ic Industrial Strength

[Exaccus]

Jonathan's reaction was immediate and and decicive without so much as a thought he lashed out with the back of his heavy gauntleted hand striking the ranting crane across his smug face full force.

 

"You Covetous Cad! Speak to my beloved like that again and I will not use my weaker arm!" he roared at the top- of his voice his whole body shaking like a rampant boiler as his rage broiled within him like magma beneath his black armour "I Will not tollerate your infantile behaviour a moment more!"

[Supercape]

GM

 

Lord Crane was about to explode back. He was about to pull out his weapon. Everyone held their breath. 

 

"Of course, of course!" he smiled with a plastic face. "What was I thinking! Do excuse me dear fellow! Why, how utterly without chivalry..." he said, taking his hand from his belt. 

 

"Even if the midst of a mission of such vital import, we cannot discard the mead of human kindness, can we?"

 

He looked at Mr Hale with cold eyes. "Why, what would be then?"

 

Everyone let their breath out. Slowly, quietly. 

 

"Come then, dear fellows. To glory and fame!" he said, mustering up the demoralised sailors. 

 

"and power and wealth beyond compare..." he muttered to himself. 

 

The snow really was landing hard now, and Arna sidled up to Mr. Hale, Esq. 

 

"He's a bit crazy..." she muttered, once ensuring Lord Crane was out of earshot. "There is going to be a blizzard...."

[Exaccus]

Hale answered back to the question he'd been posed with stoicism to lord crane's gaze "Sober." though he was content to have humbled the man to take it any further in lieu of his scrambling to save face and avoid a fight that he had no hope of winning, any respect he'd won was no lost to him after his lashing out at arna.

 

"He'd have been a bit dead if he'd touched you." he coo's to arna, head still swimming with anger as he gently wrapped his arm around arna "Moronic Fool...." he hisses "though that might yet change.." he says lifting his visor and giving arna a look he hoped conveyed that things were about to get weird.

 

"it all depends on him however...you better get to cover if things turn nasty."

 

 

[Supercape]

GM

 

"I hope they do not" replied Arna. "And I know he is a bad sort. Anybody he spends more than a second with him knows that. But don't let that fury get to you..." she warned. She was not the sort of lady who wanted chivalry and protection, but neither was she opposed to it. What she wanted from Mr. Hale Esq was decency. 

 

The decency so apparently lacking in Lord Hale. 

 

"But seriously, this snow isn't a joke" she muttered, as it fell ever more heavily. "We won't be able to see more than ten feet..."

 

She was perhaps not wrong, there was mutterings around the party about the snow, and already visibility was falling to afew dozen feet. But Lord Crane was having none of it. 

 

"It's just a bit of snow!" he would say, but all the same, he encouraged rope to be tied around each man, and woman. For all his drive, he was prudent. 

 

And let us march on!

 

Arna sighed, tying the rope around her and kssing Mr. Hale Esq with warm lips. She made very certain she was next to Mr. Hale, but the line was forming...

[Exaccus]

For his part he brings up the rear and summoning the space blanket from his void scabbard presses it into Arna's hands "I know its not much good but hopefully it'll help..." he offers, otherwise unable to do anything about the predicament as much as it bothered him but this small thing.

 

"I Hope for the best....but prepare for the worst." he says simply to her, he didn''t like keeping secrets or lying to her, even if it was by omission of the facts, she understood usually but that didn't make it any more wrong to him when he was forced too and this situation would work out better if as few people as possible knew of what was to come.

 

"I am so looking forward to getting back on to our holiday." he tells her attempting to change the subject to a more pleasant ones "Tell me about that place again? Did the hotspring here measure up to the ones you were talking to me about?"

[Supercape]

GM

 

"I think this one is better, I am sorry to say..." said Arna, thankful for the blanket. "Something here...the geography is all wrong..." she said, worried. 

 

And so, as the night crept onto dawn...

 

It was indeed a terrible snowfall. Visibility was poor, and the expedition had to trudge through a foot of snow. Mumbling and grumblings of discontent were all around. 

 

"Not far now! Almost there!" called Lord Crane from the lead, but whether he was believed or not was another matter. 

 

The howl of wolves could be heard. This did not raise spirits, but guns were kept at the ready. 

 

Mr Hale Esq. Did not hear a thing. But he felt a sharp stabby thing at his back. A knife probably. And a voice, quiet as a summer breeze. He could, however, not understand a word. It was some Greenlandic language - he knew that much from his time with Arna. 

 

With a swish the man behind him took a few steps forward and cut the rope between Mr Hale and the rest of the party. He was a small, wiry man, dressed in heavy furs. He had the native look in ethnicity, like one of the northern american native tribes. 

