[Mature] Books about space

[Pegasus]

Just Then, A Wing'd Horse Flew In....
How Odd!

Filch, of messers Nick, Steal & Filch, sighed. Was this a good idea? Sure, the great hulking fella was big. He was strong, and he wasn't too bright. Plus, he was a becomer of some power. These were usually good things, but having watched this exchange Filch considered that there "wasn't too bright" and then there was.... Fridgar.

Lay low, he'd said. So the guy went to a public library.

Keep out of the way, he'd said. So he was talking about exploding suns.

There was not too bright, and then there was Fridgar, indeed. The exploding suns thing caught his attention and made him frown slightly, but he stored it away. Quickly, this big fella was going to become Vuda's problem. Or his latest ornament, frankly who knew. At least he hadn't told them his name, considering all the wanted posters dotting the place. "Alfonze! How are you my friend?" Filch, a small and weasel-faced human chap turned the corner from around one set of shelves, closing the book in his hand. A Guide to Rynmere Law.

"Why don't we take you back home, you know how you aren't supposed to.." He put a hand on Fridgar's arm, just gently and smiled at him. "There's some books you might like over here, lets go look at them, you and, shall we?" He cast an apologetic glance at the two who were talking together and trying to help old Fridzy. Filch sighed, slightly, he was getting to quite like this Filch persona, but he was going to have to ditch him now. Shame. Ah well.

He glanced at the two who were with Fridgar and gave them an apologetic glance, a glance at Fridgar and a shrug of his shoulders. What could you do, he seemed to say? "Come on then, me old trout'n'toolbox, my favourite front step an' my 'alf of th' errin'." He pointed towards where he had been, behind the shelves. "Lets go somewhere quiet 'n' calm down, shall we?"

If Fridgar let him, Filch would lead the large fellow out of sight, give him a grin and say, most jovially. "Ready then? Let's go 'ave an adventure' before rupturing them both out of there. Unless, of course, anything happened to stop that.

Off Topic

So, this might be my only post or first post, depending on how everyone reacts. If it all goes smoothly and Fridgar is surreptitiously (ahem) gotten out of there, then please just continue posting after you've all posted again.

If, however, there's any complication in that, no worries, I'll keep posting.

Thanks!

[Varthakh]

It came as no surprise to the Lothar to see the other male back out, Fridgar was the undisputed Alpha, after all. Unfortunately, the female wasn't of much use to him either. She sort of just gawked, probably at his impressive telescope skills. "Yes?" Fridgar asked in response to Edalene asking his name, he didn't pay much attention to what she said though, merely looking through the pages of the book. All of the supposed 'smart people' were actually just as clueless as he was, he'd decided. All of them were just better at pretending to be smart.

Continuing to look through the book, that was far more useful than either Edalene or the wuss male, revealed the scientific terms for the suns in space and the Idaloses. Stars and planets. Finally, a piece of information he could stand on, not enough to save the world though. Nothing was written about star explosions or planet destruction, that or he wasn't trying hard enough. All of the fate of Idalos rested on his shoulders and he was surrounded by idiots that could only act smart while he did the mental and physical heavy lifting. It almost made him laugh to think that he'd actually been super intelligent this whole time. A grin would cross his lips while he tried his damn hardest to read like a normal person - in his head.

Finally, Edalene had to leave with the other useless human. "See ya." he spoke without lifting his eyes from the page. Haltunga was so much easier to read, but harder to speak than common. Regardless, He struggled on by himself while the two dummies talked about something dumb. A voice called out, addressing someone as Alfonzel, it was loud and annoying which prompted Fridgar to look up to its source.

