Ruthless Galaxy: The Paradox Machine - IC

The party walked through the hallway, until they entered the large room. The older Vey gave a wave to Xej, then turned to look at the younger Mott. "Hold up there! We don't know if it's safe."

Upon seeing the table of food, the younger Mott had grabbed a plate and promptly begun helping himself. He shrugged. "A fellow can't think on an empty stomach. Yeek!" Mott suddenly gave a rather girlish shriek. The line of Anubi that had lined the hall had come off of their bases and walked into the room. They now stood blocking the entrance everyone had just come through.

The Cadet looked at the table rather suspiciously until Mott excitedly sat down and began gathering food. Zigwin's attitude towards the food suddenly changed.

Hmm... I mean, Vey told him not to do it... But he can't be entirely careless, right? I'm pretty sure that Vey isn't future Mott. Maybe Mott knows what he's doing? I dunno, maybe it's just me being hungry.

Before he made a decision, he heard Mott's scream. He abruptly turned around and saw the lines of Anubi (Not that he really knew what they were) blocking the exits. On impulse, he grabbed the nearest knife on his belt - a white one, filled with a "sleeping venom" of Xikarian design - and held it in front of him, ready to defend himself if necessary. Quietly, he muttered to himself, "It... it's a trap! They trapped us."

Jiiran grabbed a chair, prepared to use it as a weapon. The older Teglin whipped his guns out. The older Vey hobbled forward, and addressed the Anubi. "Who are you and what is the meaning of this?"

One of the Anubi stepped forward. "Forgive us for startling you," it said in a mechanical voice. "We welcome you all here. This is the Valley of Peace and Paradise, and you have been chosen as worthy to reside here. Please eat, if you wish." The Anubis indicated the food.

"Are you robots?" asked the younger Mott.

"That is correct," replied the Anubis. "If you have need of something, we are here to provide it. This facility contains many things designed for your pleasure, and when you are ready, we will gladly give you a tour of the building."

Ravage scowled, "'Residing' isn't exactly something I do, I can't stand being in one place for a long time, and that's exactly why I can't decide if I want to accept the multitude of proposals a certain man in my life has given me. I'm sorry, but if I settle anywhere, I'd want to have a family, because that's actually a possibility that I can afford to think about again. The man I love isn't even here, so what point is there in me thinking this place is paradise?" She flicked her tail, her beak wrinkling, baring her teeth. She had just pointed out the huge fact that this place obviously wasn't that great in her own opinion. She had also done so by stating a very personal matter that she was still conflicted over. Someone must have been asking after her, there was a man she cared about enough where she entertained the concept of marriage. Only Aarin, though, would probably have an idea of who that man would be, as Ravage, despite being a decorated officer well-known in the Galaxy, was at the same time shrouded in mystery. Nobody knew her past, nobody knew anything personal about her unless they met her, she was simply that good at keeping to herself. She must have been serious, though, about wanting a family, to say there was a person that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and that there wasn't any true happiness without him there. The only reason she could have kept turning him down was because she didn't think she was ready to stop vanishing into the galaxy, as she was known to do, for months at a time.

Scree looked at her, "Someone keeps proposing to you? Who?" She seemed incredibly curious, perhaps because the person in question had the affections of her future self.

Ravage shot Scree a murderous look, "Why would I tell you who I am considering marrying? That's not even my point! My point is that my home is wherever there are people I know and love. It has nothing to deal with a place, or things! There is still the matter of the fact that the dead are somehow alive, and we're running into our past-selves."

Xej saw as the others came in but barely acknowledged them, preferring they didn't pay him much attention.
The Minor unit glanced at the table of food, and briefly considered checking it out. However, his paranoia kept him from giving too much hope to the possibility, though if things became desperate he would return to the table - assuming any of the food would be left.  He was studying the style of architecture, different from what he had known, when the one called Mott let out a scream when what had earlier appeared to be lifeless statues moved to close the entrances. He was fairly nervous upon seeing the blockage, but relaxed when he saw they were benevolent. This was the first time Xej had allowed himself to relax, and he noticed it.