 

His intent, however was unclear. He carried a speak and a knife, and a quiver full of arrows on his back. A hunter, no doubt. But whilst he had cut the rope, he did not try to stab Mr. Hale...or, thank heavens, Arna, who trudged on unknowing...

 

 

[Exaccus]

Ah so there were more players still it would seem, hale mused to himself as he looked the man in the eyes, he wagered that there was no ill intent in the man, or else he would've pressed the advantage and sunk his blade into him, formidable as his armour might be it still had gaps and weaknesses, far to small to be exploited in open combat but more than vulnerable to the precision afforded a sneak attack.

 

He stowed his sword, this time within the dull red physical scabbard he carried on his hip and gestured to his mysterious visitor, extending his hand curtiously out, palm turned up in a gesture he hoped would carry his meaning across the language barrier, he had no tallent for languages sadly, arna had attempted to teach him but his brain simply seemed that it wasn't wired for it.

[Supercape]

GM

 

As it happened Anna,  ever astute, noticed the slackness of rope behind her and turned around. She stifled a gasp as she saw the Hunter.  But she recognised the language.

 

She hissed something at him and he hissed back. They clearly understood each other, but what were they saying? Something about being silent? The Hunter put his finger to his lips and shook his head. He had a threatening air but was not violent. Yet.

 

Perhaps Anna could translate but she could not speak aloud and was being dragged away by the rope around her waist...

 

[Exaccus]

Hale Put aldonite to work in a flash, cutting clean through the rope, assuming that he was safe in the knowledge that crane would be all to pleased by the thought of himself being lost to the mountain after their reccent personality clash and would be unwilling to divert his attentions from the sword now it was within his reach.

 

"Sorry Arna Looks like things just keep getting more complicated." he says quietly to her as the rope disappears into the flurry of snow ahead of them "Not that I'd prefer to be out in that blizzard with the likes of crane."

[Supercape]

GM

 

"They sure do" sighed Arna as she through away the cut rope. The expedition trudged off without them. In this heavy snow it would be hard to track them if there was much delay.

 

Area took up the role of translator.

 

"He says he is midnight spear. A hunter. A...shaman...I think. We are heading towards holy ground. Or something like that.  Spiritual, maybe that is a better word. He wants to know what we are doing... what we intend. The...spirits...should not be disturbed. He says they are restless and vengeful ever since the star fell. I think he means the meteor..."

[Exaccus]

"Reminds me of our first date." is his initial response to the hunter-shaman's spiel, humorless words in the face of an evermore complex situation he was facing, it was vital that crane be kept in the dark so he weighed his words carefully in his mind before he spoke.

 

"Can you tell him that I am going to destroy the meteorite that I don't know what the other men up there intend to do but that the meteorite is evil and shouldn't be allowed to continue existing." he says with conviction to his cause "can you ask him to hold off on attacking? pretty sure its what i'd do if someone invaded something i held sacred." images of lord crane screaming in arna's face flooded into his mind.

 

"I want to see if i can convince them to abandon the meteorite and whatever Formorian artefact is inside it...that said, tell him to get ready for a fight if it goes wrong, its a powerful and dark thing that is howls at the gates, drove those polar bears rabid with its wake alone its likely me and my counterpart will need all the help we can get."

[Supercape]

GM

 

With Arna acting as interpreter, some parley could be obtained. But it was not speedy, and the expedition was already lost to sight. 

 

"He says the meteor needs to be removed from this site. It is upsetting the...spiritual balance...or something like that. If it is destroyed, then it must be completely. Burned, he said. Although I don't think he knows how to burn a meteor. Some ritual, perhaps..."

 

"But he says that it does not need to be destroyed, just removed....."

 

Arna bit her lip, speaking in English to Mr. Hale. 

 

"But that's what Lord Crane wants to do, doesn't he? Extract the meteor for his own gain? Some industrial purpose? If that's so, Lord Crane, despite his vileness, is actually doing want Midnight Spear wants...."

 

She did not translate this to Midnight Spear of course...this was a grave matter for Mr Hale and Arna. And time was pressing. The snow was falling heavily, and the expedition tracks were slowly fading...

[Exaccus]

"No, it has to be destroyed arna, its like venom, doesn't matter where it is, its influence will spread, slowly at first, benignly even, it'll make the world bright and beautiful so it can smash it and feed on the despair that rushes into the void and let its terrible makers loose on the universe again, doesn't matter where it is, doesn't matter who it chooses to carry it, it wants to destroy us and it doesn't care where it starts...though that said, we don't need to destroy it here either...maybe we can let crane move it first if he's worried about it poluting this place." it was the best offer he could make as of right now, though if Joe Powder felt different he wouldn't abandon his alternate self to the task alone.

 

"We'll do what we can but also what we must." 

 

 

Edited September 26, 2017 by Exaccus

[Supercape]

GM

 

Arna translated as best she could. Some concepts, were somewhat alien to the native tongue, but they struggled through. 