Filch? Why did he think Fridgar's name was Alfonzel? "Actually, it's Fridgar." The brainy Lothar declared with an understanding nod. One might face palm at Fridgar's failure to notice that Filch was trying not to use the name of a 3 Onyx bounty in public, but he'd failed to notice anyway. His eyes fell back to the tome for a trill before widening with surprise and looking to Filch once more. "Shit." he cursed at realising, his time was up. His lips pursed as Filch took hold of his arm and verbally beckoned him away. "Uhh, Alright but this book is..." Fridgar halted, looking to the book confused - he could just steal it, what was petty theft in the face of attempted regicide?

He picked up the tome as he followed after Filch to a secluded area of the library. It was during that walk that a thought struck him, maybe Filch knew about the exploding stars and how to save Idalos? "Filch, pal." Fridgar asked once they were in private. "I got initiated into Rupturing in the past few trials, during the ascension I went for a trip around the universe and saw the stars close up. One of them went and freaking exploded and wiped out a bunch of planets, all the same size if not bigger than Idalos. The sun is a fucking star, dude, its gonna blow up and kill everyone. You're a better rupturer than me, do you know how to stop the end of the world? Do you even know what I'm talking about?" Fridgar took a few deep, Heavy breaths after finishing his sentence - he'd never had to think so hard in his life, or say so much at once.

He didn't mind that the two dumb humans thought he was crazy, they didn't understand Arcana. Filch did, however. "I'm ready to go and everything, but I need to know the truth, man, are we just doomed to burn?" The Lothar spoke once more, once his question had been answered and Filch had opened the portal, he would walk through into wherever he'd been sent with the tome in hand.

[Narav]

Narav wasn't expecting someone like Filch, especially someone who clearly used an alternate name with the big man and looked nothing at all like the enforcement he had expected to have. Over Edalene's shoulder he watched them suspiciously, a dark tickle at the back of his mind. But her eyes were on him, questioning, her mouth set in a hard line. Running a hand through his hair, he lost sight of them between other bookshelves before turning back on Edalene.

"I'm...you don't remember?" She wouldn't, or rather...how could she not? Years ago and letters unanswered since then. "Narav," he said, wringing his hands together, searching for recognition in her eyes. "I'm Narav. Narav Tobelle. My father, he..." But the glow of realization was exploding out onto her face, creeping from the corner of her eyes inward to draw all understanding there. Fridgar had disappeared from sight now, following the shifty man back into further alcoves of the library.

He wasn't taken out, just redirected somewhere private.

His eyes were on hers. Then behind her. Then on her again. Something was wrong. He took the realization dawning as the step towards damnation he knew it would be. She would be horrified he was back, even if he had done it to drag her away from potential harm.

"A moment." He said to her, stepping around and striding back through the library. In the end it wasn't his sight that found them, but his ears. A rending sound, as though someone were tearing the very air, roared from behind a bookshelf. Turning the corner Narav was confronted with the flickering, glowing portal and both Fridgar and the shifty man who'd fetched him stepping within. On impulse he reacted, throwing his full weight into one of the shelving units and sending the whole bookcase crashing down on the portal and both men. Whether they were quick enough to step through the portal in time or be crushed, he couldn't stay to watch. Instead he turned on his heel and dashed back towards the circulation desk. "Magic!" He shouted once, hoping the desperation in his voice would convey the urgency. Nothing about the situation seemed correct and he realized where he knew that name from. The bounty board, the same one he'd seen the notice for the young girl gone missing...Fridgar's stupid face was sketched in a close likeness with his simple name bled beneath.

Dangerous. 3 onyx nels, attempted regicide. Much to much for him to be involved with, certainly too much for him to face in active combat. But already the dagger was in his hand, pausing near the door only to make sure people had begun to make their way out...and that the bear-monster would not be charging after him, before he too would be gone into the open street.

((To you guys. I'm cool with whatever.))

[Edalene]

Her eyes swept over the man before her. There was something about him, she knew, but she couldn't quite place it. Like an old memory, or a word on the tip of her tongue, her eyes narrowed as she struggled to figure out just where she could place the man. Like the final fitting piece in a puzzle of a thousand pieces of memory.

