The Steel Curtain

Koth walked over to Arterion, clapping him on the back. "Now that's what I like to see, a go-getter. I say you scout ahead, up high, and we start to walk. Maybe we can get somewhere with this. Besides, there's nothing better than actually working together to get to know people. So we can do all our..." Koth sighed, and used air quotes, "'Bonding' while we walk."

"Navigation?" Lars repeated to himself? He instinctively moved his hand to where his coat pocket would be, as he always carried a compass in it. Of course, he didn't have it now. He had to leave it behind when he came through the T-Gate. He cursed inwardly that he couldn't be helpful at the moment. Then he bopped his forehead with the palm of his hand as he realized that he had more than he realized. "I can't believe I was about to let myself forget that!" He was so excited that he said that out loud. Quite abruptly, as well.

He poked one of the nodes on the side of his head with his left middle finger, then held his hands up as if there were a keyboard just about a foot from his face. He started making motions as if he was moving things around on a touch screen and muttered "If I can just find a non-essential part to temporarily deactivate, I can magnetize it aaaaand..." He trailed off for a few seconds as his hands began to move with more gusto. It now looked as if he were moving around some floating object, and to him he was. He had brought up the working display of his cyber-plant. As the visual was projected directly into the vision center of his brain, though, no one else could see anything that wasn't actually there.

After just a few more seconds, Lars poked the same node. Grinning, he exclaimed "Aaand implement!" He raised his arms as if something spectacular should happen. After a few seconds, he clapped his hands together, still smiling, and said "Haha! It worked! I am so brilliant! Deactivate a bit in my brain that I don't need - And by "in my brain", of course I mean in my cyber-plant - and charging it's physical component with electricity, I have created an internal compass! It may not exactly lead us to what we would call "north", but it will lead us to the most powerful magnetic source on this planet. Which is..." He raised both arms and spun around on the spot, promptly falling to the ground. He lifted his head up and coughed some leaves out of his face. "Aha...yes. Well. When you're dealing with a complicated piece of technology that's wired directly into your brain, it's very difficult to find a part that can be considered "non-essential". In this case, I shut off the Gyroscopic Equalibrilizer. So I'm standing and moving solely under my own equilibrium now, which I've never actually had to do before. I'll be a bit dizzy for a while, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. If nothing else, we can trust that the way I fall is magnetic north."

We were all going to die.

That was the first and most blatant thought to come into my mind as this 'Lars' did...whatever it was he was doing with that iron mind of his. The arguments and suggestions of the metal man and the skyrider were more out of impatience than anything. Another girl seemed to be just as impatient, and she was urging us to move on. I glanced back at Lars as he excitedly flailed around, and proceeded to fall flat on his face. He was...confusing, and this 'North' he spoke of...what in the Great Mother's name was it? A direction apparently, though not one I'd ever heard of.

I sighed, and looked at the trees. They said nothing, did nothing, emanated nothing. Nothing but confusion, that is. "The Silent Ones do nothing here...Few feelings come from them save...fear. They do not know what to make of my presence..." I said, shocked and slightly worried that the Silents would not be able to guide me anywhere. I glanced back over at Lars, and sighed once again. "I...suppose I have little choice but to follow you." I said, giving the slightest hint that I felt I would be better off on my own.

Koth stood blank-faced, inwardly cursing his haste. It was clear that this was not Mirrodin, and he didn't have the knowledge to lead as effectively as he wanted. Dejected, Koth decided to simply follow, for the first time in his life.

After putting on the clothes and gear left for me at the T-Gate, I hesitantly walk through. I find myself in what looks like a vast forest. I check myself to make sure I'm intact and I have everything. Clothes, legs, real arm, mech arm, head, steam pistol, everything seemed to be in order. However, I was alone. Xander said there would be people here to meet me. I start walking through the forest, trying to find anyone at all. I feel my mech arm start to twitch and I quickly figure out what's causing it. The humidity is not being kind, and I know it may cause problems. I'll have to keep an eye on it. As I keep walking, I see what looks like a clearing in the trees. I walk into the clearing and am greeted with a magnificent view of the vast forest over a steep cliff. A breeze blows in, and my mech arm starts twitching again. I sit on the edge of the cliff and start tinkering with the arm to see if I can make it stop. I feel the ground start to crumble beneath me. I try to get up, but as I put my weight on it to stand up, it breaks completely and I fall down the steep hill. I try to find something soft to break my fall. I see a group of people further down the hill who look to be various species. This must be the other travelers. I have to stop near them, but as I pick up speed, it's getting harder to aim. I break my fall on the winged one and end up pushing him over the edge he's standing on and further down the hill, lined with thickets and growing ever steeper. "Help us, someone!"

