Zippy Zip-A-Long

[Maharg67]

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-75-

THE ADVENTURES OF TIMESAGE COSMOS AND COMPANY

THE FIRST GREAT INTERNATIONAL, INTERPLANETARY CONFERENCE

 

Ginacos was happy to return to Mars and to be with John Carter again. They stood on a grand balcony of his own fortified palace in the city of the citystate of his Martian people.

 

The Warlord of Mars was speaking about what had been happening more recently though it was clear he was just happy to be with Ginacos. "The Aquatic Martians left on the invasion of Earth and Venus but many remained to make peace with the other people of the Red Planet. They did so because they were no longer under the mind control and other forms of oppression of the dreaded Martian TriLords. These 'TriLords' had turned out to be the secret rulers of all but a relatively few renegade and fringe dwelling tripocs. They and the Aquatic Martians had, in the very distant past, dwelt on an Alternate Mars that had been destroyed by a terrible war caused by the TriLords themselves. We of the new Free Mars Alliance have learned much and are learning more. The TriLords made a pact with a great and powerful controller of time called Omnimodis. Omnimodis saved the Aquatic Martians from the destruction of their home Alternate Mars but wanted them to be ready to invade the Earth in this Alternate Solar System when he would give the order. He boosted tripoc knowledge and technologies, making the TriLords immortals with strange, new, and deadly powers."

 

The city of Heliam was preparing for attack because new enemies had arisen to attack the free peoples of Mars. Armies of cybermen, clonepazzen and daleks were moving across the Martian Overworld along with strange, terrible vat-hordre creatures. It turned out that both the clonepazzen cloning process, along with the clones, and the vat-hordre, were the creations of a terrible Red Martian scientific super genius named Ras Thavas. Except that some whispers spoke of his working with a mysterious woman scientist known as the Rhani who was as cold and brilliant as Ras Thavas himself. Ginacos had no doubt that Rhani was the rogue TimeLord by the same name, a woman of evil genius even by TimeLord standards. She was amongst the top ten most wanted of all TimeLord rogues, along with the TimeMaster and now, officially, Professor Cosmos.

 

The TimeLord operations based in that Alternate Solar System were being undertaken with an unofficial status. The TimeLords wanted to keep up the Multiversal facade of almost total non involvement with the activities of others.

 

John Carter frowned. "This is a dying world."

 

Ginacos smiled. "TimeLord technologies can and will assist to change that. Gallefrey will do this for its own reasons and because Professor Cosmos would want it so. Your peoples will need to work along with the TimeLords and it will take at least three hundred of your years, but it will be more than worth the results."

 

John Carter nodded. "More than worth it if Barsoom can go on living." He used the Martian name for Mars.

 

-CONTINUED-

Edited August 16, 2011 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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[Maharg67]

FALLOUT WARGAMES will be delayed for some time and then will be started again from scratch.

 

I am sorry if this move is disliked by anybody but for various reasons I need to cut back on the number of stories that I am running at this moment.

 

:yes: :no: :dance: :yucky: :teehee: :laugh: :turned: :tongue: :unsure: :biggrin: :psyduck: :whistling: :confused: :rolleyes:

[Maharg67]

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-28-

THE ADVENTURES OF HERCULINE

CONFRONTATIONS IN THE UNDERWAYS OF KVATCH

 

The wererats grew more nervous the further that they went into the Underways until they fled, taking another new tinderbox with them along with some box-packets of breadbiscuits. HerculineAfa waited at a spot below a manhole with its own metal ladder reaching down to the steel catwalk she was on. Then she was joined by some Blades, including battlemages, a healer and two 'undercity scouts' trained and experienced to scout in such places.

