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[AlanL]

By chat, I actually meant over an instant messager. Using the forum is too slow and I'd rather not drown other people out. We can sort the details out over PM.

And by outlet, I mean any form of expression, something for your feelings to flow into. Writing happens to be what I chose, but any form of expression works, I just recommend getting your ideas out. Also, don't be afraid to try things you're not a pro at... you might find your feelings fill in the gaps. I actually can't say I was a good writer before I started writing this. If you do end up taking a similar path to what I took... make sure you have a lot of free time because it might end up being one heck of an experience. Lucky for me, I was on break when it peaked.

To be honest, I don't know how long before the story focuses on Kazo... but I have ideas for 5 stories before that (not counting the one I'll probably do for you), each one of which should be quite a bit shorter than the current one. I'm not going to give a date of completion because doing that tends to result in a loss of quality in the end product. Doing it right takes an amount of time that really can't be predicted at all. Although... now I've got ideas for 2 stories involving Kazo, actually the final 2 stories in the entire series. Both of these stories, I was unsure on the main character, and trying to get a kobold to fit the bill was only working to an OK degree. Kazo fits both of these roles perfectly. I've inadvertently made the story a lot more complex (which is good) due to this 'reuse' of characters.

My inspiration for the first of these 2 final stories, if you don't mind possible spoilers (which you'd probably forget by then), are the video game Half-Life 2, and the flash game Element Saga. Actually... Kazo kind of reminds me of the main character in the Element Saga a bit, although, Kazos personality is a lot different.

Link to the flash game (it's actually pretty fun, IMO): http://www.ugoplayer.com/games/elementsagachapter5.html

Now up next, this is VERY spoily if you know these games and can connect the dots... if you want to be surprised, I'd recommend not reading it.

My inspiration behind the second of these stories is the videogames Homeworld and the Outpost series.

Keep in mind, that ideas change over time... my original ideas for the last 2 stories were quite a bit different, but I think they've improved quite a bit.

[ December 12, 2007: Message edited by: AlanL ]

[Reign on your Parade]

I just thought of a possible steam submarine (would only work in 2d dwarf fortress). You want?

[AlanL]

Hmm? I won't be able to make it a point of focus in any of my stories I have planned, but I don't mind new ideas  

[Reign on your Parade]

steam is lighter then water correct? So with enough steam, you could make a submarine. That used the infinite magma generated by the loop.

EDIT: It all makes a large amount of sense in my head, but I'm having trouble getting it into words.

[ December 12, 2007: Message edited by: Reign on your Parade ]

[AlanL]

Yet again, homework causes a shortened update. It's that time of the year when teachers make up for all their stuff that got pushed forward earlier in the year.

