Futuristic The Station

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Dorian nodded to both the girl he had just carried and the large reptilian that had fled at their coming, only to return when it saw they were not a threat. "Both are astute observations. I'd say it's similar to the Bishop Ring I was stationed on... Sorry, Ring World... Although, this place seems rather empty and lacking in any sort of artificial weather..." Dorian said, as he once more removed his helmet with a pressurized hiss. Tucking the advanced piece of hardware under his arm, he casually gave off an air of no longer giving a fuck.

The way I see it, we've been taken from various worlds and placed in the artificial one. So why not just go along with the idea possible mythical creatures exist too? He thought in a somewhat droll inner voice. Turning his attention away from the "Dragon", his gaze came upon the splicer with what looked to be a rather advanced looking holo-projector.

"Tell me sir, does that device produce Photonic resonating constructs, or Hard light? Or is it just regular holograms?" He asked, actually curious of the tech. Either way, he would have to scan it later and see if he could make use of the tech via his QANF.

"But where are my manners?" The JST asked casually as he straightened up. "Sergeant Major, Dorian Black, 76th Republic Juggernaut Shock Troops." He said in a rather formal manner. With the Introduction out of the way, he awaited for the other two to respond.

Mitheral Pokeking Spoiled Bread

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Eeriel

Eeriel jumped back when she realized the other two figures with them there, she almost forgot. Her eyes kept moving between the talking gorilla and the talking lizard. Intellectually-boosted animals? She read somewhere that in her world before human dabble in homunculus technology they experimented a lot to make intelligent animals, dubbed zoaholic. There barely any of them left though so meeting these two piqued her curiousity even further. The lizard also seemed to be watching her. At least they weren't hostile so Eri didn't pull her gun out, although she did stood behind Dorian and only partially exposed herself.

"Eeriel." Following Dorian, Eri also introduced herself, though it was much shorted compared to before. She's only obliged to disclose her details to human. Instead she added some infos that she deemed relevant to the lizard's words.

"The 'sun' is probably somewhere between 10 to 15 kilometers up there" She pointed at the shining circle thing above them. Her eyes wander around as Eri tried to recall more information "and yes, I don't see much on the horizon too during the flight."

HighSanguinaryPriest Pokeking Mitheral

 

[Mitheral]

The child’s mind was so much clearer and easier to comprehend than the others. Bornite found he could hear her at a greater distance. More importantly, concepts translated better. Until this moment he had had much difficulty with concepts such as measurements. He had always understood them in vague amounts like a day’s travel.

Overshadowing her comments was the introduction by the armored biped. It sounded like he had several. His introduction was a mouthful, and if Bornite were any judge, formal. When Dorian was done, Bornite was still unsure what the biped’s name was. Of course, noone would expect a child to observe such formalities. Bornite was no child though. So he huffed himself up to his full height (with forepaws still grounded), and came up with an introduction of his own.

“I am Bornite of Medea, of … of … the isle of Dragons, uhm … traveller of the Obelisk Gateway, Savior of Elves, and Wisest of Dragons,” he announced proudly. “Welcome to Cosmic Joke.”

Astute had sounded like a compliment. But his question to the larger biped was confusing. It translated something like: Does that Thing make Light Bouncing Things, or Hard Light? Or is it just regular Light? The strange question provoked his curiosity.

“What is the difference between a Light Bouncing Thing and a Hard Light? Is the Bouncing Light a Play Thing? How can Light be a Thing? His Thing is a Thing that makes Things … Light Things? Interesting.”

Pokeking Spoiled Bread HighSanguinaryPriest

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Dorian couldn't help but chuckle at the Dragon's naming of the construct they were on. "It really does seem like a Cosmic Joke. As for what Hard Light is.... Hmm. What's a good way to explain it...." He said rubbing his chin in thought. "Hard light is like a sunbeam but can be felt like a solid. Like a rock. It has mass and can be used for many things." He explained in a way befit for a child's understanding. Shrugging he turned to look at the group in large.

"There are two more individuals we need to find. I suggest we stick together. We are on an unknown construct and numbers will be the best thing for our survival." He said changing the subject to more pressing matters. "Once we find them, we need to find someplace to shelter and get our bearings. During our flight, I spotted some mountains. Might be our best bet. Plus the resources would be helpful."