 

In the many centuries of the history of Cyrodiil, the Kvatch Underways had hosted more than sewerage and utility services. They had been, and were still, the home of exiles, of organized crime, of cults and even honhumans, hybrid peoples, werefolk of different kinds and others. Forbidden bloodgames, drugdens, brothels and other places had and still thrived in some places. Goblins had dwelt there for centuries, as had other goblinfolk, and many served the city while others were a menace. Sewer crocodiles, snakes, rats, giant spiders, meat crabs, sewer-moss, fungishooms and other flora and fauna thrived in parts of the Underways. Much of the 'more civilized activity' was focused in the Kvatch Undercity that was a special part of the Underways with its own semiautonomous government, Sheriff and other institutions.

 

It was not long before they found the first of the dead Mythic Dawn Followers. Though some were daedric mages and all of the followers had been able to summon special armour and weapons, along with lesser daedra monsters, something had slaughtered the eighteen of them with apparent ease, great speed and much brutality. They had died harshly but quickly. The strange thing was that nothing of value had been looted or any of the Mythic Dawn items that only they would value.

 

When some nervous werecrocs (crocodile werefolk) arrived in humanoid form, one of three shapeforms they could take, HerculineAfa was happy to make a deal with them. She gave over all the loot they could take from the dead Mythic Dawn Followers, including their corpses to devour, and topped it off with some copper coins, a new tinderbox and some box-packets of bread-biscuits. They in turn gave her some information, not daring to lie or tell deliberate half truths because they 'sensed' her power.

 

It was at least one terrible undead creature, a monstrous hulking shambler, that was hunting down and killing the Mythic Dawn Followers in a deliberate fashion but not just them. It, or they, were also hunting certain necromancers, bloodmages and other types of users of forbidden magic. Sometimes the attacking shambler, or shamblers, temporarily summoned forth lesser undead such as zombies or skeletors or even smaller, weaker shamblers.

 

Taking some books with her that she did not want the werecrocs using or selling, they having dangerous knowledge in them or even magic infused into them, she also took some spell-wands, a spell-staff and some other items. In compensation to the annoyed werecrocs she gave them some silver coins, four more tinderboxes and a bag of fire-brickettes. Survival was hard down in the Underways, especially for such of the unwanted as the werefolk were.

 

HerculineAfa, and her people, began to seek out the shambler, or shamblers, causing all of the deaths. She did not assume that in this case that 'an enemy of an enemy was a friend'.

 

-CONTINUED-

Edited June 30, 2011 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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-29-

THE ADVENTURES OF HERCULINE

SEEKING THE MYTHIC DAWN AND OTHER THREATS IN THE DEPTHS OF CLOUD RULER TEMPLE

 

Herculine and Ninajina continued to move carefully through the not much used more isolated parts of the large basement levels of Cloud Ruler Temple. They went past open storerooms full of crates, barrels and other containers. They went past heavily locked storerooms and even more strongly secured vaultrooms. At the vaultrooms were always at lest three BladeGuard sentries who could quickly summon reinforcements from close by guard posts. Some of these sentries reported odd sounds and smells, odd sensations, all of disturbing nature. Patrols of BladeGuards had made similar reports. Worse still, one of the patrols had failed to reach a guard post when it was supposed to, had been officially reported as missing.

 

Herculine and Ninajina went seeking the missing patrol having gained information on the patrol's route, routine and other details. It was a platoon and had two battlemages so it was quite strong but it was made up almost totally of Blade newbies straight out of the Blades Academy in the Imperial City. Blades normally gained basic training at the Imperial City Blades Academy and more advanced training at Cloud Ruler Temple. Newbies had been set to guard the basement levels of Cloud Ruler Temple under the assumption by the Blades Command that these would be fairly safe duties. The high ranking officers had not guessed that the seemingly impossible would happen and that Mythic Dawn agents would infiltrate the ancient fortress.

 

They found the patrol, dead and scattered in a large chamber, but surrounded by many more dead bodies of Mythic Dawn Followers. The BladeGuards had died fighting to the last and for every one of the thirteen of them killed, at least three of the enemies had perished. This was despite the enemy using summoned daedric armour, weapons and lesser daedra. The surviving Mythic Dawn Followers, only two of them, had fled in fear.