Edit: Yeah, I see what you're getting at and agree it'd work, but, to be honest, there's no room for it in my story.
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Arkus stood, still smiling at Kazo. Then, he turned toward Blitukus, "Come!" Arkus lead Kazo and Blitukus down the shaft, back to the storage room that Blitukus had once searched. Arkus held his hand in front of a crate, and it spontaneously unlocked. He rummaged through it, pulled out a small, dark object, then placed it in front of Blitukus. He spoke, "Here you are!" Blitukus picked it up... it was relatively small, shaped like a smooth, finely chiseled down rock. Beyond such superficial appearances though, it seemed to have details that had details that had details, spiraling in a seemingly random yet perfectly ordered design through the interior. Somehow, the pattern seemed to represent something deep and fundamental within life and the universe. Despite its chaotic and random appearance, Blitukus sensed it was very ordered... it was determined by beautiful mathematics, played out in at least 3 dimensions. Blitukus looked into it, and smiled, both within and without. He was reminded of the true beauty of the universe... a universe that was kindly granted him the path to his original wish, and now was setting the way to his final one. Blitukus held it against his chest, closed his eyes, and let out a deep breath. He found himself teary eyes, not with tears of pain and sorrow, but tears of relief and joy. Both types could emerge from love, the strange emotion that it has always been. Blitukus opened his eyes, finding Kazo looking right into his face. Kazo asked, "Are you OK?" Blitukus nodded, "Thank you both, very much... this is of limitless value to me." Kazo and Arkus both smiled. Arkus spoke, "I'm glad you like it. Now, I'll leave you both to mess around. The dragless airframe won't design itself!" Kazo twisted around, grinning, "I get to test the airframe again?" Arkus spoke, "Of course, maybe with the new dynamic flux you'll be able to land without burying it!" Kazo replied, "Having a way to slow down that works helps a bit. It was fun skidding that far, though. I think I went almost a thousand feet before a hill got in the way!" Arkus commented, "That was the fastest I've ever seen an aircraft become part of the terrain. Took a while for me to clean the dirt out of it. It's a good thing you jumped or you would've had to wait for a while." They both snickered. Frictionless... aircraft? Any thrust could allow it to fly at any speed, enormously reducing transit times and costs for air-based operations... but it would take a lot to slow it down. It was a spectacular idea, but would likely make for a rather spectacular collision as well. Arkus went back to the shaft, and proceeded upwards, back to his residence. Kazo walked up to Blitukus, and spoke, "Failed tests always make for an eventful afternoon! You're leaving now that you have your artifact?" Blitukus spoke, "No, I still have until tomorrow... my transportation back home will not arrive for many hours yet." Kazo replied, "Good, I'm starting to like seeing you around." Blitukus spoke, "This is a good opportunity for me to learn how to work with the forces of this world, to focus the power of my soul to true effect..." Kazo spoke, "You don't know how to cast? Well then, you must know just about everything else for you to get up here. It's a simple trick. I got time, I'll show you. Follow." Blitukus and Kazo proceeded back up the shaft, traveling to the multistory test chamber where they had first met.

Kazo spoke, "All it is is applying your will to the basic particles of matter and energy, then scaling up from there. When you want to scale up even more, use your aura to add an extra shove to it. For most tasks, just put power behind your willpower, and be smart about it. You'll figure out the rest." Blitukus nodded... what to try? Something had to be useful against the demons... those of a hot biome usually detest the cold. Blitukus held his hand open in front of himself. He focused his energies in his center, then shifted them towards his hand. He focused on the air above his palm... picturing the particles, seeing them whizzing about and bouncing off of eachother and the walls of their environment. All of this hitting things, the energy of their motion creating warmth and friction among all the other particles... Blitukus focused his will, and began to slow these particles. He felt his hand getting colder, and colder, the particles approaching closer together as they slowed. Finally, water vapor in the air began to condense, forming an orb of fog above his hand, until finally, it seemed tiny snowflakes were forming within. Blitukus stopped, and the small bit of fog rapidly dissipated, leaving small white flakes drifting in the air, which promptly vanished as they melted back into the air. Kazo spoke, "Now try putting it in a bubble." Blitukus repeated what he had done, except this time, he allowed a bit of his mana to separate, forming a hollow sphere around the region, enclosing it. Within the sphere, Blitukus kept siphoning out the motion of the particles, until finally, they were moving so slow that they could no longer be slowed further without a more detailed sense of mana and matter. Blitukus felt confident that he would improve with time, but still... he noticed, the sphere containing dense and frozen air had a real weight, and could be tossed or thrown... likely freezing whatever it collided with. Blitukus smiled, tossed it up into the air, then cought it... or at least tried to. The astral bubble ignored his physical attempt to hold it... instead it partially froze the outer layers of his hand. Blitukus grunted slightly, grunted an obscenity, then sighed, holding his wrist with his other hand. Kazo laughed, "That's one way to see if it works!" Blitukus forced himself through the pain... he breathed deeply, and focused on his hand. This time, he directed his willpower to speed up the particles. slowly, he unfroze his hand, the ambient healing power around restoring his hand to full functionality. It had potential... although it wasn't very damaging and would be useless against a demon. Blitukus already had ideas on how to improve it... refining his senses to allow colder air... condensing the air down, allowing for more mass in the sphere... a combination of the two would be an exponential increase in power. Blitukus smiled. This had the potential to be effective, very effective. Next time though, he would have to match the planes, and catch astral projections with his astral self. As if he sensed this thought, Kazo spoke, "Catch!" Kazo then formed what appeared to be an orb of plasma gas above his hand, then tossed it into the air. It came down on Blitukus, who quickly snatched it out of the air, the energy he pooled in his hand allowing him to manipulate the orb. The orbs radiant glow sharply warmed Blitukus' palm. Blitukus then tossed it back at Kazo. Kazo batted it high into the air. Blitukus ran to intercept it, then batted it back into the air. They knocked the orb back and forth. Blitukus laughed. Despite involving volatile energies flying through the air, it was a rather fun thing to do. They continued until it finally fell to the floor and dissipated in a puff of heated gas. Arkus could be heard from above, "I was hoping one of you would win! Kazo, I am almost done with the first changes, and we'll need more metal. Do me a favor and melt down those old plates." Kazo nodded towards the exit of the room, then walked up to Blitukus. Kazo spoke, "That was fun!" Kazo smiled, then walked away. Blitukus walked back up to the residence, and took a drink of water... luckily that's all it was, water. He went back down and began trying out more methods and ideas for what to use these new powers for... he found that his playing that "sport" with Kazo had improved his abilities to manipulate mana, allowing him to do it more dynamically and rapidly. Perhaps that had been one of the reasons Kazo did that, aside from alleviating boredom. He spent several hours doing this, and found, as Dracha had predicted, he quickly had gained at least the beginnings of competency in manipulating the energies he had available. It was nothing compared to what a dragon would be able to do, but it was far better than what he had started out with.

