THIRTEEN ADVENTURERS IN TIME AND SPACE

[Maharg67]

-1-

THE THIRTEEN APPEAR

IN THE CAVES OF THE MOON

 

They were bleak and grey, the Caves of the Moon, full of hot sunshine coming down from above in the day through holes in the ceilings but full of cold shadows at night. Cold waters flowed down through a great gently sloping cave tunnel and green slime was abundant in areas more shadowy even during the brightest of days. Something stirred and splashed, then was gone. A big lizard thingy crawled along one wall, yawned and settled down for a slumber as through the holes in the ceiling the sky showed with a glimpse of the moon of Secundus.

 

Then everything exploded in a great flash of light as if a thousand camera flashes had gone off at once. The light vanished and there was an Oblivion Gate formed in the middle of the chamber but somehow it seemed to be temporary, unstable. Then the Thirteen began to come racing through. Three sets of young adults, triplets, in flexable softly glowing armour holding glowing longswords and shields leapt through the blazing gateway with amazing speed and even as they did something was chasing them. In truth lots of things were chasing them.

 

Dremora in typical dremora armour came also through the gateway but as they did, the warriors sliced and diced them, attacking with amazing speed and agility but with brutal lack of mercy. Their blades cut through dremora armour and bodies with amazing ease but the dremora weapons made no impact on their armour at all.

 

Three fast floating metallic globes shot through the gateway, shooting pulses of energy as they did. One had a dying scamp clinging to it and then the dead scamp fell off to splash into the cold, flowing waters. Each globe headed for one of the sets of triplets and then the gateway vanished.

 

Surviving dremora did not stand a chance. The globes kept shooting pulses of energy and the nine raised their swords, pointed the tips and from those tips spat glowing bolts of energy. Then they closed in to butcher the dying ones.

 

Drazen raised his helmet visor and he wiped blood off his face. He was human but with odd tawny white skin, pale blue eyes and oddly sharp teeth for a human. He spoke. "We must move quickly. Mehrunes Dagon will already be tracking us through his puppet lord scum. Indications are that we are on Tamriel, on the world called Mundus and that we have reached our first major goal. Death to the Enemy. Glory to the Cause. We will be Victorious."

 

Addala flicked up her visor. "Oh, put a sock in it, Drazen. We are not on the bloody parade ground. Everybody, you know what to do."

 

Drazen grinned. "Oh, well, almost got away with it then. Thought for a second you lot might remember that I am supposed to be in command. I suggest, most humbly, that we hide the deadies after we loot them of anything useful. Any complaints? Am I being too hard on you lot?"

 

Addala gave him a dirty look. "Power goes straight to your head, Drazen, with out hestitation but what you say has merit. More of those daedra scum will be showing up soon enough even though this is a difficult world for Mehrunes Dagon to open gateways onto."

 

They looted the dead bodies of anything useful and dragged the dead to drop them into a rocky hole in the ground. Scavengers and other signs would reveal the dead soon enough but hopefully not too soon. Then the Thirteen, being three sets of triplets, three spheres and one hidden one, set out in a hurry.

 

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Additives/jowy.gif

[Maharg67]

-2-

THE THIRTEEN MOVE

IN THE CAVES OF THE MOON

 

The Thirteen moved with impressive speed through the caves, pacing along in their armoured suits, pausing to take care of needs in such a way as to conceal as much as possible their having gone through the area. They were soon learning to live off the local flora and fauna. There were sharp tasting wallshooms that they carefully steamed and strange blind fish that they caught, cleaned, scaled and cooked before eating. The three globelors could generate equipment and supplies but it was best to conserve their energies for various reasons. In each globelor was a special secret and with the Thirteen moved the hidden other.

 

On the third day they came to a kind of rocky window and peered out to a great green forest below of lush tall trees. In the distance was a settlement of strange stilted huts and from one of these longhouses drifted smoke up into the air. The settlement was protected by a sturdy palisade of wood. They examined the settlement using powerful binoculars and noted smallish furry shapes darting around the buildings with impressive speed. They used some other devices but gained no real useful information. They gained the strong sense that even as they were watching, that they in turn were being watched.

