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[Galathan]

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The man in the white lab coat stood at the end of the room, scribbling furiously over a some parchment. His brows were furrowed, and he chewed a well worn spot on his lower lip continuously, the action only broken when the tip of his thumb rose to his lips and took their place. He was so intent on what he was doing, he did not hear the young man enter from the other side of the room.

“Professor Ulridge?”, came his call, his voice strong, but obviously young. The man couldn’t have been older than twenty, and the combination of his careless long white hair and lack of facial hair would place him at fifteen in anyone’s book. He was dressed in the attire given him this morning, one piece insulated overalls that buttoned up the front. A tag on the left side bore his name and on the right his rank.

The professor turned, frowning at the distraction, and as he saw his visitor, his frown deepened. Waving a hand dismissingly, he called out before turning his attention back to his figures.

“I told your commander it wasn’t ready yet, and it won’t be for a while.”

“We are quite aware of that, my dear Professor, but we simply cannot wait. I will not see another of my boats destroyed. Or, tell me, do you want those lives on your hands?”

Ivae’s soft but firm voice came floating into the room from the doorway, and as she stepped across the threshold, her scent wafted in as well, lingering like a soft breeze. Her crimson locks fell about her shoulders, and she pulled the hat from her head, running a hand through them absentmindedly as she regarded the man in the lab coat appraisingly. Leon turned and gave her a relieved smile as she stepped forward, walking with a steady stride. She was dressed simply today, a crimson skirt hung lightly on her hips, a crimson red bustier across her chest, and a matching hat, now held in her left hand.

She raised her right hand, the pale fingertips brushing along the shoulder of the man before her as she fixed him with her most pained look.

“My dear Professor Ulridge, do you love the machines you work on?”

He looked dumfounded someone would even ask such a question, but nodded, sending his shock of white hair bouncing around like clouds on a windy summer day. She smiled, giving his shoulder a gentle but firm squeeze, her emerald eyes piercing as she held his gaze.

“Well, I love my guild members, and those who serve us. I will not lose another one.”

She had made her point, and although he frowned furiously, he nodded after a moment, barking out roughly.

“Get over here you!”

Ivae flashed him a winning smile and headed from the room, her hips swaying slightly. She winked as she neared Leon, whispering in a sing-song voice, “Enjoy!” Her face turned grim as she neared the door, glancing up at the blonde haired man in black, sitting on the steed next to where hers was tied. His eyes darkened as he saw her expression, and a frown tugged at the corners of his lips as she swung up on her horse, only to give him a slow wink.

“He’s doing it.”

She threw her head back and laughed as that familiar expression of exasperation passed across Galathan’s face and she reached over, squeezing his arm playfully.

“Have more faith in me, M’lord.”

Galathan mumbled something unintelligible and then glanced up as he saw a flash of red curls and heard Ivae call out playfully “Race you to the guild!”, as she clicked her tongue at Brenna, urging the horse faster. He shook his head, but spurred his own mount into action, not one to be shown up by a female.

~~~~

“Ok, now, move your left arm, and the left arm of the golem will move with you. …that’s right, just like that… NO! Watch out for prime’s sake!!”

Leon was sitting inside the golem's chest, strapped to what looked like a very intricate sling made of several rubber bands, now looped about his extremities. He was looking extremely confused, and when he had simply swung his left arm as the man had said, the Professor had screamed when he had knocked over a shelf of glass jars. Well why had they put them so close to the golem anyways?! He shook his head, only to send the golem whirling around. Another loud curse drifted up to him and he sat completely still, thinking he would never get the hang of it.

The professor drug himself out from under a pile of jars and cracked wood and shot a glare up to Leon that could have melted the metal around him. Leon, in turn, smiled back sheepishly, seemingly infuriating his instructor further.

“Now sit still! You big buffoon! Listen to me very carefully. If you tighten your right hand, the Beta cannon will shoot. DON’T DO IT HERE!” He screamed as Leon looked down at his right hand. Leon’s gaze shot back to the Professor and he called down.

“I really wish you would stop screaming at me and just tell me how to work this damn thing.”

The Professor sighed, and ran a hand through his hair, setting the clipboard aside. Alright, as I said, the controls work based on how you move. If you lift your left leg, so does the golem. Same with the right, and you have already demonstrated the arms for us.” He paused to cough a moment, and then went on. “The small headband that you can pull down over your eyes when the golem’s chest is closed will allow you to see what the golem sees. Now, as for the Beta cannon. It draws it's power from a large power crystal of sorts. When you squeeze your hand, it will take the machine a few seconds to gather energy from the crystal, and send what amounts to a massive energy bolt of power at the target. Those same power crystals run the entire machine, and I will give you a word of warning here. There was not enough time to gather as many crystals as needed to make it fully operational. In order to give you as much fire power as you needed, the machine will move slower than it should. It will be sluggish, drag as you are walking, things of that nature, so every move –must- be calculated. Also, the cannon drains a tremendous amount of energy, only use it if you absolutely must, otherwise there is no garauntee you will have the energy to make it back.”

Leon nodded and sighed, beginning to slip out of the rings, wondering just what in the world he had gotten himself into.

