? This was the sort of thing that Cassidy did not know how to deal with. He muttered a curse under his breath as he stared at the snake man. Once, he wouldn't have believed him. It would have to be a mask, nothing could live that long, nothing could do what he had claimed. That was before his first visit to the Magic Mesa. Before he became sand. He hadn't had to deal with something like this yet, but it probably wouldn't be the first time. Before responding to the snake, he promised himself that it was time to learn more about the Mesa and everything else that he was supposed to protect.

 

"The Mesa's had other protectors long before me. And we've all guarded it from beings that try to exploit it, just like you. Going unnoticed until now doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want." He honestly wasn't sure about this. He knew that he wasn't the first Dust Devil. Maybe his predecessor had been the first, but Cassidy kind of doubted it. Part of him wanted to go straight for the snake. Hit him with everything he had. Use that giant snake that was slithering around to beat him down, but it wasn't time yet. Even if he was new at it, Cassidy knew there had to be a certain rhytm to these things. He just had to try and keep his confidence. Let the snake man believed that he knew what he was doing. "Your leaves ain't welcome in the world. We got plenty of crazy without any of your mad gods and yellow signs. Stop spreading them, or I will stop you, one way or another."

[Supercape]

GM

 

Setho paused, taking another step down from the central throne. 

 

"Will you? Yesss....yesss....I believe you will. Or at leasssst, you will try...." he hissed, softly. "And I ssseeee you believe you have some...authority...given to you to make ssssuch judgement. I wonder....are you so certain? are you so ssssure of the will of the mesa? Are you sssso sure it even has a will?"

 

He was silent, still, reptillian eyes fixed on the dust devil. 

 

"Who is to say it is not the fate of the mesa to open eyes and grow leaves? Who is to say that one way is forbidden, and the other fair? Thissss place is a place of doorways, is it not? And doorways should be open, not closed!" he finished, firmly. 

 

"I sssseee that you will oppose my will with yours, whatever I sssay, but when you do, remember.....it is certainty, not doubt, that is the road to the ruin of civilisation, asssss it was with ancient Lemuria!"

 

Edited November 5, 2018 by Supercape

[Exaccus]

"What a load." Scoffed venomax as he looked up from from his work on abdul at last, satisfied that he wasn't going to die from sudden ruptures or haemoraging at least.

 

"Are you so pretentious as to think that one person can decide anyones future but their own?" He spat "there is no fate, only choices and consequences, destiny is the excuse of people too weak to change their path looking for excuses and absolution from their responsabilities." He spat in disgust.

 

"My old man is an asshole; by choice no less and when i find him...what ill do to him will also be by choice." His voice suddenly venomous as his name might suggest.

 

looking to mr sting he added more cooly "watch him rot in jail not hell." Before returning his gaze to the lemurian

 

"The gloves are off and the venom is flowing snakeface."

[RocketLord]

He didn't really know, did he? About the will of the Mesa, or if the Mesa even had a will? He had been chosen, the Mesa had spoken to him, saved him and remade him, into this man of sand? It was all just vague feelings, ideas of what the Mesa might want. He knew he was supposed to protect it, to keep people out, but maybe the snake man had been allowed in here by a predecessor? Cassidy honestly didn't really know. 

 

He was snapped out of his moment of doubt by Venomax. Even if that hadn't been his intention, Venomax's words reached Cassidy. Did it honestly matter if he knew what the Mesa wanted? This was a snake man for crying out loud, and he was talking about spreading mind expanding drugs created by mad gods. Did it really matter whether this was what the Mesa wanted? 

 

"Guess you heard him, Snake." Now Cassidy was actually happy that Venomax had come along. No clue what the snake man could do, and backup would be appreciated. "Not about to let a single other leaf leave this cave." 

 

A sandstorm exploded from Cassidy, whirling around the cave. He had thought about this trick for a while, and no seemed like the best part. His entire body dissolved into sand, riding the storm as he prepared to strike. Only he and Venomax would be unaffected by the whirling sands.