 

Midnight spear did not appear best pleased with the situation, and gave both Arna and Mr. Hale a deep, scrutinising stare. But eventually he nodded. 

 

"He isn't happy, Jon, but as long as the falling star is destroyed or removed, he is happy. He...well, he said that he has no wish for blood shed, but he will not shirk from his sacred duty" she said, with a shudder. No doubt Mr Hale was stronger than the small hunter, but Midnight Spear had a dangerous air to him, and he moved silently, unseen. This was his ground, no doubt. 

 

Midnight spear was about to turn and leave, to stalk the other party, no doubt, but Arna begged him stay a moment. 

 

"What now, Jon? the expedition will spot us missing soon, if they have not already, and their tracks are fading fast in this snow..."

 

[Exaccus]

"Now we go back to the convoy, we try and convince crane not to invite further venom into his heart by taking up this sword." he could feel his own pessimism building in his mind as he moved to go back to the train. "And if all else fails, I will do what i must to ensure that the monsters don't breach their prison and flood into this world, we all will."

 

there was little more to say than that, all he could do now was hope for the best and prepare his arm and the swords greatest and most terrible powers for the worst.

[Supercape]

GM

 

And so...

 

Arna and Mr Hale managed to follow the trail back to the expedition. Much longer, and the trail would be hard or even impossible to follow, with the following snow. As it was, the cathcing up was not easy, It was cold, visibilty was poor, and deep snow made every footstep a lunge. 

 

But there was strange fortune. For the expedition had paused a moment, with the discovery of the cut rope and the missing couple. Lord Crane was actually concerned. But angry at the same time. And all the time, driven by furious temperament to proceed.

 

"What happened?" he demanded through the snow, shaking the cut rope end in Mr. Hales face. "I thought the snow had taken you! Blast! And thank Vishnu you are alive!" he said, bubbling with mixed emotions. "But come now, what the devil happened? Did you cut the rope?" he asked, more insistent and vexed in his question. 

[Exaccus]

"I was approached by a native of this land, Arna informed me that he had something of import to share, important enough to cut the rope." It wasn't a lie, more like a omission of details than anything, those were always the best foundations for statements he'd found.

 

"He informed us that something is blighting the land. driving the animals crazy and poluting the spirits." he said, well aware that whilst crane was a scholar of the occult he might not share the same beliefs or even respect them due to his behaviour thus far "I fear that same darkness has necessitated my being called here by the powers that be waylaying our travels."

 

"Have a care, lord crane, such things are seductive and wiser than of yore, tempting by making rich instead of making poor."

[Supercape]

GM

 

"A native?" mused Lord Crane, stroking his mouth whist the snow fell. "Well, we have not time for their primitive ways, quaint as they may be" he said, slow and considered. "A grain of truth in myths and rituals, nothing more. Nothing less. Worth noting, very much so, but industry and science must press on regardless". 

 

"And in any case, it would seem we have mutual interest with the natives here. We wish to take my meteor. They wish to remove it"  he concluded, nodding his head with increasing certainty. "Yes, yes. Fortune favours us then!"

 

"Lord Crane! Lord Crane!" called one of the sailors at the front of the expedition, excitedly. 

 

For, when called, there was a magnificent view, visible even through the snow. They had reached the lip of the crater. 

 

It was small, but deep. About fifty feet down, and just less across. It would be a tricky think to slide down to the meteor, and an even more tricky thing to bring it back up. Not to mention the splintered, blasted, icy rocks littering the landscape at this point. 

 

"This doesn't make sense..." muttered the Professor, studying the crater. "A meteor should not cause this..."

 

"Never mind! Let us proceed downwards! Who is for a climb?" answered Lord Crane. 

[Exaccus]

"I will descend into the crater." hale says, simply a statement of fact, as he banishes aldonite back to its dark dimension

 

sparing a glance at arna to ensure she's ready to get out of the chaotic events that were about to unfurl from his own attempts to control the situation, all that mattered was that the meteorite was destroyed as soon as it revealed its true nature, as few people as possible got hurt in the battle and that he avoid being villified untill he has secured some way home for himself and Arna.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"I have a bad feeling about this" said Arna, intently. She peered down the crater. "I'm a book worm, not a fighter. Or a climber. I would only get in your way..."

 

And Arna stayed back with the professor, who was very concerned about the unnatural rock formation. "No meteor does this..." she muttered to Lord Crane, who brushed her aside. "Excellent! I am sure there is a paper or two in it for you, dear lady...." 

 

Lord Crane and two of the sailors started descending, with Mr Hale Esq. It was not an easy climb, even with ropes, not with the ice and the snow, but it was not a hard one either. Plenty of handholds, plenty of blasted rocks, and a slope that whilst steep was still a slope rather than a cliff face. A slip might be dangerous however, with all that jagged rock. 

 

And yet the descent, carefully done, was not difficult. At the bottom, the rock started to smooth out, and there was a hot mist. Another one of those springs, perhaps? Not quite so stiffly boiling, but still hot. Shallow too, only a foot deep at the most. But now steam was impeding vision rather than snow. 

 

"Quite the place, Greenland!" said Lord Crane, jovially. 

 

Mr Hale Esq could feel a tug on his sword, a vibration, pulling him to the obscured centre of the crater. 

 

A howling could be heard. Wolves! of the arctic variety. How could they tolerate this heat? Perhaps they could not..hence the wild howl. 

 

In response, Lord Crane and the two sailors pulled revolvers from belt. 

 

"Be on your guard, gentlemen!" hissed Lord Crane.

[Exaccus]

Opting to make use of the rope offered and attaching it to himself as directed he begins the slow steady descent into the icy crater towards the meteorite.

 

"kismet, hale." he mumbles to himself as he slowly but surely makes his way down into the crater, the bottom of his stomach having been left somewhere up above with arna, this was going to be difficult, he had no desire to kill crane but it was not something he could afford, Duty called on him to be selfless and sacrifice his own needs to protect the world before and he had no illusions of it being done with him yet.

[Supercape]

GM

 

The mist grew ever hotter and denser as the party of four approached the epicentre of the crater. It was enough to cause profuse sweating, although nerves did not help the matter. Even Lord Crane, normally unflappable, was wiping sweat from his brow. 

 

More howling wolves.

 

"By Vishnu, how can wolves suffer this? This is like a turkish bath!" he complained, taking off his fur coat. 

 

The visibility dropped from a few dozen feet to a half dozen. Then, in front of them, the meteor appeared. 

 

It was perhaps four foot above ground, although from the shape of it, an equal amount was below. It was almost spherical but with plenty of cracks and dents. It has a soft purple colouration that was not pretty. 

 

And Mr. Hale Esq. Could feel his sword thrumming with anticipation and more. 

 

"It is magnificent! A metal like nothing else in the world! My fortune is made!" cried Lord Crane, gleefully, reaching out to touch it...

 

Mr. Hale could feel his sword virtually screaming to destroy!!!!

[Exaccus]

"That thing is Poison crane, look around you!" he pipes up as the sword begins to grate and grind against his mind with his horrific imagery and rage

 

"it's decimated this land, driven the wild life mad and tortured the spirits of the natives; my sword is screaming for its destruction....Step away from it now whilst you still can and i will destroy it before it kills us all!" it was a desperate plea, one that he had trouble formulating with the sword interfering with his brain as it was, too dizzy to mince words as the sword thrummed to life with the blackest of energies flickering along its blade with such agitated ferocity it could've been mistaken for a chainsaw as easily as flames.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Nonsense!" snapped back Lord Crane, "I have not marched through this bleak land to forgo my prize! for it is glorious!". 

 

He reached out to touch the meteor, which promptly ground out an awful sound. Everyone felt a slight dizziness. 

 

"....It's Magnetic...." mumbled Lord Crane, noting his compass, his confidence ebbing. 

 

And then, with an invisible pulse of power, Lord Cranes gun flew out of his hand, slamming into the meteor, closely followed by two other pistols that were previously in the hands of the sailors. One of them went off Bang! and the wolves howled, near now...

 

Mr. Hale, Esq could feel an almighty tug on his sword. It did not help that the sword wanted to smash into the Meteor, and seemed to twist out of his hands...

 

And now the wolves howled again, even closer. Charging towards their prey...

[Exaccus]

He's not ready for the sudden movement from aldonite as it twists it hilt free from his hand and streams through the smoke point first like a flickering missile as it cuts through the fog breifly and the shrieking of metal against metal fills the air.

 

So Aldonite is stronger or at least more willful the closer it is to excalibur...good to know.

 

He'd never encountered excalibur in his home dimension but he'd done his research on it,  usualy it selected its weilder and empowered his chosen knights through "badges of office" they had been everything from judges with magic gavels that lended mystical weight to their decrees to activists with their picket signs able to motivate masses of people to their cause.

 

Likely it would attempt to take crane as its wielder, he had numerous connections whom could be knighted to smooth out the process of the ascent of the kingdom it would later bring crashing down against the magical barriers that kept the fomorians imprisoned.

 

It simply couldn't be allowed, particularly on an earth as...bereft of meta humans as this, he knew that in his heart of hearts he was no match for them, if any did get free then the it was over. likely it was the same for Joe Powder and they'd both kill and die to see that any chance of breeching those wards never came to be.

 

it was without much of a second thought that his fists come up ready to defend himself from the apporaching wolves as he prepares for battle.