Blitukus finished up, then returned to the residence area. It was getting late in Blitukus' nocturnal cycle, and soon he would have to find somewhere to rest. He saw Arkus, sitting and holding a large crystal. Arkus projected some kind of light through this crystal, originating from mana, the light forming designs for a flying machine of sorts, surrounded by various runes. These runes vaguely reminded Blitukus of the equations that surrounded his own technological designs. Blitukus sat and watched curiously, until eventually his exhaustion finally came to the front. Blitukus lay back on the chair, making sure there were other chairs available, then allowed himself to fall asleep there. He slept, but it was not centralized on day or night, for he was in a different time zone than what he was used to. In his dream, he found himself standing in a very dark and sinister region. He felt confident... some sort of assured destiny was at hand. He held a very odd weapon... it seemed like the automatic crossbow, but it was black and menacing with spikes of more of the dark metal. On its side were runes engraved in it. Out of these dark and sinister regions, he happened across several demons. Blitukus fired at the demons, finding the crossbow shot out bolts that glew with heat, leaving a trail of flame and plasma gas. The demons were easily struck down. Blitukus found himself grinning, taking down one demon after the next, until finally... he found the demon that had led to his current problems... the female kobold demon, only now the tables were turned. She dropped her now seemingly meaningless dagger, frozen under a strong gloom. Blitukus fired at her, piercing her heart and brain. She was struck down... and it seemed a terrible gloom had been lifted. Blitukus laughed, and the dream ended with his victory. He awoke, and smiled... he felt sure of it, his confidence not vanishing with the dream. Nothing would stand in his way. He knew he actually had no chance of defeating a true demon in combat... those from the pits were only minions. Still, he felt sure he would somehow manage to cheat the demon and stand victorious in his quest. Somehow... although his new found abilities just might make things a lot easier.
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Ok, my being tired isn't a good influence on my storywriting ability. When break comes, and on the weekends, I guess I'll start writing at an earlier time of day.

[ December 12, 2007: Message edited by: AlanL ]

[Reign on your Parade]

What? But then my first post advantage will be GONE!

Did... did you just give Blittikus a gun in his dream? This makes me so close to crying on the inside...

[ December 13, 2007: Message edited by: Reign on your Parade ]

[AlanL]

I don't want to risk any imperfections due to being tired. Besides... for the last part, I think I'll go full circle on my time scheduling.

Edit: There will be no guns involved in this story.

[ December 13, 2007: Message edited by: AlanL ]

[Armok]

Beyond Quality!

I will have to make todays post quickly, as I need to get some sleep, I always say that, don't I?

So Blitukus is learning a bit of magic, hmmm... would it not be fun if when he comes home to his own time after checking the cat relic and shush, he surprised Draca a little, maybe teleport into her cave and cast something on her, then ask her if she has ever heard of Arkus or Kazo.