[Supercape]

GM

 

Setho took a step back, raising reptillian hand to reptilian face, shocked at the sudden burst of sand. But only for a moment. He then took another step back and pulled his hooded robe after his face. 

 

"The Dust Devil lives up to his name" he hissed, more malign than before. "Yessss....dust and devil....the name suits you well, does it not?" he hissed again. "Well then, if you and your friend wish to stop me, please try.....!" he hissed, contemptously. 

 

"And if you!" he pointed at Mr. Sting. "Wish for the finest poisons in Lemuria, then I will give you them all, and more, if you would aide me!" he shouted. 

 

Mr. Sting was crouched in a bull, almost whimpering at the explosion of sand, but at this impossibly incredible offer, he raised his head, his hand covering his eyes. And one could almost feel him salivating at the idea...

[Exaccus]

"You stay where you are sting! this thing is a snake alright, it'll give you venoms by pumping them into you." he roared over the sound of the sandstorm as he hurtled forward and swung his fist toward the snakes head with brutal force, teeth gritted with concentration, however with the bulk of his gauntlets and their mechanisms he found himself short.

 

Seems he still had some acclimating to do after all, gassing punks in alleyways with hallucenogenic toad toxin was a different beast entirely from a running battle with his fists and wits.

[RocketLord]

The sandstorm whirled around them, but Cassidy had his eye on the price. Venomax went for the snake man, so at least they agreed on a target. He appeared from the whirling sands right behind Setho, arm drawn behind him. Finish this, quick as he can. He was vaguely aware of what Mr. Sting, Abdul and the giant snake could do. The snake man was an unknown, so he had to be taken down as quick as he could.

 

He threw the punch, aimed directly at the back of Setho's head. The sands might be moving through him, but hopefully he would be able to have a more direct effect.

[Supercape]

GM

 

Setho the Sorcerer was fast, lightning fast. Maybe it was sorcery, maybe it was reptiliian reflexes, or maybe he was simply so experienced and old that he knew what to expect. But he leapt backwards, span left, and span right, like a cobra swaying to a pipe. 

 

"This is my domain, devil! I have walked this cavern, walked the tunnels through space and time, and prepared long. From the ancient past to the distant future, the snakes and poisonous beasts of the earth are mine to command!"

 

"God! You are a God!" wailed Mr. Sting, as from every nook and cranny in the cavern poured a dozen stinging, biting horrors. Scorpions, spiders, snakes, even frogs and crawling slithering horrors that no man (yet) had seen. Each could be crushed under boot, but they were innumerable, like a slithering carpet. 

 

None were as big as the giant twenty foot snakes that had first greeted them, but the last remaining giant was not idle, rearing up and with a furious speed, sinking its fangs into Venomax...

[Exaccus]

"Hrrrrgh!" Venomax roared as he was coiled around and bitten deeply, it seemed however he was made of sterner stuff than the snake was used to.

 

"Pathetic venom." He grunted even as his bones started to creak and groan.

 

This was bad, despite all his boasts he was nowhere near as physically strong as the snake. But it was still an animal so rearing his own head back he snapped forth with sudden and explosive force crashing his skull into the snakes nose and though it recoiled he didnt feel the snap he'd hoped for...still maybe the pain would make it reconsider....

 

"Little help?" He gasped in what he hoped was dust devils direction

[RocketLord]

Cassidy did not like what he was hearing. All snakes and poisonous creatures being his to control? He was starting to sound more and more like a god of some kind. And more and more like something that his predecessor should have taken care of before it became a problem. There was probably a reason that he hadn't, but right now, he couldn't see it.

 

The last giant snake acted quickly, going straight for Venomax. The bite seemed like it hurt, even as Venomax mocked its Venom. Cassidy was starting to actually like this guy, and he wasn't about to let the snake get him that easily. Without a word, he flew straight towards the snake. Hit the snake without taking out Venomax. Alright, he could do that. He let a punch fly towards the snake's head, hoping the headbutt would keep it away from Venomax's face for just a moment.

