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Atelius nodded to Talon's command. "They are specifically for this temple. The color of the gem indicates their specialty." He gave no time for the matter to be explained before he about faced than took off down the hall, and vanished around the corner. Hopefully he would not set off any of the traps. So far they only seemed partial to human trigger.

As the cuddles charged past Zutnic he was forced to hop to the side to avoid being plowed over. His bound nearly overshot the edge sending him tipping on the corner of the platform near the water. Luckily his large toe claws dug into the stone pathway as his tail pincers gripped at the edges for further balance. He hissed at the cuddlers before pulling himself back to flat ground.

The two gun shots fired by the soldiers both struck a biter causing it to explode, however it also caused a chain reaction of flame. Now, instead of a mass of regular biters they now had a horde of flaming biters. All twenty six set were on fire.

The cuddlers set in charge of engaging the other critters carefully weaved around the humans. Their gems brightening as quick shots of what appeared to be small, very small, shots of particle beams, all red in color, were fire toward their foes. The biters easily moved around the beams as they prepared to leap at their targets. Only two were not as quick and were taken out quickly by the cuddle's strike. An impressive attack for something so small.

The blue eyed biter looked up at Talon for a moment with his sad eyes. At first it seemed he was contemplating what was being said, however, a swift raise and shake of his leg at Talon suggested otherwise.
"beehhh!" He was still very sore over the stick and by the looks of it knew who was in charge of the menacing thing. Even so, he still made no move to remove himself from the pocket...

It wasn't long before Nick was on on knee leaning heavily toward the floor on her right side. The vents closed along her arm ceasing the flow of black fog. There was still a good amount in the air, but it remained swirling in place and made no attempt to stretch toward the party. Only three of the cuddlers remained locked onto Nick's right arm while the seven others fiercely tore at the black cloak. Which would seem strange, that is, until a scrap of the cloak touched the water when it was cast aside by a cuddler. A black substance, which in the water appeared to be ink, spread from the cloth before it was forcefully taken under by the odd current. More black fog. Another of the cuddlers made its way by accident into Nick's right palm where it was promptly trapped. It squealed as the grip tightened and it's metallic body begun to crumple.

One of the other cuddlers burbled than adjusted its position on Nick's arm. The grip on the poor cuddler was immediately released and he was able to scurry away with the group who plunged into the water with the rest of the black cloak, taking it away with the current to only they knew where. The cloak looked to have turned into a mass of ink as it was submerged into the water.

This left Nick's extensive artillery exposed, most notably a very nasty looking whip wrapped nicely at her left side. There were many throwing knives as well lining her belts. Another notable item was a bag attached to the belt near her rear left side. It was anyone's good guess what was in there.

The now blazing biters, the ones whom had dropped early, quickly swarmed the cuddlers tearing into what they could. Four of the brave mollusk warriors were easily torn apart by the hot, and sharp, metal from the biter's claws and teeth.

Nick relaxed gradually as the cuddlers worked their wonders to trap the Judge's call. She frowned over the loss of her cloak, again. Ncik went through so many of those damn things during these missions... but what made this matter worse was her rather large Imperial emblem tattoo, though scraped and scared as it was, was still visible should Ranee ever get a look at her back. Thankfully they had time to stall while they were dealing with the biters.

"....It's fine..." Nick looked at Shun as she spoke. Than, with a grin, she looked over to Ranee. Her eye brightening just slightly again. "If you are so curious and must know, why not come over here and I will show you....." Those words were spoken with a very dark and eerie tone.

"Aye. I see. " Talon said to Atelius as the bird flew off. He frowned as suddenly the biters went up in flames. For the love of... Didn't they learn that they were filled with flammable oil already? Firing at them was just damn stupid. Now they had flaming spiders coming at them and cuttlefish lazors firing away. He felt like sighing heavily and just sitting this one out for the time being.

That would have been stupid and left him open to attack. So Talon continued to drive the annoying charging spiders that got through the cuttle-front into the water. Though it really looked like none were coming through. He frowned as he heard a crunching sound, spinning around and growling uneasily while observing the metallic creature's hull fail. Talon was careful to keep out of the way of the impressive creatures. Cuddle's just earned more respect.