Also now that Blitukus can some magic mana become important when in his own time and even more so in the far future (because he can't take it out of thin air then). Why am I stating the obvious?

Replies:
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quote: King. KING. KING. As in, the top governmental figure in a Monarchy. I'm really only a king in title, but the traits still stick!

Yes, but in almost all other universes it does not work that way because it's abut the only one whit big and many enough parades for them to actually count as a nation, so I generally don't think much of it, I suppose thats why you chose that one for you retirement. (those parades is actually quite an extraordinary sociological phenomena, these huge caravans of space cities whit joints that can bend the entire city into almost any shape, serving whit just a thin cover of painted foil the same function as balloons fill in more primitive parades, exempt 50 000 meters long and orbital, the general economic idea is similar to that of traveling circuses, or that of mercenaries... but all this is another story)

quote: By chat, I actually meant over an instant messager. Using the forum is too slow and I'd rather not drown other people out. We can sort the details out over PM.

Maybe, but the problem is these timezones, also i don't really know how this "chating" work, I also really don't want any of those programs as I consider them a symbol of the very mainstreamer teenager culture I detest, I did however get the B12 chat to work by following the instructions on that page like an arcane ritual, so if we can decide a time that fits both of us and when that chat is not in to heavy use it might work.
I also rather like the slow pace of forums, it's really much closer to my own pace then the hectic competition of interruptions that is talking, I get time to think about what I say and if it's really something I mean.
I have no ideas how "PM" works.

I'm really quite a (what do you call it?) "noob" on the Internet.

quote: And by outlet, I mean any form of expression, something for your feelings to flow into. Writing happens to be what I chose, but any form of expression works, I just recommend getting your ideas out. Also, don't be afraid to try things you're not a pro at... you might find your feelings fill in the gaps. I actually can't say I was a good writer before I started writing this. If you do end up taking a similar path to what I took... make sure you have a lot of free time because it might end up being one heck of an experience. Lucky for me, I was on break when it peaked.

I know I need an outlet far to well, I have been searching for one the bigger part of my life, I have tried everything, but I absolutely can't write, not like "I'm no extraordinary writer, but only average" but actually negative amounts of talent, I can't put anything important in words no mater how I try, in this post Dreamer really describes it far better than I ever could.

It's quite sad actually.  
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I would write much more but I really need some sleep, these posts take several hours to write for some reason.
You are probobly the closest I ever have had to an friend AlanL. (not counting relatives)

[AlanL]

Thank you    

Actually, those 5 stories beforehand are 2 adventure mode ones, and 3 fortress ones. Adventure mode stories take 1-2 weeks it seems, judging by the first one, and considering the expanse of the second one, a fortress mode one might take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months. Assuming each fortress mode one is 1 month and each adventure mode one is 1.5 weeks, it comes out to 3 months and 3 weeks, although the real result will probably vary widely from that... although, Kazo might make an appearance in the 3rd of those 5 (the first fortress mode one), although he won't be doing much.

About PMs:
"Private Messages
The administrators of this message board may permit members to send private messages to each other. A private message is not email. Private messages are one-to-one communications that can only be read by the recipient. You can read private messages in your profile section. You can also elect to be notified by email whenever someone sends you a private message (you can set this in your profile). You can also prevent anyone from sending you a private message (also configurable in your profile). Only registered members may send private messages. This option can be disabled by the board administrators.

To send someone a private message, look for the private message icon on a post a person creates. You can send a private message through the person's member profile, or from your Buddy List, if you have added the person to your Buddy List. "

About the B12 chat, I'll look into it. I tend to get home around an hour before you go to sleep on most weekdays, and I'm free on the weekend.

Something else to keep in mind, I won't be able to start my next story after this one until adventure mode stealing and traveling are reconciled. Also, I'll still probably be making that other story first.

Edit: I forgot to include one fortress mode idea... although I don't know if it would be a good idea. It depends on how many good ideas I can get together for it.

Edit II: Also, I would prefer some sort of tileinfo utility for these versions when I reach the next fortress mode story, but that's still a while off.

