Y'lerl Waits Dreaming: Cherri Vs Slug

Continued from the last post in this thread

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The astral plane was beginning to fade from the young woman's mind. Reality stood beckoning. Y'lerl was, alas, a being of physical form, and she must eventually return to it. But perhaps now as not the time.

Elsewhere, coming from a mind on a distant planet, she felt something. It was an intense mental power, a controlled one, but like a kettle just waiting to erupt into steam. These energies were curious, intriguing. Here on the astral plane, there was little to put at risk viewing others. She thought perhaps it wouldn't hurt to view this individual's mind, even if it meant confronting him.

The way she perceived it -- as everything in the astral plane was seen differently from individual to individual -- she felt herself reaching out and touching a bubble, a bubble that surrounding this being, that kept him from the outside world. But once she entered it, she half wished that she had never done so.

The place that stood before her was ominous, dark. For what seemed like countless miles in every direction stretched a lifeless plain on a blue grassed world. The heavens above were clouded, keeping two suns from bathing the area with light. A lightning bolt struck a tree that looked like a pomp pomp in the distance, causing it to burst into flames. In that flash, she could make out a tall, muscular figure standing on a cliff in the distance, the person to whom this mind belonged.

It's said that curiosity killed the cat, but at least Y'lerl couldn't be killed here on the astral plane. There was little to fear, unless this individual should hunt her down in the physical realm, which was unlikely. With luck, he would perceive their encounter as a mere dream, a passing fantasy. She lifted off the ground and floated over to the cliff, hovering at its edge.

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Word Count: 314
Word Total: 314

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Spoiler:

The mind was an interesting place. In it time was almost nonexistent. When Lord Slug entered a meditative trance he saw his past self, a young conqueror of super namekian levels. The are itself resembled a dark and twisted version of his home planet Namek, where he'd been born before being cast out because its inhabitants feared him. Slug's version only contained the two smaller suns and even their light was dimmed by the dark storm clouds that loomed perpetually overhead.

Then it happened. Somebody entered his mind. Some interloping little maggot had for some reason decided his mind, the mind that once belonged to one of the most feared tyrants in the universe, was a good place explore. They'd suffer dearly.

A gust of wind blew over of the land, effectively washing it with the pleasant smells of gore and death as the image of Lord Slug reverted back to the present version, the old, dark skinned, wrinkled version that mimicked the namek's real world body. Thankfully for whoever had entered his mind Slug had not learned to sense ki energies.

“I know you're hear intruder!” shouted the tyrant as he took flight and his eyes began to scan the area like a predator looking for its prey “I don't know where but I can feel you in my mind!”

Then he spotted it. A strange looking xeno, the likes of which the old lord had never seen before, stood on the edge of one of the cliffs. Slug may not have liked uninvited guests, on this or any other plane, but he took great pride in getting rid of them. The knowledge that what happened in the mental world didn't always translate to the physical world did little to diminish that.

Lord Slug merely looked in the xeno's direction and smiled. When he did so, one of the rocks behind the intruder, a sharp and pointed one, lifted itself from the ground and the shot like a bullet towards what Lord Slug perceived to be the xeno's throat.

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Words: 342

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Spoiler:

As Y'lerl neared the cliff, the other being took flight, looking down on the woman like an alien hawk. He stared down at her with a look of malice on his face. Y'lerl tracked his movements, following his ascent upwards, and looked back into the eyes of her assailant.

"I know you're here intruder!" a deep, growling voice shouted. “I don't know where but I can feel you in my mind!”

She could feel his eyes locking onto hers, and a chill traveled up her spine the moment they made contact. His face twisted into a fanged smile, with gnarled teeth between his lips. Y'lerl heard something behind her -- the rocks were shifting. She turned her head and peered over her shoulder to see a small, jagged rock hovering above the ground. There was no doubt in her mind that it was this stranger's doing. As they started towards her, she gave a sharp glance and the stone shattered into grains of harmless dust.

"That was a pretty good magic trick," she called up to the man. "But I've seen it before."

She locked eyes with him once again, this time looking more closely, seeing a cold, untrusting bitterness. His face was helmeted, and worn with decades, perhaps centuries of hate. The being that looked back was, for all intents and purposes, what most would call "evil". But Y'lerl did not see it.

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Word Count: 234
Word Total: 548

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Spoiler:

The old lord couldn't help but feel a sense of joy when the interloper stopped his attack with a glance. Long had it been since he'd enjoyed a good fight and this would give his old bones a chance to get some much needed exercise.

“So you're not just some rambunctious little shit that stole somebody's astral gem?” asked Lord Slug as the ki energies keeping him in the air dissipated and he allowed himself to fall to the grass covered ground with a thud.

