The Empty Lookout
Aug 23, 2012 5:42:12 GMT
Post by Musashi on Aug 23, 2012 5:42:12 GMT
The barrier to the Guardian’s Lookout dropped as Musashi, Cygnus, and Aquila approached the crystal tower. Despite the years having past, Musashi still carried the TEMPLAR coin given to him by Karius, and it lowered the magical barrier that surrounded the lookout long enough for the Saiyan warrior and his two children to pass.
Musashi touched down gently on the outer terrace of the Guardian’s Lookout. Behind him, Cygnus and Aquila gently floated down onto the stone surface. Aquila’s mouth dropped in awe at the crystalline tower below her, looking out over the whole of Eden. Cygnus’s overtly remained more composed than his sister, but Musashi could sense his wonder at the structure.
The tower was quiet and desolate. A puff of dust lifted where the three landed and Musashi got the sense that something was deeply out of place here.
”Father, this place looks abandoned”, Cygnus said quietly, ”Do you think the Guardian is away on a mission?
Musashi didn’t speak, but he opened his mind telepathically. He didn’t sense the mystic’s presence, but then again, he wouldn’t unless the mystic wanted him to. The two men had parted on good terms, but Karius hadn’t kept in contact with him telepathically, respectful, if disappointed in Musashi’s decision to withdraw from world affairs.
<Karius?>
Musashi broadcasted telepathically, pushing out his message as far as it would reach. He got only silence in return.
”Well, we might as well go in” Musashi said, ”Maybe Karius is in deep meditation”
The three moved inside, Musashi in the lead, swiftly striding with a purpose he hadn’t felt in a while. Aquila followed almost skipping from foot to foot as she bounced along behind her father. Cygnus brought up the rear, moving carefully, aware of the awkwardness of his oversized limbs. They passed through the archway and into the lookout proper and Musashi was immediately struck with the level of disrepair. Paintings faded, or had fallen. The barrier had kept out any sentient scavengers, but wind and dust, and animals had taken their toll on the structure.
The three worked their way further inwards and found little to change their opinion. Room after empty room gave the lookout an eerie silence, not unlike a burial vault. As lightly as the three moved, their footsteps sounded like thunder-cracks echoing through the empty tower.
They reached the inner meditation chamber, and Musashi’s hopes fell. Karius was nowhere to be found, and the lookout appeared to be entirely abandoned. The family stood in silence, the children recognizing the weight in their father’s mood and kept quiet. The three retreated up to the lookout’s command center. Monitors lay in silence, thick dust coating every surface of the room. As they turned to walk back out Musashi paused momentarily.
”No harm in having a look at what’s going on from here, eh kiddos?” he said flatly.
”None at all dad,” Aquila replied cheerily.
Musashi waved his hands over the control board and the systems creaked to life. Monitors lit up as the machines whipped into action. They were tied into arrays of sensors, some mystical, some mechanical including uplinks through most of the nations satellite networks. Those that were still functioning after the disturbance anyway.
Musashi scanned through the various input feed, video scrolling by faster than even his eyes could read.
Cygnus meanwhile went to the side of the machine and inserted a jack from the device he wore around his wrist into the command center’s data port. He began tapping furiously at his keypad.
The systems were unable to locate Karius anywhere. Musashi managed to zoom in find a few familiar faces along the way. The warrior monk, Gokan was still running through Riverta. Musashi had met and tangled with him as Knight of the Kaios. He saw Carniku, looking like he was going to fight Zechariah. “Odd”, Musashi thought, “Zech always seemed like he was a pretty solid guy.”
The rest of the feeds were more of the same. None of the news was good news. The world was in absolute chaos. Governments struggled to handle the fallout from the celestial event. People were scattered and struggling. Battles and conflicts erupted daily, flaring up where tensions got high.
Musashi turned and saw tears flowing down Aquila’s face.
”Dad,” she whispered, ”We’ve got to do something.”
”My daughter, we are doing something” he said, ”Your grandad, your mom and I are shipping relief supplies and prototypes all over the world”
”But Dad, our powers,” she retorted, ”We could do more to help!”
”My darling,” he said, ”The people behind a lot of this trouble have powers too. If we got out and fight them, people will get hurt, caught in the crossfire”
Their argument was interrupted when Cygnus broke in. ”Dad, there’s something here for you!” he said, in an uncharacteristic burst of excitement. ”I found it when I was trying to sync the feeds here to my portable.
”Go ahead and play it son” Musashi said, thankful for the distraction. He hated arguing his daughter. Especially when she was showing the idealistic streak she almost certainly inherited from him.
Cygnus tweaked a few buttons and a ghostly purple hologram of Karius appeared in the center of the command chamber floor.
”Musashi,
If you’re getting this message then my mission has carried on far longer than I had hoped. I know you have chosen to step back from world affairs, but I have an important task to ask of you. I need you to takeover as Guardian in my stead. I’ve left behind the seal of the guardian in your favorite spot in the Look Out. Pick it up, and swear your life in the service of Eden and the powers of the Guardian will be transferred to you. Your TEMPLAR coin will let you in. Eden must have a Guardian, she needs it.