[Supercape]

GM

 

The mighty punch rocked the Giant Snakes head in quite the opposite direction to Venomax's punch. And, with its skull being forced this way by a powerful headbutt, and that way by a powerful fist, it clearly decided the only right and proper thing was to go to sleep. 

 

Its giant black eyes glazed, its tongue lolled, and then the huge coiled body went limp, releasing Venomax. 

 

Meanwhile, the fastest insects - flying ants, scuttling spiders, even some remarkably horribly agile millipedes and some hopping toads, started swarming over both Dust Devil and Venomax. Biting, nipping, spitting in a wave of ghastliness. 

 

And this was just the fastest of them - still spartan. From the pores of the cavern they crawled and slithered, a giant black wave of seething creatures. 

 

Abdul screamed in fear, still holding his stabbed abdomen. Mr. Sting...well...he hardly knew what to do. He just stood by the throne, mouth open...

[Exaccus]

"Thanks." Venomax made a point of saying it to the dust devils face, he didn't like to ask for help but he appreciated it when offered it him.

 

The insects that swarmed over him didnt disturb him so much as annoy him.

 

"....too much happening here....withdraw and come back with a plan? Abdul isnt going anywhere now...ill grab sting?" He offered in his usual spartan manner of speech.

[RocketLord]

Cassidy nodded in response to Venomax, but otherwise remained silent. Way too much was going on at once. The bugs and pests flying and moving all around them, moving through him, it was disgusting. He could handle it, for now at least. He wasn't sure for how long. How were they going to deal with this? Venomax wanted to regroup and figure out a plan. It might be the best choice, but he didn't leaving. Who knew where the snake could do while they were gone, or where he could disappear to?

 

It didn't matter. They were in the Mesa, and he was the Dust Devil. He would handle it, but Venomax needed to get out of range. "Grab Abdul and Mr. Sting, and get out of here. I'll handle the pests!" It was a long shot, but it might work. He just needed to get them out of the way first.

[Exaccus]

Venomax nodded and wading through the seething carpet of hissing, clicking and croaking critters wasted no words on sting he was obviously in this creatures thrall....nothing a firm slap couldn't fix.

 

Slamming his gauntleted hand into the back of mr stings neck he grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and dragged him back towards abdul.

 

"Time for us to make our get away gentlemen."

[RocketLord]

To tell the truth, part of Cassidy didn't care if Mr. Sting or Abdul got caught in the crossfire of what he was about to try, but he was supposed to be a hero, and he had fought that impulse. While Venomax took them out of the cave (and Cassidy did like the way he took down Mr. Sting with a single hit), Cassidy made his way to the center of the cave, near the snake man. Even made of sand as he was, it was horrible to make his way through the swarm of insects, snakes and other pests, but he made it. He needed to be as close to the center as he could for this to work.

 

He hadn't tried anything like this before. The sandstorm from earlier was the extent of what he had tried, but this was taking that a step further. He hoped it would work, but if there was one place where it would, it was here, inside the Mesa. A furious storm of sand exploded out from him, ripping and tearing into everything in a path in front of him towards the exit. The throne, the snake man sitting on it, the snakes and other pests that surrounded him. All would be caught in it, if it remained in front of him as he tried to clear the path.

Edited November 11, 2018 by RocketLord

[Supercape]

GM

 

The sand whipped through the caven with a frantic fury, and no insect, arachnid, amphibian or serpent escaped its path. It was not exactly pleasant to watch. The thin-skinned poisonous creatures were shredded by the sand and reduced to bone and dust. The scaled and exosletoned creatures weathered the sand up to a point. Whilst they were not shredded, they were blown back, knocked about, stunned and concussed by the sand storm. 

 

Once the sand was blown,  a clear and present path was open to the tunnel they had wandered in from. 

 

Hopefully, it lead back to Mr. Sting's stack. 

 

However, this was the Magic Mesa....