He former (and future) warlord looked over at the intruder observing her (was it a her?) features. The green skin, the pointed ears and the beady eyes. Her lithe frame betrayed a surprisingly muscular and powerful structure. It was a shame you couldn't truly gut somebody in this realm. Finding new races and dissecting them with your bare hands was one of the simple pleasures of life.

“So why don't you amuse and old warrior and tell me what you are?” continued Slug.

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Word count: 170
Total: 512

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Spoiler:

Y'lerl could sense that her opponent was elated by what she had just done. He was a warrior at heart, someone who found his greatest joys in bloodsport. But she had no qualms with it. Perhaps his race was primitive, and it was just natural for them.

The nearly transparent aura around the old fighter dissipated, and floated slowly to the ground. "So you're not just some rambunctious little shit that stole somebody's astral gem?" he said, clearly trying to be as offensive as possible.

"Well, I didn't steal this," Y'lerl said, tugging on the red crystal she wore as a necklace. "But I feel pretty confident saying that I am a rambunctious little shit."

He approached with a sense of dignity in his steps. Perhaps he had been royalty at one point, if his species had anything akin to royalty. Judging solely by this individual, she presumed there was some sort of strength hierarchy in his race, where only the strongest could rule. But she'd have to question him further to be absolutely certain. She was beginning to assume with too little evidence. He could just be an outlier as opposed to a typical individual for all she knew.

He circled around her, looking over every inch of her body as he did so. It was just like the Iceling she had met earlier that day. She was being examined like common livestock, ready to be sold for meat. Then his voice broken the tension, like a hot knife through butter.

“So why don't you amuse and old warrior and tell me what you are?” He said it so close to Y'lerl's ear that it almost made her jump.

"I think it's pretty impolite to ask for an introduction without giving yourself one first," Y'lerl replied, hastily shifting the topic. She needed to gather information and avoid putting herself into sticky situations. She'd come much too close to revealing her true nature the last time she'd met someone in the astral realm. It was best to put on a naïve face and pretend like she wasn't what she appeared to be.

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Word Count: 352
Word Total: 900

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Spoiler:

As Lord Slug closed in on the intruder he examined every aspect of her. From her skin to her clothing. Every curve, every movement (subtle or otherwise), anything he could notice with any of his senses. He try to hide the delight he got from his scrutiny. Tact and subtlety were not traits the old tyrant had ever found particularly useful.

He stopped when she asked him his name. Slug didn't show it but his it was a minor blow to his pride. The idea that his face was no longer recognized as a symbol of fear and oppression bothered him on a level he could not explain. Normally the very idea that some lesser creature could ignore and question him would have caused his temper to flare but this time the green skinned alient decided to amuse his mind's gutsy guest.

“Of course,” said Slug with a shark like “I am the great Lord Slug.”

It was at that moment that his power flared. The ground groaned and cracked and the wonderfully putrid wind picked up the pace as the deathly black clouds over head cackled with lighting. Slug normally didn't care for theatrics or long winded speeches preferring instead to get straight to the part where something got blown up or somebody got disemboweled. That however did not mean he didn't understand the benefits of good old fashioned intimidation.

Lord Slug moved in on the interloper until he towered over her and she could smell his rancid breathe. He looked here in the eyes and energy crackled along his skin. “Now tell me,” he commanded “who the hell are you?”

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Word Count: 276
Total: 788

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Spoiler:

The being seemed almost to have no emotion as he circled Y'lerl once more. Whatever was on his mind was hidden behind a thick blanket of stoicism, one that even Y'lerl could not see through. This being's body language and customs were unknown to her. Perhaps it was possible that he was showing signs of aggression, but her unfamiliarity made her oblivious to it.

In response to her question, the being curled his upper lip back, revealing his fangs as he spoke. "Of course." It was a poor attempt at politeness at best, as she could sense now that any respect he had for her was false. "I am the great Lord Slug."

"Really now?" Y'lerl replied. "You look more like a "Lord Snail" to me, don't you think?"

It was that remark that seemed to set him off, as a bright veil of energy surrounded him, licking the air like rampant flames. A gust of wind rolled in from the east. The very atmosphere around them was starting to change with Slug's mood and demeanor. This world was a reflection of his thoughts, his very consciousness.

Slowly, the menacing figure moved ever closer, so close that she could feel his breath on her neck. He was more than a head higher than she, and it was necessary to tilt her head backwards just so that they were looking eye to eye.

"Now tell me," the warlord hissed. "Who the hell are you?"

"Me?" she said, pointing at herself with her thumb. "Can't you tell? I'm just your friendly neighborhood Tarnajin." Her false identity had long suited her well. She doubted he'd see through her facade, but in the back of her mind, it made her ever so slightly nervous.

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Word Count: 290
Word Total: 1190

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Spoiler: