Corporate Development 2

[Netdroid9]

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?" - Gandhi

***

Shadowy figures flitted through the trees, leaving the scent of meat behind them. The wolf had been tracking these creatures for what seemed like an eternity, but the promise of fresh food was one too strong to bear. It had been reduced to scavenging, stealing and even begging to support itself, and it's pride had diminshed to nothingness because of this.

The wolf was getting close to the shadowy figures. It could smell fire, as though they had set up camp for the night. Hearing voices now, it lept into the campsite ready to fight. It was dead before it hit the ground. The last thing it saw was a child, perhaps eight years old, being supported with an iron exoskeleton. There was a glimpse of knowing in those eyes, as though the child knew what the wolf was going through. A voice echoed through the wolf's unresponsive ears. "What was it?" "Nothing, just my imagnination."

***

Earlier that day, the Dojo had intercepted a message announcing an invasion by something calling themselves 'The Pheonix Corporation'. Presuming this to be the neighboring nationstate, they had prepared for war and started monitoring the Corporation-Dojo border. Little did they know, the invasion had already begun.

[3kul]

((Speaking of Ghandi... Well, watching that has probably just killed any serious atmosphere that my post might've had. Sorry about that. ))

A ghostly figure drifted through the Black Forest, the moonlight reflecting off of it's white skin, and ocassionally off of the white strings it was using to swing and leap through the trees. Little Sister despised having to do work of any sort, and patrol duty didn't come across as the most thrilling of jobs. Curiosity was all that drove her to do this kind of work, as Little Sister really didn't give a damn as to what happened to the Dojo. She was quite intrigued as to who and what 'The Pheonix Corporation' were, but doubted she'd get to see them this soon after their message.

A gray figure darted beneath her, but to the untrained eye it would seem that the moonlight was merely casting shadows. HollowEyes had gotten quite good at this kind of movement over the years, and travelled like this on every patrol. As for why he was on patrol, he couldn't say that he really felt indebted to the Dojo, but there was very little chance that he'd simply let enemies walk into Council territory as they pleased.

They kept their patrol strictly to the border of the Black Forest until they were ordered to do otherwise - the other groups were capable enough to take care of themselves in both of their opinions. They continued to patrol in silence, swiftly moving around the border, ever on the lookout for anything remotely suspicious.

((I have no idea where these characters of yours are Net, but I felt like posting. If they aren't in or near the Black Forest, then LS and HE won't be finding them (obviously ), and I'll just wait and see what everyone else does. To anyone who's forgotten/never bothered to actually check/want to know where the Black Forest is, check the map of Blackstar. I have no idea what's supposed to be west of it, but I guess it doesn't really matter.))

EDIT: Considering that the Dojo's been split 50/50 between the Dojodians and the Corporation, it might help to give an idea of what parts of the Dojo belong to each party.

[Cloud]

((A revised map perhaps with labels on the areas that people own or at least buildings that have been erected in the different areas. On another note what exactly happened at the end of the original Corporate Development thread? I was sadly not involved in the final few million pages of it and can't be bothered to read through these pages.))

*On patrol once again. Cloud wondered whether someone kept forging his signature to be on patrol duty all the time but then he remembered the many drunken nights passing the corridor that the patrol duty sign up sheet was on. Whatever the reason he had been chosen for the past three nights in a row. He was alone now, he had left his squad behind. He didn't want to admit it to himself but he was also lost -- Too many drunken nights and not enough training Cloud thought to himself. He carried on into the darkness not knowing what was in store for him*

((Posted on the same sort of lines as 3kul but with one exception: Cloud is lost so it doesn't really matter much where Net has placed these strange beings ))

[Netdroid9]

*The child squinted at the creature before it. It was some kind of medusa, or something of the like. Shaking off a distinct feeling of unease, the child began sneaking past it. The group had split up earlier that night, and were no doubt at the edge of the forest waiting by now. The child considered the odds for a moment and sprinted behind the creature whilst it's back was turned, hoping it hadn't seen him.*

((The medusa being Little Sister, of course.))

[SesshoX8]

*Forte was in kitsune form, but this time, it's Kyubi Kitsune form, somewhat daunting to have a huge 9-tailed demon fox with immense demonic powers at the edge of the forest overlooking it, especially when it's the God of Destruction himself*

*a yawn that sounds like a soft purr* So...bored!

[3kul]

((Do you mean the Black Forest or the forests of The Wilds, Forte?))

The child suceeded in evading Little Sister's watchful gaze, however, it had failed to account for the other patrolling Parasitian. This was exactly what they had planned for - Little Sister made herself incredibly obvious to see whilst HollowEyes did the exact opposite. In avoiding Little Sister, the child had unknowingly allowed itself to be seen by HollowEyes.

HollowEyes pivotted and began to pursue the child, although unless anyone knew exactly where he was they probably wouldn't have noticed. Little Sister was alerted to the intruder via their shared mind, although the way she was moving suggested that nothing had changed. She knew the drill - HollowEyes would follow the intruder for a short while before making his move, just in case there was more than one or them. In the meantime, she'd have to pretend that she wasn't aware of this, and continue to patrol.

HollowEyes kept what he thought may be a safe distance from the intruder. The fact that it was a child should've led him to believe that this was most likely a waste of his time, but he'd seen a great many things during his time with the council, and if there was one thing he'd learnt it was to never judge by appearances. Once he was sure that nobody else was following the unknown child, he'd move in to apprehend it.

[SesshoX8]

((Black Forest, sorry, lol))

*Forte sensed HollowEyes...*

~Hey HollowEyes, what's up? What brings you to the Black Forest?~

[3kul]

HollowEyes nearly tripped as Forte's voice came through his mind, for a moment he was terrified that the intruder would hear him, but then he realized that the God was conversing with him telepathically.

~I live here Forte, as does the rest of the EC. When we arrived this is merely were we found ourselves, and it's where we've been ever since.~ He turned his attention back to the child, making sure that he was still able to see it whilst keeping a safe distance from it. He couldn't actually see the God, but he assumed that Forte was somewhere pretty close by. Although he had no way of telling, given that the intruder had made no changes in it's movements since he'd started following it, he could assume that Forte either hadn't yet tried to contact it or he couldn't.

For now, it might be best to keep things that way, and HollowEyes suddenly thought of an excellent way to use Forte's help. He hadn't ever seen the God in the Dojo until just now, so simply asking him 'are there any strangers around' wouldn't help much, as there were probably a ton of people here that Forte hadn't met before. However, there were a few things that he could ask the God to help him figure out how to move next. ~Forte, other than the stranger next to me, is there anyone else in my immediate vicinity?~

[SesshoX8]

~Oh, you mean besides that child that's about yea-high in front of you? No, if you're going to capture that little tyke, do it now. I sense a bunch of those kids near that medusa-looking lady.~ replied the God.

[3kul]

~Thanks Forte.~ HollowEyes thought as he readied himself to make a move. The fact that the Black Forest seemed to have more than one kid running about in it was very strange, and he began to wonder if it was simply some kind of hobby for a few Psychotopian children. Nonetheless, it was better to be safe than sorry, so he attached a few charms to his arm blades and flicked half a dozen in front of the child.

Large vines burst up in front of the child as HollowEyes darted behind it, spinning his arm blades. Several trees behind the child fell, and it was be quite obvious that HollowEyes was attempting to box it in. There was no need to hurt it until he'd found out who it was and why it was here, so he called out to it. "If you don't want to get hurt, I suggest you don't move and answer my questions."

He hoped Little Sister had the sense to do something similar, although odds were if the children did something she didn't like she'd wind up eating them.

[Netdroid9]

((Just to prevent confusion: There are probably about four child supersoldiers in the forest right now. A scouting party, if you will. They may or may not be based on GORON technology, I havn't bothered contacting Goron40 yet. Their development has been accelerated, so they're mentally and physically superior to most children. They are assisted by what is best described as a metal frame, with pylons jutting out of their various joints and joining the frame at right angles.

I'd draw a picture as my description no doubt sucks, but I don't have a nearby scanner and I suck at drawing anyway .))

*The child turns to look at the parasitian, smirks and disappears from the fabric of reality. Five seconds later it reappears next to it's kin, panting with exhaustion. The child mutters something and the children sprit towards the entrance of the Dojo, clearly wishing to avoid a fight at all costs.*

[3kul]

((Ah, I guess I should have noticed the metal frame earlier then - now it sounds kinda stupid...))