He looked so crestfallen, and for some reason, a pang ran through Edalene's heart. He ran a hand through his hair, and for some reason, Edalene just wanted to reach out and still his hand. But she stayed still, her arms folded in front of her lithe body, and waited to find out.

And when he told her, her heart stopped.

Edalene stumbled back, as if her body separated from her mind and recoiled from truth. "Narav," she choked out, and memories came back to her. Hands held, books shared, blood spilled. Narav running from her. Narav leaving. Narav loving. Over and over these memories spun through her mind as she stared at the man, and tried to reconcile him with the Narav of four arcs ago. He was older, held himself stronger.

And then as quickly as he had four arcs ago, he was gone. Edalene gasped, sagged against the bookshelves, clutching onto the shelf for support. He was back. What did that mean? Why was he here? He had left, he had not wanted her, the murderer. And now the only other person who knew what she had done to Allan and his father was back in her life, after she had tried to confine the truth to her nightmares only. Edalene stared at the ground, panicked, her vision swimming, and then a sudden crash as bookshelves fell.

A strange man with Fridgar, and Narav brandishing a dagger next to a glimmering portal opened up in the library. People stirred at Narav's cry, and started to make their way from the library with haste. And Edalene wanted to run, should run, but for all Narav being back was terrifying... she could not leave him here with Fridgar and this creep of a magician. She darted forward to Narav, and clutched his wrist, the one not holding the dagger.

"What are you doing, you idiot? Get out of here!"

[/align]

[Pegasus]

Just Then, A Wing'd Horse Flew In....
How Odd!

"Actually, it's Fridgar", Fridgar said. Filch looked at him and shook his head, "No, no, mate that was the blokie we saw wot was on that there thing, remember?" However, there was no doubting it, this Lothar made two short planks want to sit an entrance exam for the genius club. Filch sighed. At least he'd be easy to control; they could put him in a round room and tell him to sit in the corner and he'd be stumped for the season. He gave Fridgar a grin because, in truth, as thick as the thick-headed Lothar was, Filch kind of liked him.

However, since he'd said his name, they had to hurry. As they walked, though, Fridgar talked and Filch raised an eyebrow. He got initiated into rupturing in the last few trials? Filch looked at Fridgar and shook his head, "It's the inner universe inside yer mind, dude, I saw the same thing. You an' the universe 'ave become one an' what you saw there was an internal representation of the expansion of yer consciousness." Filch delivered the line with an entirely straight face. "The thing you saw closing up an' explodin' was yer ignorance, an' the stars remainin is yer potential." Where he was coming up with this stuff Filch had no idea. But he was loving it.

Were they doomed to burn? Filch looked at Fridgar and shook his head. "Nah, man. But you're doomed to 'ang if we don't get outta here, so shurrup a bit."

And they would have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for that pesky Narav.

He pushed the bookcase and it started to fall. Fridgar was about to step through the portal, him and Filch mostly together and then he heard Filch mutter something. It might have been nothing, of course, but just as he put one large foot through the portal, Fridgar noticed a book falling past him, into nothingness.

The book fell open and Fridgar had a moment of watching it tumble down, pages fluttering open and he could almost make out the words.

And then, a hundred other books joined it and dropped on Fridgar and Filch as they had begun to step through the portal. Filch, for whatever insane reason which he'd consider another time, shoved Fridgar as the books fell. The books, of course, came just a split trill before the book case landed on them. It, being bigger than the rip in reality which Filch had rendered meant a number of things. There was an almighty, ear splitting sound as though reality had folded back in on itself; to Narav and Edalene, it was very very painful, to Fridgar it made his ears bleed.

So, Fridgar found himself in the situation where he had bleeding ears and a sharp pain in his foot. When he looked down at that, he might be somewhat surprised to notice that it was literally just half a foot. Like it had been sheared off, a clean and diagonal cut.