~~~~

"The Beta cannon," The professor explained, "Was rumored to have been created ages ago, in the ancient time simply referred to as Beta. There existed a group of mages who had forseen the end of their time by an onslaught of demons. They toiled endlessly for some time to create a weapon powerful enough to defend themselves, and give their world a chance to survive. Unfortunately, however, the weapon was never completed in time and was lost beneath the earth after the demons ransacked the entire world. Amahte Khai led a group of excavaters and researches and found it at long last, and our engineers completed it and attached it to the golem. It is by far the most valuable part of the entire machine. Do -not- damage it!"

~~~~

It was time finally. The golem began it's first steps away from the construction site under the piloting of Leon. The integration of various types of communication crystals allowed the engineers and officers to stay in direct contact with the golem, and view everything that it sees as well.



"Nothing like a trial by fire." Leon thought to himself as he walked the oversized pile of metal toward the ocean. It would have been a more glorious maiden voyage to have had a parade or an exhibition or something with fanfare to showcase the giant golem, Final Judgment. Instead it's maiden voyage will be to the bottom of the ocean to take care of a very serious problem that is plaguing shipping routes, destroying boats, and killing men. The monster that has been seen to be causing the damage was a kraken unlike any other. Positively massive in size, even in terms of krakens, various points and barbs covering it's body, and a penchant for destruction.

Final Judgment quickly plunged into the depths of the water, it's massive feet sinking into the softer ground as it walked quickly, displacing water all around it. As Leon pushed on, deeper and deeper, the light grew dimmer, unable to pierce the depths of the ocean. Traveling for a while longer in the dark, a voice cracked through on the communication crystal.

"This is the area, Leon. If the monster is going to be anywhere, it should be around here." Professor Ulridge stated.

"How am I going to find anything down here when I cannot see?" Leon asked, a bit frustrated that the engineers failed to mention anything helpful during such an occasion.

There was a brief pause before the Professor spoke, "Crack one of the smaller power crystals, and launch it out of the machine. The energy inside should illuminate the area if it is disrupted properly. The levers on your left normally eject used power crystals, so they could be replaced easier, use that."

Leon slipped out of the control rings and fished around in a compartment nearby. He found one of the many small caches of power crystals and quickly picked one up and slammed it against the ground, effectively cracking the casing. The energy started to glow as it leaked out predicted by the professor. Leon shoved the broken crystal back inside, and pulled the ejection lever.


~~~~

"OH SHI..." came a collective exclamation from both Leon and the entire staff. Leon quickly swung his arm out to the side in an attemp to grab at one of the massive tentacles.

"This thing is bigger than we thought, you will have to try and be extra careful." Professor Ulridge stated.

"Yeah, thanks." Leon stated sarcastically as the entire golem started to shake violently. The kraken had it's tentacles wrapped around the arms and legs of Final Judgment, trying to pry off the outer-casing and armor. The control rings stiffened to the resistance, making movement much more difficult. Leon used his left hand to dig the large metal fingers into the krakens tentacle. The beast obviously did not enjoy that, as it then slammed it's entire body against the golem, releasing it from the monsters grip. Leon quickly began charging the cannon.