 

This was not their land, not their world, and they were strangers so it was safet to say that they could too easily draw attention. They crouched close to the sides of the big rocky window. Drazen was focusing on the huts with a pair of binoculars, a mechanism of fine kaedra engineering. "You know I think I just got mooned."

 

Babs giggled. She held an autocrossbow now loaded up with explosive tipped xdarts. "They kind of remind me of small monkey bears like the ones that dwell in the Tempora Hills. Or at least that did so before Mehrunes Dagon sent his hordes to engulf our poor sweet home world. Oh, dear me, another one mooned you. Seems they don't like being spied on much."

 

"I am sorely tempted to shoot one of them up the bum." Drazen sighed and put his binoculars down. "A nice explosive tipped xdart would teach them some manners." He made the binoculars vanish with a soft sparkling shimmer. "But we need them more than they need us. They have knowledge of local conditions and we have a wonderful range of tradegoods. What could be better? We have something they want and they have something we want. Now all we have to do is go down there and convince them of that. We are being watched."

 

Drazen suddenly leapt forward and pulled a small, whimpering, struggling furry shape out of a bush. A moment later the wozzle youngling was chewing on a bit of tasty foodbar and was sitting on the ledge of the window happily showing off his impressive sets of long retractable claws that could come out of his forearms. He had already eaten most of the foodbar and drunk half a sipglobe of nutritionally rich milk stuff. Clearly he loved the globelor generated rations, proving that he indeed had guts of iron.

 

The wozzles had found them. Now all they had to do was take the overly adventureous cub home to his parents and get to making a deal of sorts. It seemed simple at the time.

 

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Additives/russia-marsh-forest3-1.jpg

Edited August 10, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

-3-

THE THIRTEEN VISIT KWA'WAMBA

CLOSE TO THE CAVES OF THE MOON

 

They moved in three groups of three, each with a globelor in service-support of them. The Other went with the middle team. They moved down the cliff faces with great speed and from there down through the treetops. They approached the wozzle settlement of Kwa'Wamba from three directions and Drazen led the diplomatic team right up to the big palisade gates with their wooden spikes. He lay on the ground a neatly folded blanket, a steel bladed axe, a coil of fine strong thin rope and the sleeping cub. Draven crouched to one side of his first offer and stroked the cub's back. The globetor hovered close by and his two comrades were crouched close by.

 

But the wozzles did not want the cub. His mother had died and he was an unwanted extra rejected by the settlement. The wozzles also would not trust his new smell. They feared these strangers in their stealth power armour and their power-weapons. So it was that the Thirteen adopted the wozzle cub and made him vanish to a safe place with a sparkling shimmer. Then the real trading began. Wozzles came out being led by the chief, the shaman and the priestess. They lay down a mat of cleverly woven grasses and brought out bowls of dried fruits, nuts and small roasted beetles. Drazen and Addala pushed back their helmets to expose their tawny white features. Drazen led one set of triplets, Addala her own. Trapoia was there also.

 

Drazen pointed to the axe and put it towards the wozzles. "Steel axe good for chopping down trees?"

 

The wozzles mumbled sharply amongst themselves and the priestess shook her head. "Cutting down trees is not good. The Great Forest Goddess hurts when trees are cut down. Humans cut down the edges of the forest. They fell too many trees to clear the land for farming. The blanket is good. We will take many blankets."

 

Addala made a motion and some steel bladed knives appeared, each in a scabbard. "Knives to fight your enemies with. Knives to survive with."

 

The chief nodded sadly. "Yes, we will take many knives and axes also, though we truly do not like them. What do you want in return from we wozzles? You humans always want something."

 

Drazen bowed. "A map of the area. Knowledge such as animals, plants, monsters. We seek to go southwards. We will give you weapons to defend yourself with. We are kaedra and we have many fine tradegoods. Rope, blankets, foodbars, sippods, swords, crossbows, arrows, quivers, handlamps, lamp-oil, books for you to read and learn from. How do we go southward from here?"

 

The shaman laughed. "Go back to the Caves of the Moon and follow them. There is no better way but we will do what we can to assist you with other knowledge."