[ December 13, 2007: Message edited by: AlanL ]

[AlanL]

Thinking about his story, planning events and fleshing out ideas, I find Kazo does speak to me in a certain way as well... although Fale still owns part of my heart...

I just had some very good ideas regarding Kazos first story recently, and wrote those down to a convenient txt file on my desktop.
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Blitukus sat up, and checked his timepiece, silently requesting it indicate the time near his portal... it read "03:31 PM, Slate 19, 9011". Less than 6 hours left. He felt it in his heart... finally... the day when it would be alright again slowly approached. He looked up, and saw Kazo standing nearby. Kazo smiled, and tilted his head, then commented, "You took my chair. Comfy isn't it?" Blitukus snickered, then nodded. He looked down... he still had the cat component... it was a step towards making the impossible happen... all in the name of undoing the tragedy that started it all... He just wanted his mom to be around again. He felt in his heart that his soul would not be able to come to peace until it was so. Still... Blitukus sniffed, then hugged Kazo, "Thank you so much for finding this... it means so much to me..." Kazo smiled, "Glad I could help!" Blitukus stepped away, then looked at the component again, a tear running down his face. It meant it WOULD be so... he would get the other 3 components, and then it would be done. Kazo spoke, "You know... something about your soul... it's subtle, but it's nothing I've ever seen before, and I've seen a lot around here." Blitukus slowly nodded, feeling it within himself as well, then smiled. It was his determination and love... manifested over 11 dimensions, but in and of itself a dimension extra.

Blitukus realized... that sense of those 11 dimensions... the dragons had only begun to realize these before they would be disbanded... Blitukus knew them deeply. Could it be potentially a method of using magic that even the dragons hadn't thought of? He looked around. He was in a proper facility to test his ideas... Blitukus spoke, "May I make use of some of your trash? I have an idea for something new... I'm not sure what, but I think it might be significant." Kazo snickered, "One reptiles trash is another dogs treasure? Sure! I'll come with." Blitukus smiled, then led Kazo down the shaft, riding it down to the storage. Blitukus retrieved some metallic scraps and bits of organic trash, mostly food scraps, then carried them back to the test chamber. Blitukus set a metal scrap down on a platform, and contemplated his ideas, planning how to use them. Kazo sat back and watched contently. Blitukus held his hand out, and focused sharply on the space above his palm. He shifted his view, unleashing his vision in higher dimensions. He focused down, narrower, and narrower, until once again, he found himself viewing fundamental space in his mind. He found his skills were far too short to decisively manipulate any part of it... then again, nobody would ever be able to... chaotic space cannot be manipulated in an orderly fashion. Seeing this, Blitukus began to let his powers focus on space, the entire space above his hand, allowing his mana to mingle with space, and for space to mingle with it, across planes contorted in an ever changing way, an interaction eternally indeterminable. Blitukus enclosed this within a bubble of his own mana... he found this process, whatever it was, was draining a lot from him. Then... suddenly, space within the bubble began to become a froth all over, space folding and contorting entirely randomly... also contorting everything occupying it entirely randomly. Blitukus kept focusing himself into eliminating all structure and predictability, and finally all observation, allowing his focus to shift. He found himself looking into an orb that bent and scattered light in an entirely random yet dynamic manner. He smiled, finding it carried all of the inner beauties of the universe... beauties which the minds of most others wouldn't be able to grasp. Blitukus held it back, ready to toss... whatever happened now was entirely up to chance. Blitukus tossed it at the scrap of metal... when it hit, the metal was engulfed in the twisting and churning space. It contorted in an indescribable way... sometimes seeming to part into multiple objects, yet it was still one... when the effect dissipated, it left the metal perfectly polished, pure, and in what appeared to be an organically shaped nugget. Kazo commented, "Now who needs to melt things down when you can do that?... just what WAS that exactly?" Blitukus smiled, feeling a certain power within, "I cannot describe it... I think this language might be just too limited for such things." Kazo commented, "One of those? Arkus loves those kind of things!" Blitukus smiled, then began charging another casting of it. He felt as if, unlike 'conventional' magic, this truly carried an imprint of his essence, somehow. Each casting of it would be truly unique... one could do it infinitely, and never exactly repeat a result, no matter how similar it may seem. When he cast it onto the metal... the metal contorted, then seemed to somehow burst into vapor, settling to the ground in a metallic cloud, yet it had not gotten any hotter. Each casting drained him, yet mana poured in from all around, allowing him to experiment with it thoroughly. Every time something different happened... from bursts of flame to freezing over to materials becoming charged, even to random teleportation. The resulting metal was shaped in various forms, typically very organic, but occasionally with meaningless yet surprising spikes and ridges. Organic matter also did various things, from bursting into flame to turning to mush to spontaneously growing random and fluid appendages from its core material, behaving as if it were still alive in an odd case. Kazo laughed, "It's a cosmic gambling game!" Blitukus smiled, "I think that is a fairly close approximation." Kazo continued, "But now I'm curious... Follow me." Blitukus followed Kazo back down... eventually ending up in the dungeon full of cages again. Kazo spoke, "Let's see what it does to living beings." Blitukus walked up to a cage... the creature of unidentifiable type half-living within slowly pushed itself away from Blitukus, up against the wall. Blitukus sighed... there were an infinite number of ways such an act could end in horror. Blitukus spoke, "No. Unlike Arkus, I draw the line at such things..." Kazo replied, "I still want to see what it does to living beings..." Kazo stood in the middle of the corridor, then spread out his arms and legs, raising his tail into the air a bit. He spoke, "Imagine a big target painted on my belly!" Blitukus snickered, "Probably not a good idea." Blitukus thought about something else... the more energy he put into it, the more fundamentally the object was altered... what if he unleashed as much energy as he could muster? Blitukus spoke, "I do have another idea though. Let's go back to the chamber." Kazo replied, "Sure. I wonder what Arkus will think of this..."