Wiggling his toes was no longer an option.

But the wound wasn't bleeding, it was like it had been cauterized. Where Filch was, under that book case, and what sort of state he was in, Fridgar had no idea. But the room around him was chaos. People had run, were running out of there. Fridgar might hear, Narav and Edalene certainly did, the sounds of the guard outside. Narav had sent for them earlier and, although they took a few moments to get there, they were about to come in through the door when all of the people in the library started running out.

So, amidst the screams of panic there were the shouts of "Halt! By order of the Iron Hand", and things like that. Filch was under the bookcase, whereabouts or state unknown. Fridgar had half a foot and bleeding ears.

And that's what Narav and Edalene saw, amidst the chaos, panic and ringing ears. Fridgar stood.

He saw them. They saw him.

and then.......?

Off Topic

Hey guys, I'm aware that this thread is one which is important to the storyline of at least one of you. I know you didn't sign up for a time sensitive thread, so I'm not putting time limits on it at all but, if we can prioritise it, that'd be great. I'll try to make sure I reply within a maximum of three days, so that we can hope to get this finished with plenty of Ashan remaining. But no stress, I'd rather we took longer and all involved enjoyed it! You all rock.

[Varthakh]

It had almost been easy for once, almost. Instead, a falling book had caught his attention. Fridgar paused, this was an opportunity to broaden his knowledge by reading the text available. Like hell was it legible to him from his height though, more falling books distracted him, Fridgar was given the opportunity to not only practice his reading, but his balance too. He hung there with one foot in the portal for a split trill before being tackled from the portal as the shelving collapsed on him entirely. The portal broke apart with a thundering crackle, destroying his ears and disipating into the air.

When he regained his senses, he found himself beneath the shelves with half a foot and warm liquid running down the sides of his head - what the fuck happened? He could scarcely think with the ringing in his ears, but tried regardless. In one solid movement, Fridgar thrust his frontal body strength into the shelves and threw it off him, Filch was nowhere to be found. The hurt giant helped himself up with some troube, his left foot wasn't much better than a stump in its current state. Still though, he held his bleeding head and looked about the room, intent on finding out the cause of the falling bookshelf. There, he saw it.

The idiot and his girlfriend. His paws clenched with absolute anger. With out a doubt, he'd been the one to drop the shelf on him. How did the Lothar know? He didn't, really. Perhaps his raving prior to the event? Perhaps Fridgar just needed a target? Regardless, his digits traced the length of the totem in his pocket and he initiated a self transformation with chrysalis, repairing his body of the ear, foot and head damage. "Cunt." Fridgar muttered with ragged breath. Did the human think it was wise to attack someone of his size or appearance? Probably, he was stupid, after all. Seething, it played over and over in his head. The nerve of the moron stood before him, he dared look the beast in the eye?

It had been a good few trials since Fridgar last gave in to his primal urges. He was on the mend, making his wrongs into rights. That was how he felt in recent trials, anyway. Alistair had been a huge help in keeping him steady and without Rey'na's influence, he hadn't had much reason to attack anyone. He was doing very well at bottling up his anger, hate and blood lust. Was. Was this human worth losing everything he'd worked towards? Alistair's words re-surfaced in his head, about how some people deserved his wrath, his fury. The idiot human was one of those people. He would thoroughly enjoy the blood curdling screams. Just like ordinary bottles, Fridgars had shattered and it's contents had washed over the hums male.

With an ear rupturing roar, Fridgar threw his weight forward and half leaped off his bare foot. He rushed with ferocity and great prejudice, nothing would stop him from reaching his destination. He'd not let up, even for a trill as his claws made contact with his intended target - the human male. One swift upercut-like motion sundered the male's front and touched his chin, another slash cut across his face from his right brow to the bottom left of his jaw. His final swipe came from the left and dragged across his chest, through his previous upward slash. If, by some miracle, the human was still standing; Fridgar would headbutt him to the floor without a second thought.