HollowEyes quickly leapt back as the child disappeared from sight. He had no way of knowing where it had gone or if it had even left, so he hid himself for several minutes before deciding that the child had left. There wasn't much he could divulge from his encounter, the large metallic frame around the child's body had been the only thing about it that had struck him as odd. He'd merely assumed that is was one of the latest trends from Psychotopia, not knowing much at all about kids or the manic metropolis, and felt pretty stupid now for doing so. He didn't know who these children were or why they were here, but they definately didn't belong here.

~Keh! As always, you're thinking way too much about things, Byule.~ Little Sister hissed inside his head. ~I guess it's up to me to drag one of these brats back to the Cave.~ HollowEyes frowned as he replied - he never liked Little Sister's way of doing things. ~If I didn't think about these kinds of things, neither of us would. If they won't tell you anything, bring one back alive. We can't interrogate corpses.~ Little Sister grinned at this - there was a time when HollowEyes could have told her what to do, but now they were roughly equal in strength, and he had much less control over her. ~Now Byule, you know that's not how I like to do things...~

Little Sister had been listening in on the brief exchange of words between HollowEyes and Forte, and learnt that some of the children were nearby. For this reason, she'd started moving about in a much less obvious manner, and just now she spotted the small group moving quickly towards the edge of the Black Forest, not too far off from her.

An ear-piercing shriek resounded throughout the Black Forest as Little Sister charged after the children. The few remaining trees in her way appeared to fall to one side of their own will, as razor thin hair blades sliced through the dead wood, and she extended her tendrils over her legs to increase her stride. At this pace, she was fast gaining on them, and it wouldn't be too long before she could rip into one of them.

[SesshoX8]

*Forte disappears from his position near the entrance to the black forest and reappears next to one of the kids, in the form of a young man in a tight black leather jumpsuit (for details, see Kadaj of FFVIIAC)*

*with a kick, he destroys one of the kid's metal frame, the other kids look at Forte as a result* Kids...nothing but weapon these days. *three blue fireballs in Forte's right hand, as he holds the kid he struck down with his left, and he throws the three fireballs just as the kids attempt to run*

Resistance is futile...*sounds of explosions can be heard, in the forest, three craters can be seen around Forte, in the craters lies the kids and what's left of their metal frame*

[3kul]

((... Ok then. Considering the massive amount of powerplay there, I wouldn't be too upset if Net decides to totally ignore your post, Forte.))

[Falhado]

Father Mac, and his flock had been slowly affected by a chemical of which he had taken for all dojodians saftey. However, it had wound its way through his system, his mind. Even his purity was not enough to defend him against its effects. His flock had been affected much quicker, but had however remained loyal to Father Mac, if a little more brash and brazen in the past two years.

Now on one of his patrols of the dojo, doing his rounds as a Preacher, which had become fewer and fewer due to his more damning and aggressive reactions. He had observed some of the proceedings in the Black Forest from a safe distance. No-one had spotted him yet, as he remained hidden by a thick grouping of trees and branches.

The children, aparently destroyed by Forte, had however done as their previous friend had done, and transported just before the explosion. Father Mac merely chuckled at this, and remained to watch proceedings.

Dressed in a black and dark green robe, which covered all of his features, bar the occasional flicker of his teeth as he speaks to anyone. With him, is a newer staff, one of which he was helped to forge by a counterpart of him, currently locked away for all safety of any living beings.

His counterpart had mocked him, claiming he was becoming like him, this was not true, spiritually and mentally he was stronger, as well as being physically more athletic.

His staff too was black and dark green, the pole itself being dark green. There was a cross, part way down from the tip of the staff, black in colouration, bar a few red markings along it. His counterpart had defeated many a being where he came from, and had acumalated many a powerful weapon.
Some of these had been melted down, and used to forge this new, and somewhat powerful staff. Taking his counterparts name, he had named it Omen.

Out over the lands, his flock was stationed in places of great viewing, allowing him to keep watch over the people, and allowed him to react to any threat or crisis quickly, but, for now, he was happy to watch these beings 'playing' amongst the trees.