Blitukus thought about that but didn't give it much thought. They proceeded back to the test chamber, and found Arkus had taken a seat to watch. Arkus commented, "I'll ask questions later. Right now I will just make sure if anything bad happens, it doesn't ruin everything." Arkus was as wise as he looked, for Blitukus using such forces on such scales would have far more profound results than would normally be available... it could be beautiful but it could just as easily be a disaster. Should it be a disaster... perhaps Arkus would think quickly enough. Blitukus voiced his misgivings, "This truly is a dangerous test." Kazo commented, "That's one of the things that makes it so much fun!" Arkus laughed. Blitukus still felt his confidence... true beauty the likes of which had never before been witnessed could result as well. Blitukus smiled, then a moment later, began charging another casting... this time he focused his entire aura to the best of his ability, exhausting himself, but still continuing, focusing mana as it flowed into him. He felt a new feeling, barely noticeable the first time, but now much more magnified. The chaos within his heart permeated outward, filling him, and surrounding him. his eyes glew slightly purple, and forces immediately surrounding him caused his fur to move and twist randomly. The space within the orb of mana he had formed contorting and pocketing in on itself to finer and finer detail. Blitukus had far overrun his astral energy, and began to feel physically weak from the constant strain of processing external mana. He stopped inputting energy there. He couldn't afford to spend himself... for the time he had left was far too precious; missing his portal home would have made everything in vain. The orb he held was likely the most powerful magic he could wield with his current skill... yet it relied on skill that he had been chosen to receive by the universe. Why him?... It did work out to his advantage, though. He smiled, and tossed it at a scrap of platinum. Platinum trash? Although Arkus enjoyed living comfortably, apparently he wasn't interested in pure luxuries. The platinum was struck, and seemed not to contort in such a straightforward manner. It seemed to fundamentally alter within... Its particles were stretched and twisted, interrupting the fundamental forces that existed within them. When the alterations were complete, what had happened came to light... a lot of light. The particles of platinum, stuck within their metallic grid, had been rendered unstable, their binding forces interrupted by the contortions. Particles of platinum parted into halves... two particles of Yttrium. Platinum was more than the sum of its parts, and the difference became an explosive burst of high energy particles... particles that smacked into other platinum particles, fragmenting them in an ever escalating cycle. The room was flooded with light, then the light ceased. Blitukus regained his vision, and saw Arkus, holding his hand out... he had teleported it all away... hopefully far enough. All was silent and still for a moment, then suddenly, an immense flash came from outside, the flash bouncing down the corridors, visible from the test chamber. The flash dimmed, then all of a sudden, there was a loud screeching, followed by an immense explosion that rocked the building. As the deafening roar died down, a dull whirring of vast amounts of circulating air could be heard. Indeed, it would've ended in a millisecond of tragedy, hadn't Arkus had been so experienced with unsafe tests... Arkus laughed, "That was amazing! It's times like this I'm glad I invented the global healing field." Blitukus spoke, "The healing is your work?" Arkus continued, "Yeah, and that thing sent out so many nasty particles we would've all been puking out guts out in a few days otherwise!" Arkus laughed again. Kazo eagerly leapt up the platforms of the test chamber, walking back into the residence area. Arkus and Blitukus followed. Kazo swished his tail about, looking out the window. Arkus and Blitukus stood by the window, and looked out as well. Arkus took his goggles off, and peered closely at what was outside. In the distance, an incandescent, red-orange fireball was rising into the sky, scorched terrain beneath it. The land was baked bare, and the immediate area around it was alight with flame. Arkus commented, "That must've been the equivalent of hundreds of tons of explosive power, maybe even thousands!" Kazo commented as well, "Now that's some big fireworks in a surprisingly small package!" Blitukus watched this, and at first felt impressed with himself for unleashing such power, even if it was merely chance and luck that it happened... although he nearly just annihilated the entire tower. Then... a sudden feeling of horror overcame Blitukus. He recognized it... the fiery plume slowly rising into the sky... that multiplied a thousandfold, and it would be enough power to level a city, toppling buildings and tossing vehicles like nothing... just like in his nightmare, the end of utopias metropolis. He didn't know the specifics of what he had done, only that chance had led him to witness a power that although in itself was truly amazing... could also be corrupted into the most horrible of weapons. Blitukus felt regretful of having done it, but reminded himself that it was not his intention, that it was pure chance that had led to it. Still... Blitukus spoke, "My... what have I unleashed?"