 

They gave the wozzles three big wheels of buttercheese, axes, swords, blankets, foodbars, sippods, knives, longknives, handlamps, lamp-oil, coils of rope and fire-makers. In turn the wozzles taught the Thirteen much about what was in that valley and what lay beyond. It soon became evident that the shaman spoke truth, that they had only to return to the caves and go south.

 

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Additives/1-steampunk-soldier-tahina-adria-1.jpg

Edited August 10, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

-4-

ORBSHIP VISITATION

WELCOME TO THE CUBS

 

They returned to the One, to the Orbship's great dome shaped chamber, and there found no less than sixteen wozzle cubs gathered up and tended to by Mattru herself. She had one cub in a small bath and was soaping her up while others slept on blankets around her or otherwise played. She looked to the Thirteen as they came into the globeship. There came Drazen, Darusa, Addalla, Bab, Bob, Trapoia, Krezza, Zrezzo and Keading. The super-soldiers in their stealth power armour went to their quarters but Bab and Bob were soon returned to fuss over cubs. The big female cub was protective of the others in a very motherly way. She sat on Bob's lap while he hugged the cub to himself. Three neobabies came out to play soon being chubby muscular baby figures. Each came from the globelor that she or he piloted and otherwise operated.

 

The globeship floated invisible in the top of a cave. In theory they could travel in it always but it took much energy to operate and they could not afford to become too dependent on it and its resources. Already there were some cats and dogs, goldfish and other pets including a big python snake. The cubs soon learned that the cats did not want to join them in the bathing or even the dogs. The goldfish were off limits and the python hid up in its own area of domechamber rafters.

 

They fed all the data that they had obtained into the OrbMind and it hummed as it computated the new data. A big holographic map was projected but as yet most of it was blank. The first team prepared to go out again and soon they had cleaned up, descented themselves, slipped into their stealth power armour and were on the move. The globeship shrank and fitted into a silvery metallic pouch of Drazen, who in theory was the leader. One globelor went with them with a little girl neobaby inside being Eggie.

 

Again they made good time through the cave tunnels and they gathered more food, sending much of it back to the globeship for the others. Teams took turns as did the neobabies. Always three figures were on the move with one globelor.

 

Three figures came upon the dead goblins scattered over the floor of the cave. They examined the dead bodies in their crude armour and with their iron weapons. Something had killed the goblins with amazing speed and power, smashing them up and cutting them down. The bodies had not been looted but everything was returned to the globeship for Mattru to examine. The wozzle cubs growled at the dead goblins and fled away from them in clear fear and anger. The big female cub pointed to them and growled.

 

She made her claws flick in an dout with agitation. "Cave beasties! Betrayers of the Great Forest. They serve the humans as mercenaries. For cheap tradegoods, alcohol and nose-sugar they have turned against even their own kind. We wozzles hunt and kill them when we can but wozzles did not kill these ones. No, not wozzles."

 

Two teams of three now went out and with them two globelors. They moved again with great speed but great caution.

 

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Additives/185-1.jpg

Edited August 10, 2010 by Maharg67

[species5478]

The dual mooning was very funny...as far as the eh, Wozzles? Very cute but, what do they look like? I keep envisioning Ewoks...

[Maharg67]

Less cute than Ewoks. Their fur is sleeker and more like that of wombats. Remember I am Australian. Think also of North American black bears. Wozzles were first based loosely not on ewoks but on wombles but then began to change. Fur colours vary between varied wozzle subspecies and races.

 

Thank you, Species5478, for the feedback.

 

Babs giggled. She held an autocrossbow now loaded up with explosive tipped xdarts. "They kind of remind me of small monkey bears like the ones that dwell in the Tempora Hills. Or at least that did so before Mehrunes Dagon sent his hordes to engulf our poor sweet home world. Oh, dear me, another one mooned you. Seems they don't like being spied on much."

Edited August 5, 2010 by Maharg67

[species5478]

Less cute than Ewoks. Their fur is sleeker and more like that of wombats. Remember I am Australian. Think also of North American black bears. Wozzles were first based loosely not on ewoks but on wombles but then began to change. Fur colours vary between varied wozzle subspecies and races.

