The CROSSROADS and the TEMPLE OF THE DARK OHMS (TSGL3 Week 6)

#1

Maverick, Ryder, Crash and Hekeriki arrived at a strange location. It reminded most of the plane of Awareness. Greyish sands, dark cloudless skies, and an endless horizon in all directions.

The only building was a black stone building, with a single sigil on the wall next to its odd looking doorway.

“This is the crossroads,” said Maverick, "One day this will be the location of the Temple of the Dark Ohms. Wait here for me.
DON’T START ANY FIGHTS INSIDE THE BAR. This place is run by Nightmare Lords and Da’uhnb.

Before I go, Hekeriki. You mentioned you knew who the “victim” was and what the “real threat” is.

If you are going to tell me something. You better do so now…"

Crash said, “Maverick you should calm down, its not Hekeriki’s fault.”

Maverick said, "Yeah sure. Everyday I get hit with people who think THEY should have a Time Shredder. AS IF ANYONE COULD BE TRUSTED WITH THIS POWER??? When I discovered Time Shredding I only used it to defeat General Tharr and the Warmonger Cult. Then I used it to help overthrow the Iron Republic in the future. And what did I learn?

That Time Travel should only be used to get from point A to point B in enough time.

But everyone who learns about it wants their own. Every goddamn time.

And this why my adopted son is dead…fucking dead…so yes I am quite Irate at the moment."

#2

Hekeriki: “Maverick is right because everything is my fault.”, as she fell butt first to the ground.

“Short version: Both the victim and a real threat is Zh LokLur, also know as Tor Gog. She from a reality where olgogs made first contact with earthers on the Earth’s moon. It was some kinda “Sun God mission you guys called it”. Anyhow, in ten years time after that event she invented a way to time travel. Soon after Tor Gog either went insane and destroyed her reality or it was the other way around. Don’t know.”

“She then went after other versions of herself to do who knows what. Destroy everything, rebuild her reality or what I don’t know. Someone or something might have pull her strings. I was 13th person she tried to infect because I’m the version of her. Whether it was fate or luck, I ran into a young male gang boss and a middle-age female merc while this was happening and everything went weird.”

“For whatever reason, we were bounced around from space and time. I remember some weird places. In time we became friends and figured out things. With help we stopped her and we were made to block most of our memories for everyone’s good. Life returned to normal for me and I stayed friends with the two.”

“Why do I think this is related to what’s happening? Tor Gog was a genius and in the end she was less of a gog and more of a swarm. Or a blob that infects things like this thing that covering space and time. Then you said I was involved… and I remember more things.”

Hekeriki thought deeply.

“As for future alternate me causing this, I don’t believe I would do that because I even know better not to change what is known.”

“If it seems like I know things because I do know things and not because I think am a know-it all little prick. I don’t know everything and you don’t either.”

Standing up back up to Maverick, “I’m not an arrogant cowardly hateful lying monster nor will I become one or spawn one.”

“Going back to Your Fact 2: You don’t know me well enough to make that judgement. You’re not only one who’s learned from loss.”, she stated with neutral expression.

“Before we go assuming things we don’t know, why don’t we get further information?”

#3

Crash said, "See Maverick it’s not Hekeriki ’ s fault. It’s this rogue time shredder Tor Gog who is equally fucking with her.

Maybe we can trick this Tor Gog and Mortis Leonin into targeting each other.

What other info do you have on this Tor Gog and her operation, Hekeriki?"

#4

Hekeriki: “NO! It is my fault.”

“Something I did or thought or felt brought her back. I had THREE jobs. It was to forget her, stay put and then die.”

“I failed.”

#5

Maverick looked at Hekeriki sadly and said, “Well I have a name to work with Tor Gog and a DNA sample to worth with.”

He pulled out a large two barrel compressed air pistol. He said, "This fires a tungsten steel composite dart and has two shots. If you meet either this Tor Gog or another future version of yourself put a round from this through their time shredder.

Keep an eye on her boys."

Maverick walked away pulling out his Time Shredder and dialed it in and then disappeared in a flash of blue light.