Spoiled Bread Mitheral Pokeking

 

[Pokeking]

It wasn't the first time that Shane chided himself for not reacting to things as one might expect. Ever since he was a small child of roughly five, he had worked with his parents on one task or another. He had learned much including some of their more oddball habits such has super focused on whatever they had in front of them. Even if he had noticed and started to make a run for it, he easily would have been overtaken. If he was a true gorilla and knuckle walked like his simian forbearers, he would have been quicker. As it was, his running gate was more of a wobble. He also wasn't a great swimmer.

Shane looked at Bornite, "I don't like this place either. The sooner we find the exit, the better. I suspect whoever constructed this place and dropped us off here wants to make sure we stay put. If one goes through all this trouble, why make it easy to get out?"

When Dorian introduced himself, Shane felt a since of familiarity even he knew that he wasn't home at the Colony or any place he knew off. Being at Marfa, he came in contact with lots of vessels and people of all sorts including members of the United Earth Services. They would introduce themselves by rank or title and then their name. He stood formally and fell into what was routine for him, "Technician Shane Marconi. To answer your question, I use the term photonics, but I can create all sorts of holograms of varying qualities. I generally avoid the more complex ones because it chews up lots of memory."

Shane nodded in a respectful way when Eeriel introduced herself. He felt that there wasn't much more to say about himself or about their situation besides, "I think we should keep moving."

HighSanguinaryPriest Mitheral Spoiled Bread

 

[Hazmat44]

Verse examined the ground carefully. There was an abundance of rocks he'd never seen before scattering the ground, and he couldn't resist taking a few for later sampling. Even as he straightened to walk away, the P.C.M.I.T. on his back began examining the varied minerals. He'd take a look at them later when he found the way out.

There was bound to be a way out, somewhere. The jungle couldn't last forever. A decent immediate priority would be finding a place where he could better observe the surrounding area, although he had no excitement towards having to climb whatever it was that might constitute high ground in a jungle.

After a few more minutes of walking, wherein he slowly grew exponentially more irritated, he picked up an interesting sound. He wasn't sure what it was at first; muted by trillions of leaves and humid air-

Wait.

The air wasn't humid.

...Well, that was just wrong. He was a biologist in fauna, not flora, but he was certain that with this level of greenery, the air itself should be on the verge of being a liquid. The fact it wasn't was yet another worrying facet of the frustrating gemstone of an experience he'd been having.

He identified the sound a moment later.

It was voices.

Pokeking HighSanguinaryPriest Spoiled Bread Mitheral

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Eeriel

"Cosmic Joke, huh. I see." Eri seemed to be seriously considering it as a name. Well, for her there's no other option. Until whoever put them there tell them directly she would refer to this event as Project Cosmic Joke. Honestly, Eri didn't mind being put in another experiment as long as it's not painful but she know most people wouldn't think like that. Even the talking gorilla expressed his desire to get away.

"If we want to get out from here, maybe we should follow the flow of water. It usually leads to the exit." Eri suggested. She wasn't an expert on biodome construction but at least she did know that the water in an artificial environment couldn't recycle by itself so scientist usually install processing facility, which needs maintenance, which means door to the outside.

 

[Mitheral]

“Sergeant Major, Dorian Black, 76th Republic Juggernaut Shock Troops,” Bornite managed to belt out the name formally, “Would you be offended if we used the first part of your name for brevity … Sergeant? Most bipeds I have met have difficulty remembering such a prestigious name. For me, perhaps simply Bornite will do.”

It was Eri’s speech that really hurt his mind. It wasn’t so much that it was forceful or difficult to ‘hear’. Children were always easier to understand. Eeriel mind speech was so much clearer that any Elf that Bornite had ever met. In fact it was not unlike the minds of the Aurelian Seer, or the Seer’s apprentice, a M’taran (feline biped) named Matilda. But what hurt his mind were all the new concepts his mind was encountering.

For once his ability to grasp new concepts was crippling him. He could understand Eri. The concepts were coming too fast. Biodome. Processing Facility. The concepts were very new. He had mistaken this place for just a simple aquarium, perhaps built for some godlike being. And the processing? He understood the smelting of ore. This processing was somehow different. The best his mind really understood with any ease was the use of a strainer such as a cook used.

His pulse was pounding as he struggled to absorb this new information. “High ground is something we KNOW is there. We need to find or dig a cave for safety. Perhaps the Sergeant can scout quickly to see if Eeriel is correct about the exit. Is there a way to create a map that we can all see? Perhaps with this hard light?” It was a not so subtle way of trying to ask Shane to make some of the hard light for him to look at. He still found the idea hard to believe.