Moe squeaked and chattered angrily at the angsty and unapreciative spider in his transports pocket. Something about respect and appreciating being alive instead of squished like the others. Moe got a bop on the head with the walking stick, and the little dinosaur scrambled to cling to Talon's head. Locks of hair were taken for reins. Ignoring this exchange Talon sighed to the Spider, "Aww... So cute. I know just the person that would love to have you bother them. Ever considered being a walking inkwell?...."

The dark water caught Talon's eye. Careful not to lean too far over, he looked at the swirling fabric and the substance brought to light by the glowing water spouts. Nick was absolutely covered with the black mind altering poison! The Cuddlers worked quick, and Talon raised an eyebrow. "They just love you, don't you? Maybe you should ask for a one-armed duster next time. Lots of pockets too."

The tone of the proud, swarmed, woman was caught, causing a rather sever scowl on the merry-man and a spike of alarm as well as familiarity " Wait for the say from the guardians, Ranee. " Talon would have pointed a gun at the woman, but really, there really was no real point. The woman was armed up the yahzoo and no doubts could just super heat her arm and fire molten something at him turning him into a dead crispy skeleton. Or turn him crazier than normal. Moe chirped and tried to hide behind Talon's hair. Shun no doubt also picked up on the menacing tone and the change in demeanor.

Atelius should be returning shortly. Hopefully soon.

Zutnic hissed and lowered his head as he started toward the fray. His tails were spread as wide as the could without hitting anyone on the narrow passage. In fact the pincers remained closed because of the distance between the humans. However, his head shot upward as he looked over his shoulder at the exit on the other end of the hall. His single eye flashed before he made a hasty turn around and bolted down the hall following in Atelius's path. It wasn't long before he too vanished around the corner of the other room.

Luckily for the cuddlers Shun was quick with his weapon and managed to remove five of the oncoming threat fairly quickly. But that didn't phase the rest of the twenty four. They split into groups, five pairing off to attack Shun, eight of them massing toward Ranee and oddly only one charged maliciously after Talon. The remaining six cuddlers had positioned themselves more in front of Talon and thus were able to distract the remaining ten. Their beams charged up once more and they fired another round of red lasers, and once again only two biters were taken down by the attack.

The rocks Ranee tossed made her the larger target for the biters. The constant pelting aggravated them more so than the bullets. Though it did not seem to do any damage it proved to be an excellent distraction for the eight she managed to hit. They made bubbling noses and begun to click their teeth aggressively.

Three more of the cuddlers fell quickly to the flaming biters. The biters mobbed the ones they could get a hold of leaving nothing bit the mangled and melted corpse in their wake. Even as Talon swung his formidable stick at the oncoming masses they were quick to doge, avoid being smacked into the water, and continued after the rest of the cuddlers.

The biter in Talons pocket slowly lowered his raised 'fist', made a soft clicking noise, seemed to 'huff' than looked back at the carnage being brought on by his fellow biters.

"Usually... no..." Nick shrugged as best she could with the three worried cuddlers on her arm. She only laughed at Ranee's second response. The point had been missed, however the response still amused her.

"They find the black fog a treat..." She spoke to Talon with a grin. "Though, once they are away it reproduces twice as fast..."

The hold of the cuddlers were weakening at the sight of their comrades. As the last batch were taken out the three that had been on Nick's arm lept off without second thought and charged forward to help the remaining three. Once free of that block, and the access weight, Nick's eye brightened as she slowly rose to her feet. The black fog begun to creep along the walls of the room away from the pathway toward stairs they had just come from. Nick's gaze followed the fog closely. The migraine had for now been reduced thanks to the cuddlers, but if what she feared was true, it would be back...

"I suggest coming down the path toward me and away from the stairs now... Lingering will only prove hazardous to your mental health... And before you start debating the worse fate, keep in mind it is in my best interest to keep all of you alive..." The Iron Judge spoke flatly once her focus shifted from the fog to the trio of soldiers.

Talon's eyebrow rose quickly at this new information. Black Fog = Snack? Why did that not make him feel better? He sighed, shook his head, and heard Zut run off down the corridor where Atelius had flown to and through.


With the one spider crawling for him, Talon squared up a shot and took one last swipe at the little thing, then grumbled, heading quickly towards the only remaining option of forward motion. 'Moe... mind the arachnid. " he muttered as he passed Nick by, moving a good distance from the stairs they came from. Moe scrabled from Talon's head, perching on the shoulder, and bopped the little thing on the head, chattering angrily.

