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Post by HungryHunter on May 5, 2021 18:30:17 GMT
It was a little after midnight, and Gregory hadn’t managed to force himself to get going. He had been watching the warehouse all night, perched atop the apartments across from it. He hadn’t even planned on coming out tonight, but his careful planning had been upended by circumstance. The warehouse was a tax haven for billionaires; they kept their imports here to avoid taxes. Of course, being Havelton, there was always something weird about it. There were things that shouldn’t exist here, and one of them was what looked like a Roman-made map of the Great Lakes region, dating from the early imperial period. Historians had never gotten a chance to look at it before it was spirited away here, and tomorrow, it was going to move again. Gregory wanted to see it.
Fuck private collectors for one, and for another, if anything was a lead on this town’s mysteries, it was an artifact that shouldn’t exist. And so today he was breaking in. The warehouse was a massive brutalist block of concrete, at least four stories tall and honestly, probably bigger on the inside. He had seen places like that. A chainlink fence kept it away from the public, barbed wire across the top. The only official way in was a gate guarded by a booth. Normally security types didn’t have guns, but Gregory was pretty sure the guy had a straight up submachine gun. The current plan then was to cut through the fence and find a way in through the top, but he just couldn’t get himself to move. He didn’t want a criminal record! He didn’t even have any speeding tickets!
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Post by Tachibana on May 6, 2021 21:49:50 GMT
The stars twinkling in the night sky, with the moons luminescent glow shining on the warehouse. A shadowy skeletal figure can be seen getting closer and closer. Not a sound was made until the security guard that was on duty at time spoke up This is private property. You can't be her.. S-sir. The man stuttered as got a better look of the figure. Anzo started to part his lips as if to say something, but nothing came out. ... His lips closed as the golem placed his right hand over top the barricade and raised it up and over his head with ease, then pulled it back down behind him.
Not knowing what to do, the security guard pulled out his tazer from its holster and pointed the prongs directly at the golem. However, Anzo did what Anzo did best and continued forward. S-STOP O-OR I-I'LL SHOOT! the guards stutter has gotten worse, but before he knew it; the trigger was pulled firing two electrified prongs through the air.
Anzo's eyes shot open, literally in the blink of an eye. Revealing the crystalline apparatus in the center of his skull. The golem ducked down and watched as the prongs flew over head. In that very same instance Anzo had reached for his knife, which had no special properties and was just an ordinary hunting knife. Pulling it from under his cloak and swinging its sharpened edge and slicing the two wires as the prongs flew over his head. Witnessing everything, the guard dropped his tazer and ran in the opposite direction all the while muttering something along the lines of I'M NOT GETTING PAID ENOUGH FOR THIS. Anzo reverted back to his stoic demeanor, as he took his time walking to the door of the warehouse.
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Post by TimePuppy on May 9, 2021 21:51:54 GMT
A pair of light blue eyes glinted in the bushes outside the mysterious warehouse. They darted left, then they darted right. Coast was clear. The eyes retreated back into the bushes, soon replaced by a brief flash of light.
"Come on, come on," Lazuli whispered to her sister. "Before any guards come out for a patrol." She floated out of the bushes and over the fence in a green kimono, her gem girl form's outfit. She landed behind a crate transforming back into her matte blue outfit, picked out specifically because she heard that was the sneakiest outfit color. Even ninjas used it. She was taking this whole 'sneaking into a warehouse' business very seriously. Maybe even too seriously. She looked the warehouse up and down. It looked a lot bigger up close like this.
"If I was a rich billionaire hiding a stolen relic, I'd definitely hide it on the top level. Behind some shatterproof glass attached to alarms. Yes, we're definitely going to have to sneak in through the front door, right, Lapis?" It wasn't just any random stolen relic they were after. it was one that could make fresh water spring out of any hole in the ground. And the twins would get to study it in detail if they got it back. This perhaps went way further than their schoolwork demanded, but they would love a chance to examine it.
Forgetting to check again if any guards were coming, Lazuli skulked out of her cover and approached the door.
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Post by othus on May 10, 2021 0:30:11 GMT
"Ummm, I'm really not sure we should really do this, what if we get expelled?"-Lapis told her sister still trailing behind her, even if she had said no, Laz was most likely still gonna come. It was better to stick with her, for her safety, of course. Nothing to do with the cool artifact and the world of riches that were awaiting inside.
As they approached the warehouse, Lapis checked on the door
"It seems someone was already through here, right? I mean, how come there are no guards if this is such an important place? Oh well, plan is still the same, we take the artifact, and we can let the HWIC deal with the aftermath"
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Post by HungryHunter on May 10, 2021 3:30:29 GMT
Gregory was going to do it. Eventually. He had about three false starts in as many minutes. Each time he was stopped by nothing more than nerves. There had to be a better way to handle this than breaking and entering, right? He wasn’t expecting to see somebody just walk right up to the guard booth. He especially wasn’t expecting them to casually show off powers. His legs moved for him, throwing him right off the lip of the building. The sidewalk bent like putty to soften his landing and sprang back up to throw him over the road. He stumbled on landing and the ground shifted again to right him as he made it to the gate.
“I’m so sorry we won’t break anything or take anything I just need to get pictures I’m sorry!” He begged at the guard, keeping his face well-hidden under his hood. The guard just watched him pass with a slack jaw as two teenage girls emerged at the warehouse’s door. Nothing had happened in ten years and now all this was going on. “Hey, we’ve got four intruders. Hidden World, at least two of them. Be advised.” He spoke into his walkie talkie. These types weren’t in his jurisdiction anyway. Ahead of him, Gregory caught up to Anzo at the door, noticing the other two. What was going on here!? His eyes flicked between all three before he focused on the man who he was just realizing was openly walking around flaunting metallic skin and… was that a single eye in the middle of his head? A gem? The lens of a laser weapon?
“What is wrong with you!?” He kept his voice low as he could while conveying the idea of angry shouting. “You’re walking around like that!? Get a glamour, man! The HWIC will have your head if you break Hidden World secrecy! Who are you? What are any of you doing here!?” He squinted at the two girls. “You aren’t local kids, are you? Pulling a prank?” Boy he hoped not. The robot man was still standing right in front of them, plain as day.
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Post by Tachibana on May 11, 2021 22:21:51 GMT
Anzo, without saying a single word -- cocked his head to the side all the while shutting the apparatus behind his metallic skin. Which still made him stand out all the more. Not a word was said as the stoic golem turned away from the boy and stepping up to the door placing his right palm against it and digging his fingers into until he had a good enough grip to rip the door right off its hinges. Making it easy for the rest to enter as well. "Inside. Something inside. I want it." Finally, It spoke. Even if it was very monotone.
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Post by TimePuppy on May 12, 2021 22:12:36 GMT
"We're not gonna get expelled if nobody finds out. And come on, what're they gonna do? Report this to the police? Puh-lease!" She put on a brave facade, but Lazuli was also worried they might get expelled or even arrested for this! But this was a shady warehouse, surely her argument held some merit.
Unfortunately, their discussion blinded her completely to the approaching Anzo. So once she spotted the one-eyed weirdo, she jumped in surprise, flailing pathetically to defend herself. It was only his completely stoic demeanor that let her relax a bit. More chills ran down her spine though when Gregory showed up.
"Do we look like just some prankster kids?! ...Don't answer that. We're actually here on a very important and top secret mission," she concluded. "And you're being pretty suspicious yourself! Maybe you're the prankster!" Nice going Laz, turn the tables on him. She was very proud of herself for this. The weird robot guy appeared to be ignoring them completely though. He's so creepy!
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Post by othus on May 13, 2021 22:57:20 GMT
Aaaand Laz is already arguing with strangers. what was that thing anyway? some sort of automaton?
"Forget about them Laz, let's move before actual security comes after us!"-She told her sister, attempting to drag her by the arm
"Also, you shouldn't judge by appearances mister, we could be 25000 year old witches for all you know! Then you would be in big trouble!"-Lapis stuck out her tongue at him and moved into the warehouse
"Now...how do we even begin to go about this? the artifact definitely has to be somewhere around, let's do some shopping, shall we?"-She smirked at her sister, with good luck, they would blame the entire raid on those two weirdos.
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Post by HungryHunter on May 20, 2021 2:36:58 GMT
“Oh my god.” Gregory’s face met his hands when the metal man simply tore the warehouse’s door off. “Alright, I can’t stop you guys. Especially not… you.” He looked at the metallic man. How strong was he!? “I was hoping to keep the crime to a minimum, but I guess you guys insist on breaking in and well, there’s safety in numbers. If it’s all right with you, I’d like to help you keep collateral damage to a minimum if you’ll help me find what I’m looking for.” Gregory even smiled a little when Lapis made fun of him. “25,000 year old witches are mature enough to not stick their tongues out.” He chuckled until they found the first hallway already occupied.
It filled the hallway, paws touching the walls and head scraping the ceiling. A thick mane, grown in dreadlocks on top, cumulated in a beard that touched the ground. Its face was either covered in a mask or made of some hard, bony material, set with glittering gems. One glittering green emerald and one shining red ruby were set in its eye sockets. “4 strangers, to themselves and each other and to me alike. If they do not know themselves, how can they know the answers to my riddles?” A voice came from nowhere, with no volume to it, no pitch or tone or depth, bringing no motion to the being’s carved ivory lips. It rattled in the skulls of those present, a telepathic call to each of them. The sphinx blocked the entire hallway. A tiny guard’s badge rested in its mane, marking its official status as guardian of this place.
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Post by Tachibana on May 22, 2021 0:55:40 GMT
Anzo had paused, dropping the door next to the opening. His head tilted at the mentioning of witches, not knowing that they were being sarcastic. His singular starring at the two, Lapis & Lazuli. "Not witches. Children." he responded to the earlier comment. The golem stepped into the warehouse with the other three accompanying him, but he immediately stopped at the sight of the guardian. A voice echoed, supposedly coming from nowhere and everywhere.
Magnus clapped his palms together, while taking a step back so he could be behind his new companions. He took his usual stoic stance waiting for one of them to answer the guardians riddle. Though it didnt show on his face, but the golem was curious to hear what his companions were to come up with for their answers.
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Post by TimePuppy on Jun 1, 2021 20:19:59 GMT
"25,000 year-old witches wouldn't care what people think of them when they stick their tongue out." Lazuli backed up her sister with a cocky grin. This guy at least had a sense of humor. She couldn't say the same for the other guy. "Hey, we're not 'children'," she said in a mockery of Anzo's voice. "We're practically adults already." She nodded to herself. "Um, not that that has anything to do with being a witch or not!"
They didn't get far despite the door being torn open. They met a sphinx as soon as they entered. Being Egyptian herself, Lazuli was left in awe. She knew the great sphinx of Giza was made after an actual being, but she never dreamt of meeting one herself. Certainly not in a location this far from its origin point.
“4 strangers, to themselves and each other and to me alike. If they do not know themselves, how can they know the answers to my riddles?”
The words appeared in her brain, not a booming sound as she'd expect but more like they were just written into her ears. There was only one problem though.
"Is that supposed to be the riddle?" She whispered to the others. "Maybe it wants us to play an introduction game? Or is the answer simply 'By thinking about it with our brains'?"
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Post by othus on Jun 1, 2021 23:34:36 GMT
"Nope, don't talk to the sphinx, i bet it has some weird voice activated power"-Lapis told her sister, making sure she backed away just enough to make a run for it.
"Alright um, I suppose we can leave this in the capable hands of... this guy!"-Lapis said as she pointed at Gregory, if the sphinx had said a riddle, Lapis definitely did not get it.
In the meantime, Lapis looked around, wondering if there was some way to move past the enemy.
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Post by HungryHunter on Jun 3, 2021 0:34:16 GMT
“I know man, I was-” Gregory was about to engage in the Sisyphian task of explaining to Anzo what a joke was, but he didn’t get far before they ran into the sphinx. There was clearly no way around it, and his team wasn’t going to approach it, so he stepped up. “Ask your riddle, then.” He said. “What soldier is a king’s love, but must march for her right to wear the crown?” The sphynx rumbled. “...if we can’t answer, may we simply leave?” Gregory asked, backing up. “Yes. But fail, and you shall be my meal, unless the answer falls from another’s lips.” Its glittering eyes settled on him, and he could feel its hunter radiating out over him, a tangible force. “...great.” Pale, he took another step back. Maybe the robot should guess first. He didn’t look too edible.
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Post by Tachibana on Jun 5, 2021 0:07:00 GMT
Anzo, standing as stoic as ever, had taken a single step forward as he would now be at the front of the group. Cocking his head slightly to the right. Although, just before he was ready to answer the Sphinx's riddle. The golem instead had an idea pop into his head. "Instead of answering your riddle. Why don't you instead, answer mine." The golem said, nonchalantly. "I will start you off with a simple one. I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?" Anzo added as he brought his hands up, as if to clap but instead rested his palms on his hips waiting for the sphinx's answer.
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Post by TimePuppy on Jun 6, 2021 22:02:19 GMT
Her sister warned her to stay quiet. Gregory was braver in responding to the sphynx, though he also wasn't willing to risk the wrong answer. Pushing that responsibility off to Anzo, they both watched in anticipation as he stepped forward to answer... And then he decided to turn the tables. Lazuli's attention now turned back to the sphynx.