The armor Xej wore shimmered as sunlight beamed upon it for a moment when the Jorro'kil walked past the reach of a window up above. Stepping in front of an Anubis, he asked, "If you are caretakers then can you not tell us - me - why we are here? I know you've answered.. but I am not satisfied with the answer. There must be some other reason. This clearly should not be happening." He looked at the statue he had chosen to spoke to with a look that announced he intended to retrieve the answers he wanted.

Unsilenced Retribution clasped his hands and bowed to Zigwin, the customary greeting. "It is a pleasure, Emperor." He then turned to Unit 8164392, examining his younger self. It was certainly him as a Chief Petty Officer, all of those years ago - But why? The other Wreae had started to do the same thing, looking over Unsilenced Retribution.

"A black hole power generation core, with an area for a secondary, more powerful energy source at the chest," 816 spoke aloud, "Armor design and material allows for massive amounts of energy transfer, suggesting weaponized power generation. Hydraulic strength is dangerous, even to the unit. Three Wreae cores suggest higher intelligence and give off signals more akin to that of organics than machines." The Wreae pasued. "Show me your identification." It seemed to be in disbelief as to the current event.

Unsilenced Retribution's palm folded back to reveal a hologram generator, which turned on to show the same unit number as the other Wreae, exceptions being statistics and ranking. "Whether you can believe it or not, we are one and the same," He spoke, looking directly at the other machine. "At any rate," He started, turning to the others, "I saw some other beings over at that tower, including... A Jorro'kil. Perhaps we should head there."

"I'll meet you there," The Emperor said, quickly turning around and heading straight towards the tower. In reality, Zigwin was doing this because he wanted to be alone. He had to think.

As he walked, he suddenly remembered to check his armor for his weapons. He found both of them: A sword and a gun. They were both cleverly hidden inside the machines attatched to his arm. If he wanted his sword, he just needed to flex his arm a certain way and it would pop out. The sword was venomous as well, so if used the right way, the receiver of the blow might get a dose of deadly venom. His gun was different; he'd need to treat it like an actual gun, but attached to his arm. All in all, this was very advanced technology, albeit not very powerful in the grand scale of things. Satisfied, but wishing he had more of his weapons at hand, Zigwin continued heading down the road.

He remembered Unsilenced Retribution and his younger self. He suddenly began to wonder if Xej had a younger or older version of himself. Maybe the Emperor had a younger or older version?

Probably younger, Zigwin thought, suddenly very angry. I'm going to die within the next few years. After a few seconds of rethinking this thought over and over, he started humming to himself. He needed to look on the bright side of things. As he walked, he realized that he could possibly convince his younger self to make some changes. Maybe he could find some way to...

He stopped humming when he realized that the entrance was barely 30 feet away. Zigwin peered inside, impressed at the architecture and the decoration. Finally, he walked inside, stopping when he was about 10 feet away from the entrance. He ended his train of thought with a "No, I'd better not risk it."

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The Cadet lowered his weapon, but didn't put it back in it's sheath. He was deep in thought.

Ch... Chosen? Why would I be chosen? Why not Tilus, or his  dad? Maybe a Puran Xikarian? I'm just a cadet! What could be so special about me? Maybe it's my intentions? Do they see my desire to overthrow Emperor Ruza... Good?

Satisfied with the answer, Zigwin was snapped back into reality. He then asked, "What about our homes? Are we going to be missed?" He wasn't quite sure that the Anubis heard it over the multitude of questions that everyone else was asking, though.

Frowns were on the faces of the older Mott, Aarin, and Vey, and especially on that of the older Teglin. Clearly this whole situation was highly unlikely to them. It was too good to be true. Still, they held their questions until everyone else received answers.

The Anubis who was acting as the spokesman turned to Xej first. "You are confused, I'm sure, but rest assured, the answer we have given is the reason. Still, I shall try to give you a more detailed explanation if that is what you prefer. The Master, one of great wisdom and power, has created this place as a haven and a place of rest and retirement for those he has chosen. You see, disaster is coming on the universe; the place you lived before shall soon be coming to an end. Therefore, the master seeks to preserve what is best in your dimension, so he has brought you all here, to protect you. He sees you, and you alone as being deserving of this."