Hazmat44 HighSanguinaryPriest Pokeking Spoiled Bread

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Before Dorian could answer either of them, his motion tracker caught his eye, causing him to hold up a hand for silence. One of the individuals was making their way towards them, and the other just vanished, as if taken through a gate or dropped out of range. This both piqued his curiosity and concern. "Someone's approaching..." He said in a near whisper.

Grabbing his N17, he directed Eri and the others to the direction the contact was approaching. With a couple of hand gestures towards the young woman, he pointed two fingers at he visor at what seemed to be eye-level, then in the exact direction of the figure, raising his sidearm and directing her to do the same. If it proved to be hostile, the two would be ready to blow it away with 12.7mm AP Rounds.

"Be ready to open fire if contact is hostile. Go for center of mass then put a few in the brainpan to be sure." He said in a whisper as he waived the other two back and down with his left hand.

Mitheral Spoiled Bread Pokeking Hazmat44

 

[Pokeking]

There was no more time for chatting. Upon being warned of the incoming being, Shane's brow ridge moved downward as the rest of his expression became hardened. He didn't know what to expect, but steeled himself to be ready for anything. He considered himself nonviolent because he knew what power his arms and hands were capable of. Ape arms capable of lifting trunks that were challenging for human males who were more muscular were capable of causing serious damage.

Shane disliked firearms, but knew that they had their purpose. Back home, advanced firearms were kept in the armory which was under heavy guard. The colonists preferred to arm themselves with weaponry more familiar to the Garenians such as machetes, spears, and bows with arrows. However, these were made of materials that the colonists were more accustomed to. If he had to be violent, he preferred to have his hands do the talking. If he had to use a weapon, then give him a bat made of duranium. Yes, Shane thought of being handed a bat made of the same ultra strong metal used in alloys for the construction of starship hulls.

As it was, he just had his hands to rely on. At Dorian's signal, he crept to the side to a strategic spot. Shane readied himself by squatting on the ground and steading himself with his knuckles to assume a posture that seemed like that of the true gorilla.

Hazmat44 HighSanguinaryPriest Mitheral Spoiled Bread

 

[Hazmat44]

Verse moved closer to the voices and brushed aside the shrubbery before him. They'd switched to a hushed tone, which meant he couldn't tell where they were for a brief moment, but he was reasonably confident he was moving in the correct direction.

Looking up, he found himself greeted by a rather large gun, held by a rather large soldier. If he'd had a forehead, it would have creased. There hadn't been a war in millennia, not since the hives joined together - where had this person obtained an antique like a projectile-based weapon? Or... any kind of weapon, really.

His confusion only mounted as he saw the gorilla. Humoid splicing had been around for a while, but wasn't especially helpful. Why limit yourself to a primate species when the entirety of cybernetic cranial transition was available to you?

The small wide-eyed girl, clutching a handgun far too large for her, made him pause, but it was the fourth member of the mismatched group that made him wonder if his circuits were fried.

It appeared to be a dragon.

Which was, of course, impossible, he immediately assured himself. Dragons did not exist. Certain species of reptile were rather large, sure, and there were all too many genetically modified ones, but this lizard bore no signs of any splicing or deoxyribonucleic modifications. Meaning... what, exactly? That there was a mythological creature constrained by legend in front of him? Ridiculous.

Ignoring the gorilla and the two humanoids, he pointed straight past them at the creature. "What is that?"

HighSanguinaryPriest Pokeking Mitheral Spoiled Bread

 

[Mitheral]

Bornite wriggled back and forth trying to use the smaller bipeds in front of him for as much cover as possible. He hated this being out in the open almost as much as the idea of a jungle. Then as the spider - man Thing got closer he became even more unsure of the situation.

“It is filled with Sky Fire. I think it is a Sky Fire Golem. I have never heard of one. But you never know what some mage might create in his laboratory. Maybe the other being that dissappeared is controlling it? Maybe it was afraid of us and sent it to speak through.

“I am a dragon. I am called Bornite. My species has no spoken language. But that is the thought I project when I identify myself. I chose the name because I resemble the rock that bears the same colors. I am unique among my kind. Mine is the gift of understanding of Things and language. I am the Namer of Things. Welcome to Cosmic Joke.

“The armored one is Sergeant Major, Dorian Black, 76th Republic Juggernaut Shock Troops. The young elven female is Lady Eeriel. The large biped is Technician Shane Marconi, Bringer of Light Things. Are you of this realm - or were you brought here unexpectedly? And how shall we name you?”