 

-CONTINUED-

Edited July 1, 2011 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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-30-

THE ADVENTURES OF HERCULINE

FIGHTING SHAMBLERS, THE MONSTROUS UNDEAD

 

HerculineAfa thrust her silvery bladed longsword into the hulking, misshapen and pale furred shambler. It screamed in agony but so powerful was it that the weapon, that would have easily destroyed a vampire or some other lesser undead, failed to do the trick. The shambler hurled Herculine through the air and she bounced painfully off a wall but landed on her feet. The anti-undeath longsword was still clutched in her left armoured hand but it was smouldering lightly as if it had been burned.

 

HerculineAfa had fought shamblers before but nothing like this one and she was starting to suspect that this entity was more than it seemed, that it was not a shambler at all. The Blades that had come with her had been driven back except two who lay unconscious on the floor. The 'shambler' was injured but far from dead. It had summoned lesser undead before, including smaller and less powerful shamblers, but they were all gone now.

 

The 'shambler' shimmered strangely and changed shapeform until in the same place stood a tall pale man in a strange black suit, a tophat and a blood red silken vest. He held a dark brown elegantly ugly walking-stick and wore very pointy, nasty looking black shoes. "Greetings, my name is Dracula, Lord of the Vampires."

 

HerculineAfa cursed softly in some very ancient language and then she prepared to use some very powerful anti-vampiric magical items that normally she would not consider using. Dracula was one of the most evil figures in undeath mythologies and killing him would be a boon to the living. But then Dracula spoke and surprised her.

 

"I am not behind the other undeath that you have fought. They are my enemies as much as they are yours. I have been killing the Mythic Dawn to assist the Empire for my own reasons, mainly the survival of my followers, my pets and myself. I am against Mehrunes Dagon and against the undeathly forces fighting his invasion and the Empire. My motives are totally selfish, I will not pretend otherwise. I love being selfish." He took a thick silken black envelope out of his coat and threw it lightly to her. "You will not like what you read in those documents, in those notes, what you see in those pictures, but they will assist you to win. Goodbye and I hope you defeat my enemies whether you live or die."

 

Then, with a meaninglessly dramatic puff of smoke, Dracula vanished.

 

HerculineAfa clutched the silken black envelope and had a bad feeling about what she was going to find in it. "Damned showoff!"

 

-CONTINUED-

Edited July 5, 2011 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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-31-

THE ADVENTURES OF HERCULINE

AT THE TEMPLE OF TALOS DEEP INSIDE THE CLOUD RULER TEMPLE

 

Herculine and Ninajina found the temple where the divine magic was kept generated to protect the whole of the fortress from daedric, necromantic or other dark magic. Now they were joined by Blades and as a force they attacked the Mythic Dawn Followers in the temple chamber including two powerful mages. The battle was brutal and quick, the Mythic Dawn Followers there being true fanatics who seemed determined to fight to the death. They were killed and with them a single BladeGuard.

 

Herculine thrust, parried, stabbed and sliced through ranks of the enemy. Enemy bodies piled around her. Then it was over even as Ninajina shot the last enemy mage with a small crossbow with magical crossbow bolts.

 

Herculine began to fix the divine magical console-pillar, moving the ancient softly glowing crystal-stones to their right formations. It took some time and difficulty but even as she did so, she 'sensed' the divine magical protections of the fortress return to full and normal functioning. Then it was done and she was tired for she had used her own energies partly to get things done.

 

Herculine sat down on the stone floor with her back against a wall and her legs crossed. She spoke to the others. "To disrupt the divine magical here there had to be more than just twisted daedric mages at work. There was some kind of treachery at work. Somebody who learned enough of the ways of ancient divine powers, of greater divine magic, has assisted the Mythic Dawn and their twisted leader Mankar Camoran against the ancient security of Cloud Ruler Temple."

 

Ninajina frowned hard. "A great mage or a sage of some kind. Some are now visiting Cloud Ruler Temple. Perhaps one of them is the said traitor."