 

[Exaccus]

For his part venomax wasted no time in grabbing abdul by the scruff with his free hand and dragging him out towards the tunnel from which they had entered, making use of dust devils path to the fullest, and so useful it was.

 

"Don't want venom in your food stop setting your table for snakes." He grunted as he stomped unbalancedly into the tunnel

[RocketLord]

Was he able to do something like this anywhere, or just here? Cassidy really couldn't shake the thought. It took a lot out of him, it wasn't one of his usual tricks, but who really knew the limits to what he would eventually be able to do, anyway? Part of him enjoyed watching the pests being ripped to shreds or blown away, but he quieted that voice. He shouldn't take any joy in killing something, even bugs and snakes. He'd known death. He didn't want to know it again. 

 

Without a word, he turned his storm, aiming it directly at the Snake himself. He wanted him gone, and hopefully, this would be enough to actually hurt the bastard. Unless the sand continued to move through him, at least. At the same time, he started slowly making his way towards the cave's exit, making sure to keep his eye on the Snake the entire time.

[Supercape]

GM

 

Once again, Setho the Snake was fast, ducking behind the Throne with uncanny speed, his robes flattering with the wind. 

 

He had been unpeturbed by the sand, the storm, or anything else. It had, in fact, moved through him. 

 

His only vexation seemed to be the state of Abdul. But, he spied an opportunity. 

 

"You!" he pointed at Mr. Sting. "What is thy name?"

 

"They call me...Mr. Sting, master!" said Mr. Sting, on his knees. 

 

"Would you serve me, Sting? It seems you have...disposed...of my previous partner. I need someone to bring the Leaf to humankind!"

 

"Surely! I am in the midst of poisons like Ah nevuh seen!" grinined Mr. Sting, greedily, as the insects and spiders and snakes swarmed....

[Exaccus]

Venomax was suprised to find mr sting had slipped out of his grip but was no less tired of him.

 

"What about big mama? She needs you!" He roared a little angrier than he should've let himself get perhaps.

 

Droppin abdul a safe distance away and raising his gauntlet to fire a blob of highly concentrated paralytics bound with adhesive at mr sting potentially making him a conduit to the swarming critters as he stomped back over, intending to grasp sting much more firmly this time.

[Supercape]

GM

 

Mr Sting went limp as the goo hit him, sagging to his knees. 

 

"What the...hell...is....this...." he grunted, trying to smear the chemicals off him. His lips felt like rubber, and his jaw sagged. His tongue lolled from side to side almost uselessly. But he did not fall...not quite. 

 

The first wave of insects - the fastests one who flew and jumped, did not fare so well. Tiny creatures with tiny constitutions, diving into a sea of paralytic poison. They went limp and fell of him. 

 

"Big Mama....big mama....." he mumbled, remembering his foster mother. Mr. Sting didn't care much for nobody, it seemed. Except big Mama. 

 

"I...gotta get Big Mama. She don't deserve none of this...." he said, more determined, standing up and staggering after Venomax and Abdul. 

 

The wave of poisonous creatures was close behind him, and catching up...

 

"I will have to use...other methods then...." hissed Setho. And then, he vanished....

[RocketLord]

And just like that, Setho vanished. The cave was still swarming with pests, but he was gone. Honestly, Cassidy wasn't too happy about that. Even if he had been unaffected by the sandstorm he directed at him, they could at least see him, then. Now he could be just about anywhere. And he didn't like the talk about other methods. 

 

He had to catch his breath, which was a very strange feeling, since he technically didn't have any lungs right now, just sand swirling around in sand. The Devil's Storm, as he had decided to call his little trick, had taken a lot out of him. More than he really wanted to admit. At least Venomax had, somehow, finally convinced Sting to get out of there, but there were still more pests

 

His sand form dissolving for a moment, he flew forward, reforming it in front of Sting and Venomax. It might not be necessary, but he didn't want to take any chances with the bugs. Raising his hands of sand, he unleashed another Devil's Storm out in front of him, attempting to cut through any pests caught in its way.