He ignored the screams of the people, the demands of the iron hand and any sound that the female made. Their cries fell upon deaf ears, or ears that did not give a damn. The female would find herself unscathed unless she tried to knife him, in which case he'd bat her hand away and throw her into much the same situation as her boyfriend. Had the male stabbed him, he'd find a large pair of Lothar fangs seperating the bones that connected his hand to his arm followed by the strength of legends tearing away at his skin and tendons.

[Narav]

The book case shuddered and cracked, hurled by the strength of the creature beneath it. The shifty man did not appear in the cascade of wood and books, but Fridgar did. He balanced poorly on only one foot, the other a bloody mess of sliced bone and flesh. Grimacing, his teeth glimmering in the noonday light, Fridgar took a step forward and his body...pulsed. It was the only way to describe it. A shudder or almost ripple passed from the center of the beast outward across his whole body, minor bruises were gone in an instant and where blood remained a new clawed foot bit into the wood of the library, flexing. A Mage, some sort of a mage that could refresh himself in a moment. His foot was inexplicably suddenly fine.

But these were all fleeting thoughts, as Fridgar was charging across the room the moment after. Eda was at his side, hands grasping his knife arm, throwing him off balance, unable to prepare for the monster. Before he could yank his arm away from her the beast was on him. A swipe caught him across the stomach up toward his neck, sharpened claws neatly cutting through fabric and flesh. There was no pain, not yet, instead Fridgar came across his face with his other hand. Miraculously none of his claws punctured Narav's eyes but the blow was too fast for him to react. He could feel them cut him, passing through his skin like furrows. He even felt the third slash across the others, ripping his arm away from Edalene in a confusing pinwheel of pain and confusion.

He did not see Fridgar's head follow, smacking him squarely on his crown. Narav was only loosely aware of an almighty sound as his head bounced roughly, his chin bashing into his collarbone and the room spinning. He hit the ground before he was even aware he had hit it, laying in a dazed heap. Above him the beast roared as shouts of the guards came from the doors. Swords drawn they were already storming into the library. Narav's vision swam with discarded books, feet, and his own stinging blood, but miraculously he had not let go of the dagger held roughly in his hand.

And Fridgar's own foot, newly formed, was without protection. Narav slammed the dagger down into the foot, dividing bone and muscle as it buried into the floor. The demon above him roared an unearthly howl and Narav felt those clawed hands slash across his back. Fridgar yanked the dagger free with one hand, snarling and meaning to shove the blade through Narav's skull. But as the sailor tried to stand, Fridgar misjudged the angle and buried the blade into his shoulder instead. Pain roared through Narav's body as his nerves seemed to catch up with the current events. Seeing the guards storming forward, Fridgar roughly grabbed the sinking Narav, hoisted him over the beast's head, and hurled him at the armored Knights, no doubt buying him a moment or two of time to take stock of his situation.

Narav smashed into two of the armored guards, sending all three crashing to the floor.

The sailor chose to stay on the floor, bleeding out, Edalene lost in the chaos.

Fridgar. The name burned in Narav's mind. Filthy, stupid, savage, magic-wielding monster. Had he the steel to do it he doubted he would lose sleep sliding the entire length of it past the barbarian's teeth and out the back of his neck. The thought of bloody revenge, beheading the savage and dropping said head satisfyingly in the sewer came to mind as his vision swam a third time, and did not return.

Only darkness waited for him after. Darkness and rage.

[Edalene]

A mighty ringing through the room resounded in Edalene's ears, and her hands came up to clutch her temples, but still, she did not take her hand from Narav's. She gripped his wrist tight, determined to stay with him, but then, all hell broke lose. The stranger was nowhere to be seen, but a monstrous Fridgar roared, and beat toward them. Edalene screamed, but before she could react, Fridgar's clawed hands came to Narav's face and chest, slashing them. Her hand recoiled from Narav's wrist in shock, and she screamed again when Fridgar butted his head into Narav's.

