[ORP] Nothing to Sneeze At (MINIBOSS PG 18!!)

[its me debz]

Lurks emerged from the veritable pile of garbage with bright orange eyes, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"I do not care about the how. I want to know the after! I like hunters very very much, and want to pet and keep them forever and ever and ever." He had walked among them for months and months, cheerfully pretending. It only made him want to tug one by the wrist and take them home for his personal acquisition. If minipets were pets, why could humans not be? They could not make fear, but that almost made it better. A luxury object, to keep.

"If they live, if their job is done and the spores have spread, can I have one? Oh! Or two?"

A host of fluttering black moths swarmed around Lurks' crown of horns in his excitement, an equal amount of little shadowy scorpions skittering around his feet in a teeming mass.

Seusxsi

Medigel

 

[Toshihiko Two]

Xala showed up a little late, just in time to hear the tail end. She was looking particularly cheery today, with a puffy, minty outfit. She smelled like cinnamon, cocoa powder, and blood.

She had close to zero knowledge of the various power struggles, and was mostly hoping for a nice meet up, or maybe an opportunity to get a hold of some more exotic ingredients. She had only been an official Alchemist for about four and a half months, and while she didn't always see...eye-to-eye with her creative colleagues, she certainly had her own ideas.

"Oh! A marinade!" She chirped, locking her fingers. "Did you two need recipes?"

mexdigel

Sexussi

 

[Seussi]

Wraths I'm being talked about senses were tingling almost immediately, and a suspicious stare was cast Na's way before he let out a huff and leaned against the back wall, turning his attention then to the tall man beside him.

The tall man who was apparently a bit of a snooty snob type. Well, la-dee-dah. However rankling that might have been, though, Wrath managed a cool smile in return, and a shrug of broad shoulders. "I am quite certain that you would know about as much as I do, or perhaps even more, as I know very little." While he attempted to keep his voice hushed, it still managed to practically boom.

Wrath totally missed Falair looking in his direction, likely because she looked away again so quickly but also because he was now engaged in a sudden new arrival...with her new arrival. Wrath found his eyes quickly drawn to the bundle that Nergui was holding. "Priestess." He greeted her, managing to tear his eyes away to look her in the face. "Is that...?" His voice trailed off as his gaze went down again, and quite suddenly, he was beaming.

"Can I hold him?" He asked, excitement leaking into his voice.

Before he knew it, however, the war horsemen had made their rather dramatic appearance. Dark eyebrows raised, and the large death soldier looked wholly unimpressed by it's finish. Already, many from famine were raising questions, including the ever delightful Cym, who had apparently swept unseen into the room while the war couples antics were occurring.

Wrath himself found that, while the concept was interesting enough, that the lack of information seemed a little suspicious, but with his only immediate question already being fielded by Sal, he kept himself silent for now while awaiting for some answers.

eight

what

kuropeco

beejoux

 

[Yayoi]

A wide grin spread her lips hidden behind her mask in Salbei's direction. She caught his last statement and could only grin wider. Reaching her eyes until her attention was drawn to the two War Clansman who appeared.

It was time to turn on her listening ears and so she did. Still holding on to Na'ima's arm as what they spoke of set into her brain. And then her thoughts became rapid fire.

"Are the spores a one time use kind of thing? Will it make the host contagious? Oh! Contagions are fun."

Eight

Enoh Love

Seussi

medigel

 

[medigel]

Eight

"You mentioned incubating in a host. I assume the host is a hunter, yes? How would you get one of these spores onto or into a host?"

After Cymbeline's wonderful inquiry, several more questions began to follow, the first of which coming from a mare of Famine that Shaheen did not quite recognize, though she knew the woman who stood with her as one named Falair. "An excellent query." She grinned, giving Na'ima a nod.

"But yes, when I say white coated filth, I am referring to the hunters. They may have their shields, but they are not an impregnable fortress. They may have their technology, but even that has its limits. We will let you figure out that which could otherwise be quite difficult, because you are horsemen, and what's more, you are of Famine. You are of course all so very clever." She tapped the side of her head. "And I am sure you will find a way."