The Anubis turned to Zigwin. "I fear your homes will all be gone before long. But fear not. Here you shall be provided with everything you could ever need or want."

The Anubis turned to Ravage. "Your desires are not unreasonable, and it is possible that arrangements could be made to satisfy that. Who is the man you speak of?"

"Hold on a moment," butted in the older Teglin. "I have a question. Why are the two of each of us?"

"That is a reflection of the mind of the Master. He remembers the past and looks to the future."

The older Teglin snorted. The Anubis' answer had essentially been a load of nothing. Suddenly the Anubis turned back to the entrance of the room through which everyone had come. "I see another person has arrived. Come in and welcome." The Anubi parted to allow Emperor Zigwin to enter.

Ravage had a highly unamused look on her face, choosing to ignore the response she had gotten out of the guard. She was not going to drag someone else into all of this chaos. In addition, his past and future self, like Ravage, was completely different. Anyone who knew about Ravage's personal life would know that she was in a relationship with a Cavernian by the name of Blair. Blair, however, wasn't a normal member of his kind. He had been injured badly in an accident, and Ravage had extracted mutagen from her blood to heal him. The results were that he was mutated into a super-soldier, similar to her. He had coped surprisingly well with his altered appearance, but the rages that he experienced had tormented him, much like they had Ravage. The mutated Krylonian still didn't know why he was able to love her, even after all the things she had put him through. One thing was certain, though, the man had a heart deeper than any ocean, and it was so big that almost anyone could have a place in it. He took everything in stride, and always knew exactly what a person was thinking. Ravage supposed that was why she had taken such a risk to save his life.

Brushing away the thoughts about such things, she turned to the future versions of her friends, but not before giving a respectful dip of the beak for the new arrival. She looked at the older Vey, Mott, Aarin, and Teglin, "If our universe is falling apart, shouldn't we have a right to know how, and moreover, why?" Her feathers bristled a bit, "I honestly don't trust this, and who is the Master, anyway, is he responsible for all of this?" She disliked this 'Master' immediately. It didn't take a genius to figure out that such things would bug her so greatly.

Scree came up behind Ravage, "I've never been on a field mission before in my life, but does anyone else think the answers to our questions are kind of vague?"

Xej stared at the Anubis statue, before turning around and pacing back and forth, slowly, from one side in front of the keeper to the other.

"So essentially - you know nothing." He said. "Tell me, this Master, if he has the capabilities to bring us from our time when the supposed collapse of the universe nears, he must be a person of great power. ls he immortal? And.. are you mortal?" He had his hands folded and his arms set behind his back. He let his fingers probe the back of his equipment belt, and found he still had two explosive grenades attached to it, excellent.

"And if you say we can be provided with anything we ever could want, then surely you can provide us with the same, intact universe we were brought from."

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The Zealot stopped for a moment, thinking about what Unsilenced had said about seeing another Jorro'kil, and he was quite interested in who it could be. Could there possibly be another version of him?

Anxiety growing slightly in him, Xej quickened his pace and stepped up alongside Unsilenced Retribution. "Tell me, Wreae.. Did you recognize the Jorro'kil?" He asked, looking into the machine's "face."

The Anubis turned to Xej, seeming to ignore Ravage's question. "You might say he is immortal. As for us. . ." The Anubis reached for it's own face, and unhooked something, so that it's face lifted away, to reveal a mechanized interior. The Anubi were all robots.

Replacing it's face, the Anubis continued to address Xej. "Alas, even the Master's power is limited. He would not be able to restore your own universe, but he can provide all you can need for this one."

"But who is the Master?" demanded the older Teglin, echoing Ravage's question. "I want to see him and speak to him myself."

The Anubis paused. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "That simply isn't possible. Would you care to eat now, or would you like to be shown around first?" The Anubis was clearly trying to change the subject.

"I don't want your food," snapped the older Teglin. "I want to see this Master of yours."

"Ah don't be such a wet blanket, Teg," said the older Mott cheerfully in a strangely loud and suddenly affable tone. "Come on everyone dig in and have some food. It's not everyday you get a free retirement home with all the perks provided." He grinned at everyone, but his eyes looked at everyone pointedly, saying Follow my lead.