Down he went, and Edalene dropped, too. Not hurt, but fearful, and crouching to the ground. She could barely breathe, and the ringing continued in her head, a throbbing ache that did not stop, that gave no respite. Narav thrust his dagger into the beast's foot, somehow healed by some dark magic, but Fridgar's strength overpowered him. Edalene, crouched on the floor, watched in horror, as he stabbed her love again, wrested him from the ground, and threw him towards the approaching guards.

The library had emptied, people fleeing in the chaos, but Edalene was caught crouching between the crazed Fridgar, the opened portal, and the approaching guards. She stayed silent, shaking, too fearful to even scream. She looked to Narav, and felt ill when she saw him still and silent on the ground, blood pooling around him. Her stomach churned, and she watched as he slowly blacked out. Horror arose in her.

She was alone. Stuck between these horrors. And no way to get up and run.

[/align]

[Pegasus]

Just Then, A Wing'd Horse Flew In....
How Odd!

How quickly fate turns, it seems. On the spin of a coin or in the whispered words of a lover, these are ways in which we all understand fate but, that trial, fate swirled around those gathered in a number of ways which were not yet apparent to any of them.

All hell broke loose as the enraged Fridgar attacked Narav. Blood flew and fury was not even vaguely sated. How could it be? Edalene saw what was happening but it all happened with such speed that there was nothing to be done. Those around them screamed and ran and soon it was just the three of them. That would not last for long, and even as events of the next few trill unfolded it, they did so to the rhythmic sound of the footfalls of the Iron Hand. After all, they could hear and they could see and they knew that something dire was happening in the library.

As the soldiers ran to save those still trapped inside with the wanted criminal, Fridgar and Narav fought and as fights went it was, or seemed to be, rather one sided. Yet it might be argued that Narav had done more damage to Fridgar than the Lothar would manage to return.

Forgotten, presumed dead, Filch of Nick, Pinch and Filch saw what was going on and let out a fluent curse. He had to get out of here and he had to take this hulking lump of stupid with him. Still, he was in the situation he was in and so, as they fought they might or might not notice the flash of energy at the area of the fallen book case. Then, there right next to Fridgar was Filch. He wasn't a Becomer and so he was covered in cuts and bruises. One hand on Fridgars arm and then, another flash of bright energy and the two of them were gone, disappearing just in perfect view of the guards.

Which left Narav and Edalene with the guards and a ruined library.

Off Topic

Please feel free to finish off amongst yourselves now, Narav and Edalene. Assume that Narav gets medical treatment and they will have seen this use of magic and will question you on it when you're able to answer. Let me know when the thread is done and it'll be my pleasure to review it.

[Narav]

TReturning to consciousness felt like swimming, beating at the current that threatened to pull him down, down, down.

Narav awoke attended by Iron Hand and doctors, suturing his wounds and insisting he take a regimen of powders and poultices to help with the pain. Narav answered the questions as best he could. No, he hadn't known Fridgar before, no he didn't understand what he was looking for or what his purpose was. Yes, there was a man with him that summoned what appeared to be a portal of some kind and no, he didn't know what happened to him.

Some called him a brave man, to throw his life into the fray like that in protection of another. Edalene, the woman he had saved from the beast. Narav felt like explaining, no, he had told her to run...why had she just...come back? She wasn't with him then, no doubt questioned somewhere else. The wounds, they would heal but not for some time. Take it easy they said, as if they had any inkling of his purpose. There was no easy, there was no rest.

He couldn't afford to convalesce, for his life to go on pause.

After some time they released him, a regimen of pills to help him cope with the pain. For a bit he considered returning to Edalene but thought better of it. She had no room in her life for shenanigans like these, for danger like this.

That monster hadn't been caught. That monster had escaped.

He had work to do.