 

Herculine nodded. "That is possible. We need for now to focus on just what the Mythic Dawn people have been doing down inside here in secret. That is after I have meditated." Then she closed her eyes and did start meditating.

 

-CONTINUED-

Edited July 10, 2011 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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-32-

THE ADVENTURES OF HERCULINE

HUNTING FOR MORE MYTHIC DAWN FOLLOWERS AND SURPRISES

 

HerculineAfa, and the others with her, did not expect to run into anything more than a few groups of Mythic Dawn Followers, either roving or resting in or away from one of their outposts in the Kvatch Underways. Instead what they encountered were more massacred Mythic Dawn traitors but this time it was evident they had been killed and looted by something other than the undead. Slash, bite and weapon marks indicated werefolk were in action such as wererats, werecrocs and werewolves. Psychic residues, impressions, confirmed her first suspicions.

 

Yet they soon ran into a battleground where the werefolk had not done so well against not Mythic Dawn Followers but Mythic Fist Soldiers who were better trained, better equipped and who were often battlemages. A few Mythic Fist Soldiers lay scattered around and it seemed the werefolk had won though at heavy cost. Another surprise was that sewer goblins had also been there and had fought as allies with the werefolk that they normally hated too much to work with. Goblins had fought with basic weapons and armour except some of their shamans who had used their own form of wild magic that was distantly linked to arcane magic. Many goblins had fallen but they had struck heavily at the fighting human soldier followers of Mehrunes Dagon.

 

When the werefolk and goblins appeared out of tunnel entrances to walk into the big chamber of the battlefield, they were wary of each other and of HerculineAfa and her people. Yet they were also angry and determined, she 'sensed', to get rid of the Mythic Dawn and other threats in their underground homeland. A goblin, a werewolf, a werecroc and a wererat leader came forth to meet her, all looking battered and weary.

 

HerculineAfa gave a short bow and then from her backpack she started taking useful items, far more useful items than a backpack of its size could naturally carry. As she gave over box-packets of breadbiscuits, meat jerky sticks, dried fish, dried fruit, healing-serum in tough vials, sealed rolls of bandage, arrows of varied kinds, fire-flashers and other items, she spoke to them. "You have fought with much courage and skill. Though you most likely did not do this for the Empire, I will arrange it so that your efforts are recognized. Perhaps I can even push it far enough that you gain some kind of semiautonomous territories in the Underways as recognized by the Empire and ratified by the Imperial Court. I am Herculine."

 

The tall goblin shaman, a very tall figure for a goblin, shook his head. "You are linked to Herculine but you are not her. Still you authentically speak for her and that is more than enough. What you give us now is what we need most and so we will not hold you to your promises but instead will see them as good hopes for our future. We have something to show you that you will want to see but which you will not like."

 

HerculineAfa nodded. "I am HerculineAfa, cloned extension of Herculine who is even now in Cloud Ruler Temple with the new Emperor Martin Septim. Dracula gave me some information already that he said would inform me much but that I would not like. I will now take a moment to look at what he has given me while you loot the bodies and do what you will with those of your peoples and the enemy. The only exceptions are all daedric magical items, daedric works such as books or maps and other such items. My people will go through the enemy bodies first to find such items. You can have such as arcane magical items of normal ranges of power."

 

The goblin shaman nodded after a slight grimace. "Very well, since you are giving us so much from that amazing backpack of yours. None of us would willingly use or want daedric stuff anyway, even the powerful magic."

 

HerculineAfa responded. "Good because I 'sense' that the Mythic Fist Soldiers are each well stocked with such as silver and golden imperial coinage, fairly valuable jewellery, good chewing herbs and other such items. It appears that, unlike many Mythic Dawn Followers, that the Mythic Fist Soldiers are well pampered."