Zigwin looked at the Anubis, debating on whether or not he could take them out. No, he decided, there are too many. I'll be overwhelmed.

The Emperor gave a curt nod to the Anubis before entering the room. He had heard almost everything, so he had a pretty good idea of what was going on. He quickly scanned the room, noting that most of the entities here were... aliens famed, important, and powerful. He didn't know what the "Master's" criteria for "best qualities of the universe" were. Finally, he laid his sight upon another, eerily familiar Xikarian. Me, he realized. That's me.

He figured, with a spark of rage, that his younger self probably didn't recognize him. Really, he thought, exasperated, Have a changed that much!? Am I an old fart now!? I'm not me anymore, the spark that gave me my happy-go-lucky personality is now gone. At least I'm more experienced. Smarter. I was naïve back then; unable to understand that life was not fair, unable to understand what kind of craphole of a galaxy that we live in.

Zigwin still wanted to break something.

He noticed Mott's look, and quickly decided that he was in on whatever he was planning. The Emperor slowly pulled out a chair and sat down, feeling , as he would say, "like an idiot." He placed his elbows on the table, holding up his head up with one arm, and awkwardly reaching for a plate with the other.

Follow his lead, he decided. I can't wait for the moment we talk to this "Master" for answers.

The younger Mott looked at his older self for a moment, then something seemed to click, and he adopted the same expression and attitude. 'Mmmm, is that Jemerry pie I see there?"

"Indeed," said the lead Anubis. From its voice, one would almost guess that it was glad the subject had switched. "Is there anything else you require?"

"Oh, I expect we'll be quite alright," said the older Mott airily. "No need to hang around, just tell us where the bell rope is so we can give you a ring when we need you."

The Anubis pointed to a red button on the wall. "You can find one of these in every room. Pressing it will summon the nearest Anubis that is free to answer. Please don't hesitate to summon us if you need anything at all. All the facilities of this building are at your disposal. If you want, later, we can give you a tour."

The older Vey stepped forward. "I think I'll eat later. I'd like to take a look around. Anyone else coming?"

"I am," said the older Teglin.

Xej reluctantly walked to the table, glaring at the food. As he browsed over the various items available, something caught his eye. A platter of meat, from the Bvoln, a commonly farmed animal on Irooscin and other colonies. How it was here he wasn't sure, there didn't seem to be any animals of significant size from what he had seen. However, he decided that, along with several other unanswered questions, it was unimportant for the time.

Sitting down in a chair that seemed to fit his build and double-jointed legs, he pulled up to the table and grabbed a piece of the meat, setting it on one of several plates next to the platter. Biting into the meat, he used the inner, slightly serrated ridge going around the top and bottom lengths of his beak to tear it apart, before swallowing the chunks whole. It was good, slightly sweet, as was common for the meat, but overall very enjoyable. It was, infact, one of the first things Xej had enjoyed during these strange circumstances.

Observing his surroundings as he ate, he had just finished a piece of the meat when he noticed, next to him, was a chair. It was just like his, perfectly suited for a Jorro'kil. He looked around him, seeing the old and young faces of several aliens, who were supposedly the same person, the only difference being age. Could this chair be for his older, or younger self?

Unsure, his attention turned to the very odd looking alien whose name was "Ravage." He remembered how she had said she thought she knew him. He was reluctant to speak for the most part, but, considering everything and how these aliens were friendly to him so far, he went ahead and spoke his mind.

"You... R-Ravage.. you said you knew me. How could that be? I know of only those who we are at war with. I have never met, or even seen one such as you."

Ravage had been deep in concentrated thought, but in response to Xej's question, she glanced up at him, her pupils contracting slightly, "You are the younger version of yourself, Xej, that much is clear, now, from what you have just said. Let me assure you, the Jorro'kil will meet my people, but not as enemies. When the two of us met, we were not fighting." She closed her eyes and flicked her tail, frowning, "I will say nothing more on the matter, for speaking of such times, regardless, bring back painful memories to me, and I am unsure of what would happen if I were to disclose so much information about future events to someone who hasn't even experienced them, yet." She flicked her tail again, and opened one eye, looking at the Anubis, "I wouldn't have mentioned a personal aspect of my life, normally, I was hoping that would get answers, but it didn't work. I won't try that again."