Karius Out.”
With the last words spoken, the hologram blinked from existence while Musashi stood slack jawed in stunned silence.
Musashi touched down gently on the outer terrace of the Guardian’s Lookout. Behind him, Cygnus and Aquila gently floated down onto the stone surface. Aquila’s mouth dropped in awe at the crystalline tower below her, looking out over the whole of Eden. Cygnus’s overtly remained more composed than his sister, but Musashi could sense his wonder at the structure.
The tower was quiet and desolate. A puff of dust lifted where the three landed and Musashi got the sense that something was deeply out of place here.
”Father, this place looks abandoned”, Cygnus said quietly, ”Do you think the Guardian is away on a mission?
Musashi didn’t speak, but he opened his mind telepathically. He didn’t sense the mystic’s presence, but then again, he wouldn’t unless the mystic wanted him to. The two men had parted on good terms, but Karius hadn’t kept in contact with him telepathically, respectful, if disappointed in Musashi’s decision to withdraw from world affairs.
<Karius?>
Musashi broadcasted telepathically, pushing out his message as far as it would reach. He got only silence in return.
”Well, we might as well go in” Musashi said, ”Maybe Karius is in deep meditation”
The three moved inside, Musashi in the lead, swiftly striding with a purpose he hadn’t felt in a while. Aquila followed almost skipping from foot to foot as she bounced along behind her father. Cygnus brought up the rear, moving carefully, aware of the awkwardness of his oversized limbs. They passed through the archway and into the lookout proper and Musashi was immediately struck with the level of disrepair. Paintings faded, or had fallen. The barrier had kept out any sentient scavengers, but wind and dust, and animals had taken their toll on the structure.
The three worked their way further inwards and found little to change their opinion. Room after empty room gave the lookout an eerie silence, not unlike a burial vault. As lightly as the three moved, their footsteps sounded like thunder-cracks echoing through the empty tower.
They reached the inner meditation chamber, and Musashi’s hopes fell. Karius was nowhere to be found, and the lookout appeared to be entirely abandoned. The family stood in silence, the children recognizing the weight in their father’s mood and kept quiet. The three retreated up to the lookout’s command center. Monitors lay in silence, thick dust coating every surface of the room. As they turned to walk back out Musashi paused momentarily.
”No harm in having a look at what’s going on from here, eh kiddos?” he said flatly.
”None at all dad,” Aquila replied cheerily.
Musashi waved his hands over the control board and the systems creaked to life. Monitors lit up as the machines whipped into action. They were tied into arrays of sensors, some mystical, some mechanical including uplinks through most of the nations satellite networks. Those that were still functioning after the disturbance anyway.
Musashi scanned through the various input feed, video scrolling by faster than even his eyes could read.
Cygnus meanwhile went to the side of the machine and inserted a jack from the device he wore around his wrist into the command center’s data port. He began tapping furiously at his keypad.
The systems were unable to locate Karius anywhere. Musashi managed to zoom in find a few familiar faces along the way. The warrior monk, Gokan was still running through Riverta. Musashi had met and tangled with him as Knight of the Kaios. He saw Carniku, looking like he was going to fight Zechariah. “Odd”, Musashi thought, “Zech always seemed like he was a pretty solid guy.”
The rest of the feeds were more of the same. None of the news was good news. The world was in absolute chaos. Governments struggled to handle the fallout from the celestial event. People were scattered and struggling. Battles and conflicts erupted daily, flaring up where tensions got high.
Musashi turned and saw tears flowing down Aquila’s face.
”Dad,” she whispered, ”We’ve got to do something.”
”My daughter, we are doing something” he said, ”Your grandad, your mom and I are shipping relief supplies and prototypes all over the world”
”But Dad, our powers,” she retorted, ”We could do more to help!”
”My darling,” he said, ”The people behind a lot of this trouble have powers too. If we got out and fight them, people will get hurt, caught in the crossfire”
Their argument was interrupted when Cygnus broke in. ”Dad, there’s something here for you!” he said, in an uncharacteristic burst of excitement. ”I found it when I was trying to sync the feeds here to my portable.
”Go ahead and play it son” Musashi said, thankful for the distraction. He hated arguing his daughter. Especially when she was showing the idealistic streak she almost certainly inherited from him.
Cygnus tweaked a few buttons and a ghostly purple hologram of Karius appeared in the center of the command chamber floor.
”Musashi,
If you’re getting this message then my mission has carried on far longer than I had hoped. I know you have chosen to step back from world affairs, but I have an important task to ask of you. I need you to takeover as Guardian in my stead. I’ve left behind the seal of the guardian in your favorite spot in the Look Out. Pick it up, and swear your life in the service of Eden and the powers of the Guardian will be transferred to you. Your TEMPLAR coin will let you in. Eden must have a Guardian, she needs it.
Karius Out.”
With the last words spoken, the hologram blinked from existence while Musashi stood slack jawed in stunned silence.