 

-CONTINUED-

Edited July 14, 2011 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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-33-

THE ADVENTURES OF HERCULINE

THE VANISHED, VANISHING, ENEMIES

 

Herculine and Ninajina continued through the deeper levels of Cloud Ruler Temple but they ran into no more Mythic Dawn Followers or, thankfully, any more of the more dangerous Mythic Fist Soldiers. It had become depressingly clear that the Mythic Fist fighters were as well trained as the elite Blades, Legionary and other fighting units of the Cyrodilin Empire. The Mythic Dawn Followers had either fled from the fortress or had vanished back into the population of Cloud Ruler Temple.

 

There was a walled town adjoining the fortress where lived 'camp followers' offering goods and services to the Blades, other fighters and anybody else who would buy them. It would be hard, but far from impossible, for Mythic Dawn Followers or Mythic Fist Soldiers to infiltrate the population there of some 50,000 people. Cloud Ruler Town was its name. A feint physical and psychic trail led them to a secret entrance-exit hatch, very old and perhaps not on the more modern layout maps of the fortress, that led directly into the settlement.

 

They did not go into Cloud Ruler Town because they would attract too much attention to themselves and to the hatch. Instead they sent three Blades to inform their command of the existence of the hatch and the possible implications of it as being a security risk to Cloud Ruler Temple.

 

Ninajina spoke even as she sat with her back against a wall and unwrapped some rations so that she could eat them. "Perhaps we have found and dealt with the only real threat by these foolish followers of Mehrunes Dagon but we need to make sure."

 

Herculine was also sitting with her back to a wall. "Yes, we go back into the depths of the temple but this time I have an idea of what else these 'fools' may have been up to."

 

-CONTINUED-

Edited July 17, 2011 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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-34-

THE ADVENTURES OF HERCULINE

THE COMING OF HERCULINETAO

 

HerculineTao appeared, as a second clone-extension of Herculine, in the Imperial City. She sparkle shimmered out of mid air in a dead end hallway tunnel in the Imperial Undercity of thousands of tunnels, chambers, other spaces and other features. The dead end hallway led to a big metal door that had been welded closed by magic and whose symbols had been carefully damaged beyond reading. Yet HerculineTao, who was identical looking to Herculine except for her city bodyguard gear, was quick to detect that the door had something to do with the worship of Mehrunes Dagon. There had been a few short lived periods in Imperial History when the more open worship of daedric deities was tolerated before a crack down had closed such places even in the infamous Undercity.

 

Somehow she knew it was no accident that she had emerged into new existence in just that place.

 

The Imperial Undercity was a great hive maze of the unwanted, the poor, thieves, cults, political exiles, criminals on the run, illegal and semilegal activities along with much else. Her goblinfolk openly mingled with humans, orcs, beastfolk and other kinds of folk including hybrids. Her also there were independent thinking-acting golems and other magically created entities. It was whispered that the twisted genius, of Alchemist Sorcerer Frankenstane, had done many of his darkest experiments in a hidden part of the Imperial Undercity. It was also said that some of his monsters still survived in the huge network of sewer tunnels and, beneath them, a much older labyrinth of Ayleid design and construction.

 

Getting open the door could have been done with some difficulty but instead she went phantomic and passed through it 'ghost' fashion, becoming once more solid on the other side. What she found was a huge, dusty temple chamber where the air was quite stale but where there was some vent-shafts still bring in fresher air. A big statue of Mehrunes Dagon stood tall but two smaller ones had been toppled. There were skeletal remains of temple followers in scraps of robes indicating that they were not of the Mythic Dawn.

 

Then, hidden to one side of a long dead priestess, she found a damaged journal bound in human skin leather. Opening it she found encrypted notes but had no trouble in decoding it, doing so even as she read the journal. This was largely because the encrypting was not very good. As she read it, she became concerned and surprised. For the attackers who had come to the temple had actually been followers of a young Mankar Camoran, the creator and leader of the Mythic Dawn. So Mankar Camoran had treacherously attacked other followers of the same Daedric Prince or so it seemed.

 

She went on searching the temple and was still doing so when she was attacked by a swarm of lesser undead creatures.

 

-CONTINUED-

Edited July 19, 2011 by Maharg67