Anzo's riddle seemed harder than the sphynx's. She had no idea what she would say in its place. Actually, in its place, she would probably try to eat Anzo for not playing according to its rules. In that eventuality, she'd try to answer the riddle with what came to mind before he was swallowed. "A pawn? Like, in chess?" If a pawn marched to the end of the board, it could become a queen. Oh, she would certainly hope she was right in that case, because she got the feeling the big guy would try to leave the sphynx's stomach a bit more violently that Lazuli could survive if they ended up inside it together.
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Post by othus on Jun 10, 2021 0:32:42 GMT
Lapis looked at the interaction, why was Laz answerinnng!? did she not hear that thing would eat them if she failed? well whatever, it was all or nothing at this point.
"Y-yeah, a pawn like in chess"-She said poorly mimicking her sister and her posture. that's what twins did, or so she saw in more than a couple of movies.
Deep down, she was actually pretty terrified of the consequences, but Laz' answer seemed on point. hopefully it would just eat the automaton who tried to play sphinx instead.
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Post by HungryHunter on Jun 17, 2021 21:12:15 GMT
The sphinx looked at Anzo without a hint of amusement. “You answered my riddle correctly, and you may pass. But there must be a punishment for disrespect.” One claw flashed out, seeking to cleanly remove one of Anzo’s arms. The sphinx did no more, its body deforming and melting outwards until it had seeped into the walls around them and faded away. “Hey. Good job.” Gregory gave Lazuli a thumbs up before turning to Anzo. “Okay, I don’t know what your deal is, but you have to be more careful. You’re going to get people killed otherwise.” He realized to his horror that he was going to have to be the adult of the group here. Two of these folks were kids, and the third was some sort of half-mad robot. Great.
The storeroom was only a brief ways past the sphinx, where the hallway opened into a truly vast room. It was immediately apparent than the room was bigger on the inside that it could have been outside, endless rows of shelves stretching off in every direction. The lights were lowered, limiting Gregory’s visibility to a few hundred feet. “Alright, I have a general map I compiled from old records. Where potions are kept, where weapons are, just general categories. So what are you guys looking for? I can get you there if you’re willing to help me with that I have.” He was already breaking the law in a thousand ways. He might as well help these loopy burglars out.
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Post by Tachibana on Jun 18, 2021 1:04:09 GMT
“You answered my riddle correctly, and you may pass. But there must be a punishment for the disrespect.” The sphinx proclaimed, just before it swiped its paw at the golem. Before it dissolved into nothing. His singular visage looking down at his severed as he felt no pain when the sphinx tore it off. All he did was merely pick it up off the floor and reattach it. The magic that created him did the rest. He would rotate his arm and shoulder, making sure that everything was in working order before deciding to move on to the next room with the others.
All he did was just stare at Gregory, cocking his head slightly to the right as he heard his concerns. "There is no need to worry. I am not human like the rest of you." Anzo replied in his usual stoic tone. He turned away moments later and began to take a step forward, working through the corridor until it opened up and revealed a vast room. Clearly, there was some sort of sorcery at play here as it was apparent that the room was larger on the inside than it was on the outside.
Automaton decided that it was best for him to branch out and venture on his own for a bit, though he didn't venture off too far as he would still be in sight of his companions. His oculus scanned the items on the vast shelving as he walked by, but he didn't touch anything. Although, he found it rather odd that there weren't more obstacles to keep them from the treasure they sought. "Don't touch a thing." The Golem chimed in as he made his way back to the group.
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Post by TimePuppy on Jun 22, 2021 21:14:10 GMT
Lazuli got the riddle right! She breathed a big sigh of relief at having not been eaten. The blue-haired guy praised her so Lazuli fanned her hair. "Of course. I am the smart twin, you know," she bragged mistakenly. Her pride and boastfulness turned to horror as the sphynx slashed off Anzo's arm. Confusion was added to the horror when he attached it back like nothing happened. He was definitely a weird robot man. But she had a question she had to ask him.
When they entered the storeroom and started looking around, she snuck off after Anzo. Lapis could describe the water-making artifact they were after. She had more pressing matters. She tapped him on the shoulder before realizing perhaps the robot didn't have a functional sense of touch, so she hopped around to get in front of him looking all tense and serious.
"I have to know or I'm going to explode! What's the answer to your riddle? I just can't figure it out!"
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Post by othus on Jul 6, 2021 0:21:45 GMT
"Excuse me? my notes are better than yours!"-Lapis replied at Lazuli's claim that she was the smart one. She began describing the water artifact to Gregory, and quickly noticed her sister moving off to talk to the automaton.
"Ughhhh, why is she like this? does she not have any sense of self preservation?! talking to that thing is dangerous!"
Lapis began making signs to her sister, telling her to come back. She was not there to make friends, especially weirdos!
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