Talon ignored it, and inched slowly towards the corridor where Atelius and Zut vanished in. He'd feel safer if they were around...even if they were annoying.

The five biters after Shun speed up their pace briefly to catch up to him. Their forelegs all raised as the drew near. The two closest ones exploded from the rounds fired which luckily slowed the other three down considerably, but did not stop the pursuit. They hissed and bibbled furiously.

Lucky for Talon the one biter had also become distracted by Ranee's rocks and in the moment he looked away from Talon he was quickly a victim of the stick. His flaming body was launched across the room with all arms spread wide and flailing. "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-!" It shrieked as it flew across the room than smashed in a flaming ball against one of the statues. Fragments of it slipped into the water and was quickly carried away by the strange current.

Ranee had much more luck with her rounds. The biters had huddled so closely that her rounds quickly removed five of the threats. Three more remained still blind with rage. So blind in fact that two of the remaining scurried too close to the edge of the pathway and slipped into the water and, as before, were promptly swallowed by the current.

The cuddlers, six strong once again due to the three leaving their posts, charged at the biters again. Their beams charged and this time they were able to remove the horde of eight left in front of them. Most notably were the beams belonging to the cuddlers that had been on Nick's arm. Their beam's fire was twice as large as the others and looked far closer to a CPB than the others. Their attack alone took out the majority of the little creatures. Once the mass was taken care of they were easily able to remove the three chasing Shun and the one left chasing Ranee.

This was a fortunate turn of events for the cuddlers. Just as the last biter was cleared the fog spread down the to the pathway and begun to eek back toward Nick.

Nick looked over her shoulder in time to watch three of the cuddlers jump back into the pools and vanish. The three remaining quickly, with amazing speed for a mechanical mollusk, caught up behind the group. This time they were not so bold as to jump back on Nick's arm, but rather stayed behind at a safe distance.

Satisfied with their distance Nick moved ahead of the trio. One thing she had found out was she was less likely to set off traps due to her abnormal appearance. She figured it was the mechanical presence that off set whatever sensors the ancients used to trigger the traps. That much she could think the Judge for... As for Ranee spotting the large Imperial insignia on her upper back, Nick was far less concerned with that. For one, her hair had grown out and covered what her top did not for the most pat. For two, if Ranee had even the slightest thought to squeal she would surely figure out the dangers of the black fog very quicky. The Iron judge could only hope that might be the case. Even the thought held a grin on her lips as she passed by them.

The Iron Judge paused just before the entry way and peered down the next long hallway. She looked up at the ceiling, the walls, and finally the floor. Lines... At the end of the dark hall there was a light. She could hear the seeker's squawking and the Striker's hissing. They had found something.

"Hold on to your baggage, drop anything and it is lost." She glanced over her shoulder before stepping into the hallway. The room would not start to shake until the first soldier set foot in the hall. From there the ceiling would being to drop.

"Yes... They probably know through some grapevine one of them fancies me... Cuddles. Remember? He likes shinythings..." Course there wasn't much time for idle chatter at the moment. Flaming spiders and all that. And one poor guy got through the ranks... Bad move.

There was a moment of awe as the little thing flew across the water landing with a satisfying crunch, fizzle, slide, splash from a well aimed swing of the stick. Poor guy... didn't stand a chance. Alas, Talon couldn't stay and practice his swing. There was dungeoning to do!

And it was getting a little too dicy with all the live ammunition flying around and such. Onward! Though...the new hallway wasn't something he enjoyed. It looked like a complete pancake factory from the lines on the walls. So he gave his pocket a good pat to knock the spider deep to prevent falling out. The gift had to be preserved for the General... Oh yes...He decided on whom the gift was for.

A Shun started after Nick, a low rumbling roared into existence.Talon growled rather loudly as the chamber started shuttering and collapsing upon itself. Or, well the ceiling was having a bout of floor kissing. Either or, it wasn't good. Moe squealed and tugged tightly on Talon's hair, urging him forward like a horse. Barely had Shun got out a word, Talon sprinted to get out of the hallway.


He hated these. These were always the worst. What if the mechanism was damaged and slipped!? Insta-squish....