Scree flicked her tail, "But I love talking about my life, isn't that normal?" She asked.

Ravage looked over at Scree, "You learn to hate being asked questions about sensitive topics. It's a luxury to be comfortable talking about your life, that means you don't have anything to hide. I do, on the other hand, and nobody should think I'm all bark and no bite. I've sent men to their graves for trying to take my secrets from me, only a few people can be trusted to keep them."

Jiiran found Ravage's remark a little unnerving. He looked at Ravage, and then at Scree. How time changes one, he thought to himself.

"I wouldn't mind hearing about your life," he added aloud to Scree, trying to make friendly conversation with her. The younger versions of Vey, Aarin, and Teglin also gathered near, probably feeling a little more comfortable around someone more close to themselves in age. Vey and Aarin participated in any conversation, but Teglin more or less sat and looked surily. The two Motts sat together and were soon talking in low voices, even though the Anubi had left the room.
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"As you can see," said the Anubis, "this facility is designed to take all of your preferences into account."

The Anubis had taken the older Vey and Teglin all through the building, with the exception of a few rooms that the Anubis said were devoted to maintenance. Vey took careful, note of them, thinking it was something that Mott would want to know about.

"And if you find that there is still something that you would like from your world, there is this room." The Anubis opened a door. It wasn't the biggest room, but it held something quite interesting. It consisted of a platform that had four arms like the limbs of insects protruding upwards from the base. At the near side, was a small stand with some sort of screen on sitting on it at an angle.

"To get what you want," said the Anubis, "you need only place a hand on this screen adn think of what it is you want. This device will retrieve whatever it is you wished for from whatever point in time it is best retrieved."

"I think I could eat now," said Vey. He wanted to get back and tell the others. This could be useful.

Scree flicked her tail, and looked uneasily at Ravage, waiting for the older version of herself to tell her not to say anything. Ravage opened one eye and looked at Scree, "Go ahead, you don't know anything that could cause a problem later, besides, you've already told everyone what my real name was, anyway. That's the worst you could reveal, at this point." She said. So she must have learned her dangerous secrets after the time this version of Scree from, and it seemed that her real name had been kept secret. Overall, though, 'Ravage' suited this woman from the future much better than 'Scree' did. Perhaps she personally preferred such a brutal-sounding name. It fit her personality, one would have to admit.

Scree slowly looked back to the younger versions, wondering if Ravage wasn't sticking around to make sure they didn't get into some sort of trouble. "Well, I don't know where to start, except that before I went to bed and woke up here, my cousin finally flew for the first time." Her eyes seemed to light up, "It was a funny story, her parents weren't home, so when they saw her preparing to leap out of the third story of the house, everyone panicked. She fell, and then she caught herself just before she hit the ground and took off. She just about gave everyone a heart attack."

The Emperor sat still, exhausted, though he hadn't done anything but walking today. Mostly, it was the fact that his younger self sat in front of him. They were both thinking the same thing, he knew, but who would make the first move?

It was the Cadet.

"Hey, uhh," the young Zigwin started, "Are there any other Xikarians around here?"

"No to my knowledge," Older Zigwin replied. "I think it's just you and me." He looked up at his younger self, "I assume you're Cadet Zigwin of the Kingdom of Rajai, 15-18 years old, either taking down or have taken down Ruza? I'm Emperor Zigwin of the Xikarian Empire... At your service, Cadet."

The Cadet looked at his older self incredulously, "Emperor? Xikarian Empire?" Old Zigwin nodded with the ghost of a smile on his face, "Yes, Emperor."

The Cadet looked skeptical, but seemed very excited at the same time. "H-hey. I have a question." "Ask away, Cadet." "First of all, there is no such thing as the Xikarian Empire. There are 24 nations on Norcius, and I don't see any of them becoming an empire. There's no such thing! Countries don't just become empires! And what is this Xikarian? Is it named after the nomad named Xikar? It must be Rajai, huh? Did Rajai become an empire? And why Xikarian? It may as well me the Zigwinnian Empire!"

Old Zigwin frowned, "You sound like you want me to be true." The Cadet nodded vigorously, "Well, of course I do! But it's not gonna happen, not in a century!"