 

Thank you, Species5478, for the feedback.

 

Babs giggled. She held an autocrossbow now loaded up with explosive tipped xdarts. "They kind of remind me of small monkey bears like the ones that dwell in the Tempora Hills. Or at least that did so before Mehrunes Dagon sent his hordes to engulf our poor sweet home world. Oh, dear me, another one mooned you. Seems they don't like being spied on much."

 

LOL...that makes me laugh every time I read it...

[Maharg67]

LOL.... Species5478

 

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Additives/TamrielMap.jpg

[Maharg67]

-5-

THE THIRTEEN IN THE COLOVIAN HIGHLANDS

ENTERING THE ANCIENT CLIFF CITY OF SHEGRATHO

 

The Thirteen came out of the Caves of the Moon in a great valley in the Colovian Highlands, where they had always been, somewhere south of the Cyrodilin-Skyrim Border. They came out in a great cliff face city of ancient construction but it was not abandoned. Far frrom it. The Ancients themselves were long gone but others had moved in. Wozzles dwelt there in the hundres along with slender true elves, not the Mer, squat gnomes, squatter dwarves, humans, orcs, big hairy hulking neands, various kinds of beastfolk and even kaedra, who were daedra who had turned against the Daedric Gods, against Mehrunes Dagon, and who had been transformed by the Nine Divines to prove it. Dremora had become kremora and other lesser daedra had become shapeshifting morphmora. Yet not all had become morpmora and there were scamps, scards, scarns and others who kept the same shapeform except for a change in colouration.

 

Guards checked the three of the Thirteen who entered after sending the others, including two globetors, back to the Globeship. The stealth power armour drew some attention but so amazingly diverse and often exotic were the peoples of that carved stone city that the attention was never very great. They were in a city of nine big carved layers and three great farming terraces. The Cyrodilin Empire had an embassy there and a large minority of Cryodilin humans, both Imperials and Commoners. Cryrodilin Imperials in their togas were often seen moving along streets or laneways in floating sedan-chairs or other magical transports but not the more common Commoners who had to walk or ride ponies as most others did.

 

The Nordish Kingdoms of Northern Skyrim also had an embassy in the ancient City, Citystate of Shegratho as did the Mer of the Sunset Isles. The Cyrodilin Empire dominated Southern Skyrim but allowed the Nord skyships to fly between their own domain and Shegratho with only the payment of reasonable fees. Yet the proud Nords hated paying any fees and that they paid large tributes every year to stop the Empire from crushing them, was a great blow to their pride.

 

There seemed to be a thousand and one shops, a thousand and one amazing smells, a thousand and one clashing noises and the three newcomers were rather overwhelmed. Yet they were not so overwhelmed that they allowed themselves to be pick pocketed. Drazen carried the cranky boy urchin over one shoulder as the three super-soldiers found a small secluded place and sat down on a stone wall of short proportions that contained a garden area of grass and bushes. Such small gardens could be found in the dozens through out the amazing city.

 

It was cute and adorable, though deadly and murderous, Bab who spoke to the urchin with her large brown eyes beaming warmly at him. With her visor open and her tight fitting armour over a slimly voluptous body, she took all of five seconds to seduce the urchin in more than one way. She was programmed and trained to do just this sort of thing so he did not stand a chance. Which was why Drazen left her to it. Bab also loved the urchin at once, which helped but hurt her. Still she gripped his hands and looked into his eyes.

 

He gulped and his supposed street toughness drained away with amazing quickness. "Can you be my girlfriend?"

 

Bab giggled. "Oh, you big sweetie. How lovely? Would you like to come back to my place with me? There are nice things to eat there and a nice place for you to stay in."

 

The thirteen year old urchin looked stunned and then Bab took him back to the Globeship to find out just what he knew. Another of the Thirteen replaced her and then these three kept moving through the city. They sold some tradegoods, with some clever haggling thrown in, and bought some other goods. They chose carefully what to sell and what to buy, only doing so in small quantities. And yet they soon realized that they were being followed.

[species5478]

Hehe...I've decided to stick with this piece. The time commitment for anything more is too extreme for me. But I'm interested in knowing who's following them...