Arkus smiled, "I probably say something similar myself every now and then, but I tend to already know the answer anyway." Blitukus spoke to Arkus, "My apologies for jeopardizing you in such a way." Arkus replied, "No need to. It's about time someone did it to me for once! It's times like this that remind me of why I got into this business." Arkus put his emerald goggles back on. Arkus continued, "So I see you carry powerful secrets that have just only been unleashed. If one kobold... can do that... I want to see what I can do. Tell me, how do you do it?" Blitukus replied, "I really can't explain it... you have to understand things in a certain, fundamental way... talking about it would be pointless. You have to see it personally, it's how I learned." Arkus responded, "Ok, show me then." Blitukus replied, "I can't, that's far past what I can do." Arkus spoke, "Ok then, I'll have to get it out of you somehow... I can read minds if the subject is cooperative. Have a seat, and then you can show me much more directly." Blitukus nodded, "Sure." Blitukus sat down in a chair, and projected his mind, allowing it to surface... it was how he imagined it would work. Arkus sat down across from Blitukus. Blitukus sensed Arkus accepting the offer... Blitukus then focused himself on Arkus, overlaying his sense of all dimensions on top... what he saw was perfectly clear, truly everything was revealed... but his mind had, when this was first forced into it, re-wired itself to effectively work on those levels, and as such... Blitukus heard in his mind the thought of Arkus, "What?! All I see is some twisted-up froth!" The contact was ended, and Blitukus ceased projecting his complete view. Blitukus spoke, "You are probably not thinking in enough dimensions." Arkus spoke, "I've got a 3-dimensional dynamic view, that's as high as it goes." Blitukus asked, "Have you tried viewing such things in all 11 dimensions?" Arkus replied, "Why, I wouldn't know where to start with that! My mind has never gone beyond 4... yet..." Blitukus spoke, "There is no way for me to show this to you... you need to see it as it is and have reality force it into you. Just make sure you are ready for a LOT of mental strain! You will find your answers at the most basic and fundamental scales of space and time... you will know because space itself will seem to be a chaotic froth at such scales." Arkus hesitated, then commented, "I considered commandeering your brain, but in that case it would be pointless. I guess I have a new long-term goal. You've happened upon something very powerful, and I want to harness it myself... You know, I think they're right. There really is a lot more to some kobolds than meets the eye." Blitukus smiled proudly. Unfortunately that power was a double edged sword... but in an emergency, it just might save him... or make his fate come quicker. Either way, it would come in handy in an extreme case, should such a case ever happen. What an extreme case in these circumstances meant was on the bounds of all reason anyway, for it seemed his entire quest was in and of itself an extreme case.