The Emperor frowned, "I'm a hundred and four. Close enough to a century, no?" That seemed to shut up the cadet. The Emperor continued, "I'll just let that sink in." He was already sick of his sixteen-year-old self.

Zigwin looked up at the conversation around him. He suddenly didn't like most of the people here. Don't worry. It'll wear off, he told himself. Why do I hate the world?

Good-natured laughter greeted Scree's story. However, Ravage's ears picked something up; a slight scratching noise, as of claws on glass. It came from the ceiling. Suddenly, a horrendous crash filled the room, and a bunch of broken glass rained down on top of everyone, the remains of the glass dome in the ceiling. Something else came down with it, something large and black, landing on the table on all fours. Lord Jiiran, still intent on getting a hold of one of the younger Vathorins. And Scree was directly in his path. His long black blade extended and flashed.

However, Jiiran, the younger one, quickly grabbed a chair and caught the blow. The chair was wrenched from his hand and smashed as the black armored figure freed his blade of it. Acting quickly, Jiiran put himself between Scree and the younger Vathorins, not knowing what else to do. However, rather than attack him, the strange black-armored creature stood before, seeming only to be tryign to figure out a way around him quickly.

The Cadet yelped, and in less than a second, pulled out a knife and threw it straight at the old Jiiran's head. Were Jiiran not wearing armor, the knife would have killed him instantly. However, the knife bounced off harmlessly and flew into the wall. The Emperor, thinking fast, grabbed his younger self and pulled him over the table, knocking over dishes and foods as he did. "Get down," he told the Cadet harshly, pushing him out of sight of Jiiran.

"What," The young Zigwin asked, "Do you know that guy?" The Emperor shook his head, "I don't. He looks like some sort of bounty hunter. Maybe." As he spoke, the Emperor began pressing some sort of touch screed on his arm. One second later, the machine on his arm expanded, and blue light was able to be seen. "Arm gun," He explained.

Both of the Zigwins stepped back, ready to watch the fight unfold. The Cadet looked ready to intervene at a moment's notice, but the Emperor's arm kept him from moving much. The Emperor's left arm was kept at his chest, ready to use his fairly powerful weapon if a fight ensued.

Sentinel and Warrant Officer Theranis had both sat down at their own seats, wearily picking at the food. They had a discussion in a similar manner to the Zigwins, though the younger Krathunian found his older self's position to be slightly more realistic than the cadet. Slightly.

Suddenly, however, Jiiran appeared, and both stood ready to fight. Each held out their assault rifles, the weapons almost identical besides the older Theranis' being much more advanced. The Sentinel also held it in a more experienced manner. Both weapons were aimed directly at the old Jiiran - The younger Theranis was about to fire, but after seeing what the Cadet's knife did, chose not to. The Sentinel knew better, however, and also figured that Ravage would take the initiative and do something. The two were poised for a fight, ready to pull the trigger when it was needed.

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Unsilenced looked to Xej and simply nodded. "It was you." He spoke, and if he had a face, it would have held a grim smile. Both Wreae quickened their pace, approaching the tower with haste as Jiiran appeared. UR chose not to fly forth and smash through the tower, fearing collateral damage.

Ravage rose from her chair, and clenched her hands into fists, the silvery claws sliding out of their sheathes. She looked at the older Jiiran with a menacing look that suggested she planned on killing him, which wasn't too far from the truth. She vanished in a blur, and re-appeared next to the younger version of Jiiran, so that she was also barring the way to the younger people. She raised her claws, and took on a battle stance, one pair of legs forward, and the body held low to the ground, with the wings raised, a position that allowed rapid speed and reaction time. Her pupils contracted to slits, and her third eyelids closed, turning her gaze white. She bared her teeth, and overall, as her tail flicked wildly at the very tip where the tuft was, she looked like a predator ready to pounce. The older Jiiran was supposed to be dead, but he also already knew that Ravage was capable of damaging his armor, which would greatly discourage him from making any sudden move. Ravage hissed, speaking to the younger man beside her, "Jiiran, this one is armed with a blade containing Liirlith venom, and you are vulnerable to it. You cannot allow yourself to be cut with it, or it will kill you within seconds. I am immune to it, let me handle this. Stand back with the others, stick close to them." She warned. In reality, she knew the older Jiiran recognized himself, and probably wouldn't risk harming the younger version, which meant that if the one he sought to leave alone was close to his targets, it would make harming them considerably more difficult.