Lars had turned a little too quickly when he heard Marsha call out, causing him to end up on the ground again. "One of these days, I swear I'm gonna get the hang of this..." He muttered as he picked himself back up. He got up just in time to see Duke fling himself out to rescue Arterion and the unknown tumbler. He steadied himself on a tree so he didn't miss a moment. He grinned widely as Duke launched the three of them back to the top of the hill and began applauding mere seconds after they landed.

"Oh, bravo!" He said enthusiastically and still grinning. "That was wonderful! Absolutely marvelous!" He exclaimed as he made his way over to the pile of people, stumbling a bit but not falling. He did his best to help everyone up, occasionally having to grab onto something so he didn't fall on top of them. Once Duke was up, the first thing he did was shake his hand vigorously. "That really was completely incredible. That could have ended very badly if you hadn't acted." He let go of Duke's hand and looked around to make sure everyone else was okay. That's when he saw it.

He immediately rushed to the yet-unnamed man who had come rolling through. He reached out and shook his hand, intentionally shaking the one made of metal. "Hello, I'm Dr. Lars von Wer. Might I just say, this arm of yours is quite simply magnificent. From one look, it's obviously quite different from the cybernetic technology of my home." Forgetting all social graces, Lars pulled on the arm to extend it so he could look at it more thoroughly. "In fact, it doesn't seem to be cybernetic at all! Correct me if I'm wrong, but this seems to be totally mechanical! Oh, that is brilliant!"

I wasn't paying attention. My thoughts were with the Silents, slowly they were becoming more welcoming of my presence, and slowly, feelings and images began to come from them. Blurry and uncolored, but they were enough to completely distract me from the entire instance. Until I was forced into it, of course.The impact from Duke and the two others was startling, but not fatal or injury inducing. I got up easily enough when Lars pulled Duke from on top of me, and I quickly gathered up my arrows and peered over at the newcomer, and watched in mild annoyance as Lars proceeded to harass him. I turned my attention back to the others, however. "I am glad everyone is alright, however, we need to keep moving. The Silent Ones are beginning to speak to me...barely. I sense urgency." I said, and then turned my gaze to Lars. "We can introduce ourselves as we walk. Stop molesting the boy's arm." I snapped.

Koth stood impassively with his arms folded, simply observing everything without so much as a flinch. He watched Duke use his abilities handily to save the tumbling pair, noting his quick response and ingenuity, as well as his apparent mastery of his for and it's implications. Koth decided that he would most likely be a valuable asset in combat. The bumbling construct being however, he decided might be a liability. Between his tendency to be distracted by anything shiny, and lack of balance, Koth wondered if it would be more useful to melt down the alloys from his body and make a shield for someone to use. Most likely wouldn't go over well with the rest of them. Koth thought. Still, one has to wonder. He watched as the tree man urged the group to continue, and Koth nodded, approving of his will to get things done.

((Not Godsire! Please don't tell me that thing is going to turn sideways and make an equally larger creature. Or we at least have a Doom Blade.))

Koth ran through the jungle, near the back of the group, making sure to stay a step or two behind everyone in case he need to help, or, better yet, they decided to turn and fight. Koth wanted to be first in line to get a crack at this giant beast. As the tiny female tripped and stumbled, Koth helped her along, hoping she'd catch her footing at some point. As the beast let out a roar and she froze with fear, Koth's battle instincts kicked in. He scooped the little one up and ran to catch up with the group. "We hide or we fight! We can't outrun this thing." Koth shouted.