[Reign on your Parade]

Nukes. Why didn't we make the connection to nukes? Stupid stupid stupid stupid.

[AlanL]

Nothing stupid about it really. A lot of people tend not to make the connection right away unless you basically outright say "mushroom cloud", something I tried to avoid doing. I was actually hoping some people wouldn't make the connection RIGHT away.

[Armok]

Beyond Quality!
(Is it just me, or do I ALWAYS begin whit "Beyond Quality!" and do you ALWAYS respond whit "Thank you  "?)

Okay, I should have been asleep 4 hours ago, So I will just be a bit quick, excuse me if I sound rude.
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I also still want to see what it does to living beings!!!  
Can't you please make that test be done, that game of catch showed that magics can be held by another person, so if he uses it only once more Kazo or Arkus would be able to steal it and...

I realized that the city in Blitukus dream in the beginning was probobly nuclear if that is what you are talking about, a city-obligating explosion coming out of a perversion of technology could not really mean anything besides Nukes or maybe antimatter.

One thing I have wondered ever since we meet Kazo is that if he is maybe from pises of other souls then what happened to those souls that went to the afterlife missing important parts?

Have Blitukus just forgotten to ask about the backup spell, that would be a very practical and mostly risk free thing to have.

I have tried to send a test PM and if you have revived it and send a response so that we know it works then we can use that for some more informal communication whiteout cluttering the entire forum.

quote: Actually, those 5 stories beforehand are 2 adventure mode ones, and 3 fortress ones. Adventure mode stories take 1-2 weeks it seems, judging by the first one, and considering the expanse of the second one, a fortress mode one might take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months. Assuming each fortress mode one is 1 month and each adventure mode one is 1.5 weeks, it comes out to 3 months and 3 weeks, although the real result will probably vary widely from that... although, Kazo might make an appearance in the 3rd of those 5 (the first fortress mode one), although he won't be doing much.

Good then!

Have you considered detaching this completely from DF? It seems that most DF related things are like that elephant man, a reference but not actually from DF itself, the best parts are really the parts away from DF completely, DF is a great game but to this story it's really only constraining, the only really convincing reason to not break free is your emotional ties, those are important however.

You also said somewhere that you usually come home a hour before I go to bed, have you taken into account that I usually post this 3 hours after I go to bed and should really be asleep.

I have my laptop in my bed writing late at night.
Have I told you I love computers very much... that sounded very wrong somehow.   :eek: [/incredibly blunt joke very unlike me]

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As usual all the paragraphs is in a completely random order *sighs* I must really not always wait until late after midnight to post these.

[Reign on your Parade]

Oh really? What about Biotechnology?

[AlanL]

Actually, I do tend to respond with a thank you. It's nice after all    

About testing it on living beings... actually that gives me an idea for how to fill some time in the story     Thanks, it probably would've gone to waste otherwise.

When it comes to other souls... I'm basically assuming that those other souls are in essence 'dead', however that can be applied to souls. If someone cuts your heart out to use in a project of some kind, it kills you, after all.

About the back-up spell, I thought I at least hinted that the spell was experimental/unstable, and could seriously mess up Blitukus' soul if it misfired.

I'll probably still use DF because it helps give a good template to base imagery and events on and is a source of randomness as well as a reference (especially when it comes to time). I use it when I need it (Fales adventure probably needed DF to have turned out so good), and don't use it when I don't (such as right now). It actually helps the story for me to use it when it comes in handy.

I'll think about it... but still, I think I'll have a lot more problems writing these without DF in some circumstances. Plus, it allows me to get screenshots.

Edit: I had to attend a family christmas dinner tonight, so I didn't have enough time to do an update. Sorry.

[ December 14, 2007: Message edited by: AlanL ]