"One of your Elders has ideas. Even Hunters must breathe," was all Shik added to it with an ominous and delighted tone.

Enoh Love

"Will you be supplying us with test subjects?" He asked Shikoba and Shaheen, playing off of Na'ima's question regarding Hunters. Surely they couldn't make one without extensive testing to ensure that it worked. "And, as a follow up, is it your intention to use the survivors as carriers of the finished spore, or will you be looking for other modes of transmission?"

Next sure turned towards Sal. "Are you in such desperate need for a test subject, Sage? Are you not so confident in your abilities without one?" she teased, before adding, "How about a minipet, will that suffice?" She was tempted to tack on a for now, but cut herself off short.

As for the rest of it, she simply laughed, and gave a shrug of her shoulders, her wings rising and falling with the motion. "That is for later. For now, we must focus on what is more immediately important, which is the creation of the spores themselves."

Apparently these were what she considered to be sufficient answers. Perhaps she'd spent too much time around Medea, who was the absolute queen of dodging direct explanation and leaving most things to interpretation.

lurks beneath

"If they live, if their job is done and the spores have spread, can I have one? Oh! Or two?"

Shikoba barked a laugh. "It is possible we may keep one or two for our own purposes," he told the little one of Many. "It very much depends on how lively our prey is. And how lucky." For even he understood that a simple spore could have its own permutations, and they had more to test past this before drawing their own conclusions. Boring as it was, it was necessary.

"It would be remiss of us not to invite our kin to the main event after all. Should one catch your eye, and should they survive long enough--and should your contribution to our experiment be sufficient--we would consider it your compensation for time and effort."

Toshihiko Two

"Oh! A marinade!" She chirped, locking her fingers. "Did you two need recipes?"

"In a sense. One Elder has already pledged to help us," and Shik nodded towards a figure who was only then choosing to peek out from the entrance to the observatory, a bundle of robes and jingling bells that hid everything but a pair of glinting eyes from sight. "They have already created a base mixture of sorts: something to allow more than just Famine's influence. It is you who will provide the rest for us."

Yayoi

Are the spores a one time use kind of thing? Will it make the host contagious? Oh! Contagions are fun."

Shik shifted on his perch as if pondering the idea. He never did think too far ahead beyond the present, and while he could appreciate the power of the disease they were hoping to make, at heart he was still one who preferred the conflict of creature versus creature.

"It's a possibility," he replied after a moment. "But this spore is in its infancy still, or will be. We do not want to alert the hunters so soon as to what we're plotting. Their technology, especially in the realm of medicine, is unfortunately formidable, and they themselves are hardier than mere humans. No, we must take this in little steps, that it may make a greater journey." Though his wings rustled with quiet impatience, despite having long since resigned himself to the wait. "Our reason to call you here is so that we may make a greater amount of this formula and quickly. It will not be a one time infection--this one must be allowed to go deeper than the skin."
 

[Enoh Love]

"I simply hoped, since we are to do the work, that you would provide the necessary materials." Salbei replied to the teasing with a cool shrug. He put her reply to some thought, and gave a slow tilt of his head. "Minipets will suffice as beginning trial-and-error, but if your goal is to incapacitate Hunters, we will need a Hunter to test it on. Their biology and anatomy is vastly different from the FEAR-born, and we will need to ensure that this new disease will even catch hold of them."

With a small hum, he listened to the rest of the questions, and the rest of the answers. It was interesting to him that they already had the spore, that they simply needed many to work towards fortifying it, and creating more of it. At least it was air-borne, which made things a little bit easier. Perhaps they'd be creating carriers. They worked just as well. He never did pass up an opportunity to play with spores and transmittable diseases. They were always the most fun.