HighSanguinaryPriest Hazmat44 Pokeking Spoiled Bread

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Eeriel

Eeriel mimicked what Dorian did by raising her gun and pointed it at the incoming figure, which turned out to be an android?? And what was that spider-like thing on its back?? Eri didn't know much about android but if it asked basic question such as what Bornite was then its probably in the same situation as them. Bornite then proceed to introduce himself in a more elaborate manner than before, which gave Eri a bit more insight about him, and also popped out more questions. She would probably inquire him about some of it later but for now she would keep aiming her gun at the newcomer until Dorian said otherwise.

 

[Pokeking]

Shane was not expecting a robot to appear. He knew of robots and had his father Angelo Marconi been here, he would have been jubilant. Maybe a little sorrowful. The ape could tell that whoever or whatever constructed this being was a maestro. What was before him was more advanced than any he had encountered. Blame prejudice. Many disliked robots. There was a distinct correlation between how advanced a robot was and how much contempt one showed that robot. His father wouldn't have minded encountered such a being. Rather, he would have enjoyed the event. Then reality would set in and know that a robot such this would face such intense and irrational scorn.

Shane himself had a robot which was constructed by his father to be a playmate because all the other children laughed and rejected him. Made of titanium, it resembled a two foot tall doll. As peculiar as it seemed since Shane was an adult, the robot remained with him as a cherished companion. A brief moment of sadness. I miss Mendel.

Shane grunts as he remains in position with eyes full of alertness in case the robot was more foe than friend.

Hazmat44 HighSanguinaryPriest Mitheral Spoiled Bread

 

[Hazmat44]

Verse stared at the motley crew with a perfectly even gaze, fully taking in everyone present and acknowledging each and every presence. The giant military man with an outdated gun in mint condition. The giant humoid gorilla with a cautious, if not interested, expression. The small girl aiming a similarly sized gun at him. And, of course, the self-identified dragon in the back.

He promptly rebooted himself.

It only took a fraction of a second for his functions to fully shut down and then turn back on, but it regrettably did not erase the relative nightmare of biological and logical improbability before him. He performed a quick diagnostics check and confirmed that yes, his eyes were functioning perfectly well. There wasn't even the slightest chance of it being an illusion - he could quite literally see their biologies even from the distance he was at. The girl had an unusually high brain amount of brain activity, and he didn't have the slightest clue as to what in Crave's name was going on with the... dragon... and its biology.

What to do?

He had nothing prepared in the way of a logical response to something as stupidly ridiculous as an utterly impossible situation of this grade. Ergo, the only remotely logical thing he could do... was accept the impossible as reality. For the time being, at least.

Shaking his head, he bent at the waist to an angle of seventy-eight degrees parallel to the ground in the bare minimum bow. "Greetings," He said flatly. "My name is Verse."

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Dorian still kept the weapon trained on the android but he had the feeling he wouldn't need it at the time. Still, it didn't hurt to be safe the sorry. That being said, he lowered said weapon but did not holster it. Looking towards Eeriel out the corner of his eye he spoke. "Lower your weapon, but do not holster it." Returning his full attention back to the android before him he addressed the synthetic intelligence.

"What is your primary function Verse?" He said straightening up a bit as too appear even less hostile. With a quick glance towards his motion tracker, he found no other contacts, which put the soldier slightly on edge. He knew he had seen another contact on it. Nothing just up and disappears.

Mitheral Spoiled Bread Hazmat44 Pokeking

 

[Hazmat44]

"My primary function is biological and geological examination," Verse replied, looking the soldier up and down. "Where did you get a gun? I haven't seen one in centuries. And you-" He turned to the gorillic humoid. "Your limbic system is dispensing notable amounts of cortisol. I'm legally obliged to request that you find a therapist, or at least someone to talk to." Glancing at the young girl, he performed yet another bioscan. She... was still more or less normal. Now that he thought about it, the excess brain activity could potentially be attributed to a higher intellect, which meant she might've been the most intelligent person in the group. He directed his attention to her, somehow ignoring the dragon in the back of the group. "Are you the leader of the group?"

HighSanguinaryPriest Spoiled Bread Pokeking

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Seeing the Synthetic was not a threat, Dorian fully relaxed and maglocked his sidearm to his right thigh-plate. "I'm a Sergeant Major of the Militant Republic. The very fact that you have to ask how i had acquired a firearm, and that you had not seen one in such a time lends credence to my theory. We've all been pulled from our previous dimensions and for whatever reason, been stuck here. Wherever here is..." He replied, as he made a mental note to mark the android as well as the ape and dragon as non-hostile/friendly in his armour's FOF system.