"It doesn't look like I have much choice but to use the cannon. This thing is going to rip me apart if I don't!" Leon said through gritted teeth as the kraken began swimming rapidly toward the machine.

"Here goes nothing..." Leon squeezed his right hand, pointed at the massive beast.


~~~~

A deafening roar rocked the golem as two of the tentacles were severed and charred. All Leon saw was a quick blur of speed before the control rings on his left arm tighted painfully against his muscles before snapping off entirely. The young pilot swung his head and looked at where the machine's left arm and shoulder should be, but only saw a tentacle retracting, gripping it's trophy.

A large black cloud quickly enveloped the area, blocking out all sight and vision.

"What's going on? What happened?" Came the voice of the concerned professor.

"It looks like an ink cloud, the monster must be escaping!" Came another voice over the crystal. Leon waited for the cloud to dissipate, the cracked power crystal's light now dimming down. There was not a thing to be seen. The kraken had gotten away.

"Well, Leon, there is good news, and there is bad news. Bad news is, you do not have enough energy to get back here." Leon froze. Slowly suffocating on the bottom of the ocean did not seem like a very pleasant way to die. "Good news is," the professor continued, "you should have enough to make it most of the way toward the coast near Trinsic. We will send a boat for you there." Professor Ulridge spoke.

Leon let out a sigh of relief and began walking the now battered scrap heap in the indicated direction. Shortly, the water began to brighten, light now visible through the water. The giant machine slowed to a crawl as it broke water, very slowly making it's way toward a shoreline, but never quite making it. The golem was now completely out of energy. Leon opened the hatch, and with a loud splash, plunged into the water below. Once upon the shore, he sat and waited.

What should have been a glorious and festive occasion, a triumph of engineering and magic, had become nothing more than a glorified scrap heap for all to gaze at as it sits helplessly in the water, a distance from Trinsic.



The maiden voyage was nothing more than an undecisive battle that led Final Judgment to it's near ruin.
_________________
Galathan
"Survivor of Ormus"

[Galnor_Bloodmoon]

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Galnor walked across the beach of the Isle of the Avatar or as is normally called Fire Isle.

"Thisss.. would make an excellent sstaging point yesss..."

The sound of the sea nearly exploded as Galnor look over to sea w arthat large wave about to break on the beach. He held his hands up and the water seemed to curve about him before crashing onto the shore.

"Whatss thisss..."

out of the water a massive part of the Kraken's body appeared. Its tentaclles laying outstretched on the beach. One holding a massive metal arm and two distinctivly shorter then the rest.

"Ahh.. a battle... but with what my precioussss hmm? No matter.. You are far to fast in the water to have whatever sizzled your tentacles land a direct blow. "

As he spoke Galnor waltzed across the the two stumps of tentacles.

"Whatever that thing iss.." Galnor said as he looked to the metal arm."People musst be inctonrol of it.. and it will be repaired.. jusst as you my preciousss..."

Using is nails he cuts into one of his index fingers. The finger begins to glow a slight crimson color as the small cut begins to bleed. Running his fingers along both stumped ends a fizzing sound is heard as deep blood red runic symbols are traced onto each stump.

"There.. your tenctacless will be born anew.. in time..." Galnor spoke as he teleported back to the area of beach he was standing at before his precious came.

"You need to feed! Feed and regain your preciouss strength!"

With that the Kraken moved the massive metal arm to its beaked mouth and began crushing it with its beak, eating the arm.

Galnor blinked three times as he watched the kraken do such before bursting out into insane laughter

"Yesss!! Feed on all that you will!! And perhapss thesse vile people need a tasste of your hot breath at the ssurface.." Galnor spoke in his insane laughter. "Now Go! Feed.. Feed!!"

With that the Kraken shoved off the beach and into the sea with hardly a disturbance in the water. Galnor twirled himself about and stopped facing the water as his hair settled disheveled all over his face

"How wonderful... Yessss.... Teach them all.. my preciouss.."