#6

Crash asked, “So Hekeriki, you want to grab a drink inside…or wait out here?”

#7

Hekeriki: “Well, I do need to still puke up this Tritium battery core. You going to have to buy me the nastiest drinks to make that happen because I don’t have cash on me.”

#8

Hekeriki, Ryder and Crash headed into the Bar at the Crossroads. The door was made of slats carved from some prehistoric being’s bones, and rattled a little when they opened it. Stepping into the poorly lit area, they saw about ten tables, each large enough for ten human-sized drinkers. But only one table had beings who were remotely human sized, and those beings were dressed in heavy grey robes and ate from plates that held raw bloody meats.

At the nearest table to the door, Hekeriki recognized a trio of Quall N’drone warriors. They were dressed in full military uniforms, which hekeriki had never seen before. She recognized the symbol at the shoulder and chest as being a Quall Skull with a Quall larva bursting its way from it. She gulped a little. Each one of the Quall warriors was easily ten feet tall and equally broad, taking up the entire table. The roof was high enough that their horns had good clearance as they threw back their heads in laughter. Laughing at jokes no one heard, because they communicated through their hivemind.

Crash walked straight for the tavern’s bar, and Ryder and Hekeriki followed slowly.

Hekeriki’s eyes took in all the strange aliens who were relaxing here, and finally they set upon what looked like a child, a human child.

He seemed little more than ten years old, and was sitting alone in a pool of light given off by a large crystalline torch sconce. The boy child appeared to be playing with small toys. Upon closer look, Hekeriki realized they were tiny Earth spirits, dancing and spinning between the boy’s outstretched hands.

#9

Crash tapped his knuckle on the bar when he didn’t see a bartender, and a creature slithered together from countless black fleshy worms that pulled themselves from holes, nooks and crannies across the bar. The worms formed around a large alien skull and lifted it, forming a body complete with slithering clothing around it. The alien being’s eye holes lit with a primal fire, fixing like a gaze upon the trio of mortals who had entered this place.

First its mouth opened and it began to speak, and Hekeriki could feel her skin crawl and her fur stand on end. She didn’t understand a word the creature said, but if asked at that moment she would have assumed something about flaying the flesh from bones and crawling under a pickled skin to rest. She listened as Crash whispered in reply to the monster, telling it some details of their story. Finally the creature elicited a bellow that made Hekeriki feel like peeing herself, but she was able to hold her bladder despite the growing fear in her heart.

She was surprised when Crash said, “Whew I was hoping you would say that.”

He turned to Hekeriki and said, “Great news, Innkeeper Potha Nakalanth, this sweet ole Nightmare Lord, has given us his…her…its protection so we can stay inside here until Maverick returns to get us. This place is neutral ground, so at least we will be safe.”

The Nightmare Lord behind the bar slammed a large bucket on the table and a skull chalice. In the skull chalice it poured a foul green-black concoction. It grunted meancingly as it pointed at the chalice and the bucket.

Crash said, “Innkeeper Potha would like you to vomit in the bucket. The purgative should help.”

Hekeriki took a single sniff of the green black liquid and began to upchuck with full body heaving. The bucket was soon full, and the battery bobbed inside. Innkeeper Potha raised a large claw and tossed the bucket across the room towards a patron.

Not a single drop hit the floor, pulled out the air as it were by the eager greedy looking Ydyara patron who gobbled down both the vomit and the battery and the bucket. The blobbish alien elicited a squeal and burp of happiness. The Ydyara tossed a gleaming gemstone to the bartender who made it disappear into the folds between the flesh worms.

Innkeeper Potha raised a claw and pointed at Hekeriki, Crash and Ryder and pointed at an empty table next to one where a Djinni and a Llandreu were in a heated negotiation.

#10

Crash, Hekeriki and Ryder sat down taking a moment to relax and take in their surroundings. The table was made from marble slabs cut smooth as glass. Hekeriki wondered if it was Innkeeper Potha’s claws that cut these, noticing how certain symbols had been etched in its surface.