Taking his eyes off the synthetic intelligence, he made a quick look around, taking in his surroundings. The Sun of this Construct had not moved, and the eerie silence of the grasslands and jungle only made the JST uncomfortable. When Verse addressed his companion Eri, asking if she was the group leader, he himself began to ponder a similar question. "Negative. No form a leadership has been given to anyone, Seeing as we all just met. But that can all wait. Right now i suggest we find both higher ground and a place to construct a potential shelter. Preferably in an area with high mineral content, or metals." The trooper said looking around at the group. "During our jump, I spotted some rocky terrain and what might possibly pass for mountains roughly ten klicks from here. I'm not sure how long the day-night cycle on this construct is, but i would prefer to be holed up somewhere potentially secured before night falls."

Mitheral Pokeking Spoiled Bread Hazmat44

 

[Pokeking]

Shane got back to his feet as he was relieved by Verse's answer. He then grunted back at the android suggestion, "I have a therapist already. Her name is Mother. I will take your suggestion under advisement and let her know. If we ever find the exit and a way home." His mind strained from how inconceivable it was. Hence his earlier remark that this was a cosmic joke. A being or beings capable of such feats were not to be underestimated.

Shane nodded at Dorian's declaration, "Sounds like a plan. I could also construct some type of holographic camouflage. Inside the field, we can see out but anyone on the outside would just see rocky terrain." If he had the time, he would get right on it, but knew that they had to keep moving. "Food. That's also important. We just can't afford to be picky and we would need to ration whatever we find." He could go for a slice of pizza right now, but a pizza parlor in a place like this would have been silly.

Hazmat44 HighSanguinaryPriest Mitheral Spoiled Bread

 

[Mitheral]

Bornite spoke up. “Sergeant Major Dorian Black.” He had finally comprehended the differences in status or rank, name, and origins. Bipeds often used such words to convey their individuality. But he wasn’t sure yet if the rank should be ignored yet. He had also noticed that bipeds often shortened names for brevity. “Yes, food would be good. I carry SOME food. Good for most bipeds and preserved for travel. Some was a gift from the Elves. I traded for other kinds. Some I accepted as gratitude for aid rendered. I did not wish to offend by refusing.

“I have lembas, banana honeycake, krenbread, and something called dragoncake - though I have no idea why. I think it might have been humor. Most of those truly are the best for me. The rest is really the food I need to survive. I have little of that. Oh .. and I have endless water, but hardly enough to survive for long in dry lands. The ShenShen liked the honeycake. Technician Shane may like it.

“I agree that high ground would be safest. I can begin digging caves for us. But as you are bipeds I will need to be careful. Sky Water can fill caves up if not dug properly.”

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Eeriel

Eeriel was just happy that she didn't need to use her gun. The last mission was still fresh in her mind. Alex told her to shoot the target, but she hesitated because she knew the target was innocent, then the target shoot Alex and she immediately shoot the target. Unnecessary sacrifice for unnecessary sentiment. She didn't even know whether Alex survived the ordeal or not and now she's here, together with people who, according to Sir Dorian, were pulled from different dimension. She knew mages back in her world were able to conjure demons from the infernal realm so the existence of another world wasn't an alien concept for her, but she still couldn't wrap up why she's the one chosen to be here...

Back to the present situation. It seemed everyone agreed that their first of action was too secure a high ground and acquire foods. Eri had zero experience on wilderness surival so she wasn't sure how she could help, but she perked up when she heard Bornite said he had some foods on him. Those foods sounds delicious and Eri wanted to contribute something too so she went ruffling through her pockets.

"I have chocolate, gums and cat foods." Comparing what she had with Bornite's she quickly realized she might be the least prepared for this Cosmic Joke experiment, and the thought of it made her scared because that means she's the most useless, and a homunculus shouldn't be useless. "I-I can help foraging for food! There's no animals so far so I think we can only rely on plants and fruits." She said in a slightly panicked tone.

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

"Let's hold off on any foraging. Right now we should have enough supplies, and any we don't have might be manufactured later." Dorian replied to the young woman as he gave the rest of the group a once over, before once more donning his helmet. With an audible click, the helmet sealed and once more linked to his armour. Reaching into one of his belt pouches he removed two Nutrient Bars, before passing one to each to Eeriel and Shane. "They taste like cardboard, but will keep ya sated for a day or so depending on your metabolism." With that done, he reached behind his head, and gripped his PDW. with a pull, it came away from the magplate, as he maglocked his N17 to his right thigh. With his weapon in hands, he made an about face towards the outcropping he spotted and took point.

"I'll scout ahead and keep the way clear. just keep heading in that direction. I'll mark the way with chem lights if it get dark before we arrive." He said as he reached into one of the belt pouches on his exoskeleton and removed said object. turning his head to look at Bornite he explained it in a layman's term. "It'll glow a lambent blue on the ground. Do not eat it..." He said the last part in a deadpan.

With a final glance around at the motley crew, he once more activated his jumpjets and rocketed into the air. After the third bound, he had already gone a mile. Grabbing one of the chem lights, he snapped the glass ampule inside and shook it, before dropping it at his feet.

Spoiled Bread Mitheral Hazmat44 Pokeking

 

[Pokeking]

Shane took the ration bar into his hands and placed it in one of the many pockets on his cargo pants. Although he was a tad hungry right now, he knew that the more critical task before them was to seek shelter. The ration bar didn't look like those that he knew of. Back home rations came in the form of half inch cubes. To a human of the early 20th century, they might look like candy. Grub-cubes had a day's worth of nutrients and were very filling. Plus they each came in a variety of flavors. His favorite were the pink ones which were strawberry flavored with the blue ones being blueberry as a close second.

He studied the chem light. Luminescent markers were something he was familiar with, but the one Dorian presented was different in appearance. Consider how similar a lemon appears to a lime, but noticeably different. The Garenians, although their technology level was mostly Neolithic, they knew of constructed artificial lighting. With fire, there was always a risk. For most illumination, they turned to kerium, an ore unknown to humanity before they came to Garene. In its polished form, the ore had a pinkish orange glow at night provided it had plenty of sunshine during the day.

Dorian then hit Shane with something his eyes had never seen before as he saw the sergeant blast off. The gorilla's eyes bulged in awe as he had never seen anything like it before. Knowing that time was important, he ran after him in the direction indicated. His running gait wasn't like that of a human's. There was a certain undulation to Shane's. It might have been comical enough to laugh at had the situation not been so dire. If he had human feet, his run would have been normal. Since he possessed ape feet, a part of his body wanted to act accordingly and run by using his knuckles, but was impeded by his humanoid shape. As a result, his body wobbled as he ran.

Hazmat44 HighSanguinaryPriest Mitheral Spoiled Bread

 

[Hazmat44]

Verse decided to finally give into his scientist's curiosity and ignored everyone except the dragon, approaching it with mild caution and equipped with an insatiable thirst for more knowledge. "Your name is Bornite, correct?"

As he asked the question, he performed another quick bioscan of the dragon. He was detecting organic elements that appeared in nothing else he'd ever encountered, but at the same time Bornite's biology shared many similarities to lizards, but its brain.

That was the coup de grace of the whole creature. It was an incredibly complex piece of biomuscular activity, even compared to an average brain. The only problem was that he couldn't figure out anything about how Bornite worked. Ideally, he'd dissect the dragon, but that would require a fully equipped and stocked lab, not to mention a number of assistants and operatives, to say nothing of the sheer cost of acquiring tools to properly examine the reptile.

That, and he was also in an unfamiliar place. It was probably best to avoid dismantling the self-proclaimed mythological creature.

Mitheral

 

[Mitheral]

“Yes. Bornite is the name of the rock I resemble in one of the Ancient Languages of my world. But we can discuss these things once we are safe.” He began ambling along in the direction the rest were going. Hw would run alongside, then ahead, then fall back, then … He was practically circling them. Bipeds were so slow.

Very quickly Bornite realized that Shane was never going to be able to keep up. The biped’s legs seemed ill suited to long distance travel. And the golem Verse? The creature seemed unwilling to alter his speed.

The child Lady Eri was able to fly. Of all of them she was safest. And the golem wasn’t really a living creature.

Bornite felt the urgency of their plan to move and “dig in.” He had heard that expression before. He was loath to suggest what he was going to suggest. “Technician Shane, I am NOT to be regarded as a beast of burden. But … in the interest of expediency, perhaps I should --” he hesitated, half snorted half groaned, “carry you? You would need to hold onto my saddlebag harness. I can get us there much quicker.”