With this, she stepped out in front of the younger Jiiran, maintaining her predatory pose. Suddenly, in a flash, her entire body vanished into thin air. Unlike her younger version Scree, Ravage's camouflage was far more advanced, and as a result, no matter what angle someone used to look at her, it was as though she weren't there. It took a split-second for her entire body to become hidden, and her control was of a highly advanced level. Special settings on helmets could detect Ravage, but it often took time for people to switch to the proper settings. That window of time was what she took advantage of. She dashed over like lightning and directed a powerful blow with her tail and Jiiran's mid-section, trying to get him further away from everyone else.

The young Xej, accepting Ravage's answer as sufficient, continued his meal, with vaguely paranoid glances at the rest of the room's inhabitants.

This changed when the figure in full armor landed, along with the glass that followed a shattering sound, on the table. Xej jumped up from the table, and, lacking a weapon, put himself in a defensive stance; after getting as far away from the figure as quickly as he could.

Not knowing what else to do, Xej approached the Anubis. "Don't stand there being useless. Can you not stop this?" He asked. "That is clearly a threat to... the others.. and myself." Xej gestured at Jiiran. "Provide us with safety." He said, clearly criticizing the statues.
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The Zealot nodded, and focused on the ground, thinking. His pace increased to match that of Unsilenced and 816's, and he quickly arrived at the entrance. Walking past two of the stone pillars, he drew his sword. The blades quickly extended from small pieces of metal into their long, dual form. The two blades began to glow a dull red, being heated by a special mechanism inside the hilt.

Then he saw, over past a pillar, a table, which was the obvious center of conflict. He noticed a face he had not seen in years, but something else caught his attention. Standing by several statues, was a Jorro'kil.

It was himself.

Lord Jiiran was knocked backwards, but quickly landed on all fours. His helmet registered a heat signature, and he grabbed it. It felt like a tail. Clasping it, he pulled and tossed Ravage in the direction of the two Krathunians. The Anubi seemed confused, as if multiple command codes were fighting each other in their robotic brains.

Lord Jiiran quickly made for the entrance. He had lost the element of surprise, and now, confronted with so many willing to fight, especially one with a weapon that could pierce his armor, he had quickly lost the will to continue the fight.

He found his way bared by the Zealot. Without a pause, he sized the Zealots sword arm, and tossed him backwards into the room. Charging down the main hall, he found himself facing the two Wreae.
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Hearing the sounds of violence, The older Vey and Teglin hurried forward, but where only halfway to the main hall when they saw Jiiran rushing past the entrance, stopping short as he saw the Wreae.

Ravage screeched, and opened her wings, catching herself before she could collide with anyone else, her talons clicking to the floor as she re-appeared, her wings spread to reveal the brilliant patterns on the underside, which took the form of a pair of glaring eyes and bared teeth. She hissed, and closed her wings, her tail flicking wildly, as she lowered herself back down in a position to pounce, though she didn't move to go after Jiiran. She wouldn't complicate things for the Wreae by getting in the line of fire and making the enemy difficult to hit without injuring an ally. "Grubblons," She cursed, "The coward doesn't fight unless he's cornered, he knows he's faced with a threat that can damage his armor." She sank out of her fighting pose, folding her arms, waiting to see what Jiiran would do next. She kept her claws out, ready to react, though, if he tried to run back and attack anyone else again. She sorely hoped, out of all of this, that the older Jiiran didn't remove his helmet, and show the younger version of himself what his face looked like. That would be too much to bear, the younger Jiiran was innocent, and the fact was, he had been talking to his future killer.

She looked over her shoulder at the Anubis, "You say we were brought here because we were found worthy? Why is that madman here? I know him, and he is by far the least deserving person to be saved, for all the evil things he's done."

Scree winced, "How do you know him? Who is he?"

Ravage hissed, "That isn't something I am at liberty to discuss."