It was Hekeriki’s first time having seen a Nightmare Lord, and she could understand why they had such a fearsome reputation. They made the Quall seem mundane by comparison.
Hekeriki was sure though, that she had learned the Nightmare Lords were long extinct. She wondered how far in the primordial past she was…

#11

Hekeriki: The bar could have used the musical styling of Devo, Hekeriki thought.

“I bet the ten years old looking male earther is the most dangerous person here in this bar.”, she whispered to the two.

#12

Crash replied, “Smart thought, Hekeriki. That little kid over there is known as Melvin The Magi. Right now he is just a kid, but give him a few millennia, and he will be more powerful than anyone.”

“And more forgetful,” quipped Ryder.

“And he’s not human, even though he looks like one,” continued Crash without missing a beat, “Don’t ask what he is, because no one knows…not even Innkeeper Potha. Potha once told me that Melvin and his twin brother were already here when Potha found this place and set up the bar.”

#13

At that moment there was a flash of blue outside, and the doors swung open as Khalid Phoenixkiller and Lord Resugent and Black Lorne Arlash entered the bar looking as if they had been in the middle of an explosion from all the soot.

The trio recognized Hekeriki immediately, surprised their TEA squad mate would be here.

[Khalid, Lord Grimaldus (Resugent) and Black Lorne may now also post to this mission]

#14

Lalon stumbled inside a moment later, followed by Visij who had forgone his TEA uniform for a set of black composite armor without any logos or affiliations. At his side was a magnum level action mare’s leg pistol with a bayonet as wide as Hekeriki’s wrist. On the old Da’uhnb’s back was a Nodachi that some in the room thought looked familiar.

Looking more annoyed than angry at the table with Hekeriki and Crash and Ryder. He walked over quickly, saying, “Did you plan on signaling us when you got to the Time Lock? Hi boys, my name is Visij, and I’m Ms. Hekeriki’s boss. A certain organization I work for would like to hire you to take down a threat to all of existence. A mad man named Mortis Leonin. We need you boys to hold him in place while Hekeriki and the rest of the team apprehend the suspect. What do you think?”

Crash and Ryder looked at each other realizing this Visij had not yet pegged them as members of the Resistance.

“Sure boss, you got us,” said Ryder, “But it does have a paycheck right?”

“We find Gold translated into most societies,” said Visij with a grin, “Good work Hekeriki.”

Behind Visij’s back, Lalon and Hekeriki shared a knowing stare. This was a Visij who had not yet become the Visij they had both faced (Lalon in the Yellow Room, and Hekeriki in the Resistance base). In that moment they knew to keep quiet about that fact for the moment or at least as long as Visij was present.

Visij said, “Okay I have an agent securing Leonin’s location as we speak and I will go meet with him. You wait here and plan if you want to disable Leonin or simple grant him final death and solve him finally.”

#15

Visij asked with a proud look, “Any questions for me before I head out to meet my contact?”

#16

Hekeriki: “Contact? Who’s that?”

#17

Visij said, "A former member of the Resistance decided to turn states evidence against them.

An Olgog who goes by the name of Tor Gog or something like that. Supposedly the contact also knows the exact location of Mortis Leonin’s main operational base as well.
Considering how insane most Resistance members are, I think we should be lucky to get this Tor Gog’s help."

#18

Hekeriki: “Excuse me,” Hekeriki said as she left the table and went to the bar. She order a root beer from Potha. The exchange between the two was weird at best and stuff of nightmares at worst. Hekeriki was unfazed, numb even.

She walk up to Visij.

“Tor Gog you say? Are you sure?”

She chug some of her drink. It was awful. Prefect for her next action.

She spit out like hydrant on Visij’s clothes then screamed: “Noooooooo!!!” and other things.

#19

Visij wiped the front of his clothing, "What was that for?

I assume you have a reason for such a panic response? Who is this Tor Gog to you, Hekeriki?"

#20

Lalon was now just starting to think Hekeriki was beyond crazy. Hopefully Visij could just help them get to Mortis Leonin and kill him. That inquisitor needs kiling."