"What is our time frame, and where may we acquire this infant spore and other such materials to begin?"

show spoilerhide spoiler

seussi

medigel

 

[prolixity]

Encouraged by the lack of swatting from the sage, Qarah had produced a small, shiny black beetle with distinct, elegant grooves down its wing cases from within one of its sleeves, and offered it for Liang's inspection as it listened to the questions from the assembled and the answers they were given. Then it heard a too-familiar and heartily disliked voice rise out of the crowd, and turned a little, craning its head, until it spotted Lurks. Then it glared. If Lurks was going to earn a human, well then, Qarah was going to do it too.

"I want to help, can I help," it asked Salbei, mostly keeping itself from being whiny.

Baneful

Enoh Love

lurks beneath

 

[Eight]

They had her at hunters need to breathe. Na'ima's excitement was nearly palpable at that point. "That type of infliction is my favorite!" Na'ima said with unusual, for her, volume. Oh, this was the best. Her grasp on Falair tightened. She turned to her sister with wide eyes, even her veil couldn't hide her smile. Yes. Her voice lowered as the excited mare chattered at her sister. "I am more than happy to play with spores, especially if the hunters will be breathing them oh I could find a way to make them breed and before they know it there will be too many for them to handle and eradicate and they will have to either quarantine or abandon the island and then we could herd them together taking them out in groups or all at once where is Rathsvith I need to.."

Someone's happy.

Finding him again in the crowd she moved, dragging the younger mare with her until she was at Wrath's side and tugging at his vest. "Spores. I--what is that.." The bundle in Nergui's arms was distracting.

Yayoi

Seussi

Beejoux

 

[Seussi]

"Some of the work." She corrected, "We all put in our equal efforts." She let what she considered to be an all out lie roll off of her tongue. Equal efforts? Bah. She'd been working tirelessly to right what she considered to be a great many wrongs since the fall of the isles. She considered her particular achievements to be insurmountable, and of the utmost significance, while every one else simply coasted along.

But it wouldn't do to say any of that out loud. She knew much better than that, especially when she did, in fact, require at least a little help from time to time.

"Of course, I will be more than willing to provide you with whatever you need, when the time comes." Her eyes glittered, "But why stop at just one hunter when you could have many." Her gaze shifted towards Lurks, amused, though her smile was vicious. "Many, many."

When Sal asked another question she turned her attention back towards him. "We will get to that shortly, I think." She flicked a look towards the Elder Shik had spoken of, before looking towards her mate himself, a silent question: Are we ready to move on?

enoh love

lurks beneath

medigel

 

[Eight]

A foal. Na'ima knew what foals were. Why was there one here. Golden eyes narrowed slightly as her excitement seemed to settle, and as Nergui shifted to offer the filly to Wrath she leaned back, eyes widening. Wrath what are you doing.

Yayoi

Seussi

Beejoux

 

[Seussi]

Wrath soon found his attention split. Nergui, foal, answers to important questions, and then, Na'ima approached with her sister, just in time for Wrath to have the little bundle transferred into his burly arms.

"It's a baby, Na. Isn't it wonderful?" He asked, beaming.

"A filly? My apologies, then." He reached out with one metal claw clad finger and traced it delicately down the babies cheek. "Hello little one."

beejoux

idk

eight

quickest tag

 

[Eight]

Wrath was holding it. He was delighted by its presence. He looked so joyful to hold this foal in his arms. She held Falair tighter. "I...see that, yes. A filly.." Golden eyes darted between Wrath and the filly and then Nergui and then Wrath again. "Is..she yours?" She then asked with genuine concern.

Yayoi

Seussi

Beejoux

 

[Yayoi]

Falair allowed herself to be dragged by her sister over to the others. Apparently what was in the bundle the one mare was something exciting. She peeked a small look only for her face to fall flat at the sight of the foal.

Na'ima's increased interest in the foal seemed off but Falair's interest in it was at a flat zero. She had no time for foals or cooing and coddling them.

So she unwrapped her arm from Na'ima's to settle on the floor pulling out a small book from a pocket of her leather apron. The mare scribbling in it. She had no more questions and surely if someone else posed a question they would get a reasonable answer that she could work off of.

Beejoux

seussi

eight

medigel