As soon as Ranee entered the hallway the first of the wall slammed into the floor and like a wave the rest followed each falling quicker than the last. Water may have been the cuddler's element, but land had proven otherwise for the brave mollusks. As the the group darted down the hallway they quickly fell behind. One of them a bit too far behind and as one of the walls cam slamming down a loud and metallic crunching noise could be heard. The little one barely had enough time to let out a bubbling noise.

Once the last corner was turned and they were let out into another vast room a second crunching noise could be heard as the final wall came down. The last cuddler left turned to face the wall cooing mournfully as it poked the tentacle of it's smashed friend protruding from the bottom of the wall.

This room was far greater than the last. From the entrance they were standing on a ledge overlooking a deep and very open room. A steep incline of stairs lay before them, not as thick as the previous ones created by the floor. These were smaller and without the safety of the walls to prevent one from falling over the sides. Six pillars towered over them from the bottom of the room to the natural ceiling high above them. This room must have been under one of the large canyons about the territory. A single dot of sunlight shone high above the room, so high that the light did not even reach the bottom. This 'dot' looked to have been recently added as there was a nice display of rubble far below it on the stone floor.

Each pillar had intricate carvings of the obliterators running up and down the columns breathing fire. Behind the columns stood proudly six saber tigers, all long since dead and crumbling. Most of their armor was cracked and worn with time. All of them the color of stone, save for their silvery teeth which seemed to hold up well considering the rest of their bodies current state. The one exit at the side adjacent to the group seemed large enough for a ZOID of that size to exit through. There were two smaller exits on the walls to the left and right of the group, behind the middle ZOID in the group of three on each side. These entrances were glowing with the feint flicker of a fire. There was no question that that would be where the Obliterator capsules were being held.

Atelius and Zutnic had already made their way down the stairs and were standing in the middle of the large room in front of a sight for very sore eyes. Both of them speaking in a tongue that not even Bent could have recognized. The ancient mechanical language long since lost to the newer ZOIDs and Organoids alike.

As the Iron Judge stepped into the room her right eye brightened and a small gasp escaped her lips. Nick's eyes fixed on the Striker and Seeker's position. Of all the places, of all the things to see. It felt as if her heart were going to leap right out of her throat. Her arms hung limply by her sides. There was no mistaking it, Atelius and Zutnic were in a heated conversation with Kagi in the room below....

The organoid turned his head at the sudden entry of the odd party. Kagi craned his neck up at the party than gave a tremendous roar. His spiked tail lashed about. Atelius and Zutnic cringed and back a few steps away at the display.

Splat, weak bubbling, more stone slamming...some bubbling.... Talon skidded to a stop at the end of the hallway, free from the falling walls and ceilings, to check on the damage the poor cuddlers had sustained. They lost rank, but one was still alive. He kneeled down and offered up an arm for the little guy to ride on. "They fought bravely. Come on. There's more danger ahead. Lets not loose you too. " Sheesh...Talon was a walking Zoid magnet. Rummaging through his many pockets, avoiding the one with the pouting Biter in it, Talon found a really shiny coin and offered it to the poor Cudder as consolation.

Moe squeaked and tugged hard on Talon's hair/reins. Something was going down! But that wasn't important at this point. They were standing amongst old sentinels still guarding despite their decay. Maybe not enough light filtered through that hole, but just enough to glitter off the sill silver, regal fangs of the Saber Lions. It was a momentary pang of loss. What wonders those old Zoid's could have told! But a hushed squeak and another tug, Talon's gaze traveled from the decaying ZOID do the red glows in corridors attached. As wonderful as this place was, it was dangerous to linger, but they couldn't go back. It was to Talon a sobering reminder.


Talon had also observed in the hallway the glance from Ranee. But an angry roar paused that thought. Moe clung tightly to the hair as Talon approached just enough to observe Atelius and Zutnik converse away with this red draconic beast. Ah... This would be the property that was 'stolen'. He raised an eyebrow, a slight frown growing larger. What did he remember from the report... nothing said anything about an Organoid. Oh well... might as well just accept it and move on. Though first things first, there was an issue he had to address while Shun was talking to the rather shocked Guide.

"Ranee... I'm going to remind you that this woman can kill all of us and will kill all of us if it is told that she is still alive. She is no traitor to the Emperor. The General nor the Emperor, or your family is to know of this. " With a frown he shook his head, patting Ranee on the shoulder, "Welcome to our secret. May we survive to see the sun again. "