Suddenly and without warning, I felt the life of many silents snuff out at once. Then more, and more, and a feeling very close to fear seeped through them. Even with this warning, though, the beast that tore though the forest was still the biggest surprise possible. I groaned in pain, shock, disbelief, and the possibility that I had been right earlier, and that these were the last breaths I was taking. "Great Mother, may my aim be true!" I said, and raised my hand toward the stampeding creature. A ray of blinding white light burst forth from my hand, only lasting a few seconds, and then it stopped, but it had hit the beast full on. I immediately regretted my decision, as the creature cried out in pain, but was undaunted. I quickly turned and began to run with the others, rather quickly catching up to them. "My vote is on hide. If raw, concentrated sunlight doesn't hurt that thing, I doubt there's much else that can." I responded to Koth.

The elderly kha cursed under his breath harshly, limping through the uneven terrain, aided only by a cane that appeared too thin to be of any true aid. The scout had reported that there were a number of Kha in the Dead Grounds, ones that he did not remember sending. Likely some courageous young idiots trying to be heroes, he thought in the back of his mind. Regardless, he would hear no end of it if he made his way back and had to report a loss of several young kha, and the scout did not have the brains to escort them back.

The kha stopped a moment as the earth shifted, and a brief moment of fear clutched at his chest, but was lost just as quickly. Akamaihd. That wretched beast had been disturbed, and the entire situation for the youth and the kha back in Ginglor had just become very dire. The kha stumbled faster, though even with his limp an odd grace seemed to emanate from him. There. The sound of kha reached his ears, and one of them had the sense to hide and not fight, though he hoped that was not the only one. Soon after the voices, the kha came into sight, all frantically running, and one being carried in the arms of another. "This way, toklakkee kha!" He snapped, and proceeded to hobble toward a fallen tree. He then lifted the outer bark to reveal a hole in the ground, an old run-away gar burrow, the woods were littered with them, well hidden, at least for gar. "Get in! Quickly!" He continued, and proceeded to hobble toward the group. He quickly snatched the small kha from the other's arms, and took her down into the hole. "Stay." He said, in such a way that he expected the order to be followed.

He ventured back out to see others coming toward him, and most seemed to heed his advice rather quickly, others less so, but they came around. "Listen to the shusai!" One of them said. The final word was lost to him, but he banished the unimportant thought quickly. He counted in his head, until a total of eight had dove into the ground or were about to.

I did not think twice about obeying the kha's orders. Whoever he was, he knew how to deal with this thing far more than any of us did, and that went without saying. "Listen to the furman!" I shouted, and ran for the hole after the kha and Marsha. I looked at her, and quickly asked "Are you alright?"

Finally getting away from Lars, I hear a crashing emanate through the forest. I turn and see a beast that looks as large as a building running through the forest and devastating everything in its wake. I get up and run with the group, following the advice of the human girl. My mech arm feels like it weighed a hundred pounds now that it is essentially dead weight. It's badly in need of repairs and this is not the place to service them. One of the natives calls out to us and we follow him into what looks like a large rabbit hole. After everyone is inside, I get a good look at who I'm traveling with. For the first time since I stepped through the T-Gate, I finally have a moment to relax and breathe, if only for a minute. "So, how about those introductions? My name's Jaedr."

Lars looked around, trying to find whatever it was that was making the noise. When he spotted it, he was awestruck. "Well, look at you, you magnificent creature." He blurted out, grinning. Then Marsha yelled and it dawned on him that it was coming straight for them. He spun around, wobbling but staying upright, and took off running with the rest of them. He was starting to get the hang of standing on his own, but this was no time to be losing his balance and falling. "Emergency vocal override!" He yelled, calling out to his cyber-plant. "Hard reset to normal operating parameters!" Over about 30 seconds, he gradually shifted from stumbling around like a newborn giraffe to being as graceful as any normal person. Miraculously, he managed not to fall and only stumbled briefly during the time it took.

When the elderly-looking Kha called for their attention and directed them into the hole in the tree, Lars very briefly wondered how that would help as the creature seemed to be toppling trees left and right. A creature of it's size is sure to be extremely heavy and could easily sink into any hole if it's foot happened to land in the right place. However, at their current pace compared to the size of the creature on their tail, it was only a matter of time before they were quite literally overrun. Not to mention that this was a native of this verse and if anyone around knew the best way to handle the situation, it would be him. Nearing the hole, Lars felt particularly nimble as he dove and swung himself inside. "Ha-ho!" He laughed once he was inside and settled down. "Remind me to come back once we're done and do that again!"