I will admit, I am mixing CoH lore with shit I ripped from Arcane Season two for this.
Enjoy.
Boomtown.
Neph tapped her head set. "Vanguard HQ, this is Nephilim Blade, another dead end." She says over the com, the tinny reply coming in her ear.
"Some one has been collecting and stockpiling Preatorian clockwork besides us agent Blade, we have tracked them down to the Boomtown area, we have called in reinforcements to aid you."
Neph snorted as she bent at the knee, cybernetics legs putting before she bounded over the street, landing with a crack of pavement, she didn't need help, this was Preat clocks, she was breathing them into scrap when she was just a lowbie, looking around she brought up her mini map and looked it over, still some abandoned buildings to check out before it got dark, she could hit them up easily.
Reaching her next search location, she looked at a battered Wearhouse, looked like it had been hit by a hammer, the building leaning to one side as she walks up, finding the padlock on the door melted to slag. "Come in HQ, think I found something, a busted door that looks to high tech for the locals."
"Proceed with caution." The voice crackled back as Neph pushed the door open, looking into the gloom, only illuminated by shafts of light from the sky light, Neph cracks her knuckles, energy flickering into life around them as she steps in.
Walking in, she squinted into the gloom, her eyes adjusting to the dark as she saw figures piled up like fire wood, clock works. "HQ, I found the place... HQ?" She tapped her coms, only getting a squeal of feedback.
"No no, we can't have you talking to medelsom outsiders, Neph Seraph." A voice echoed from the dark, accented, but familiar, hauntingly so.
Neph slowly turns around, looking for the source of the voice. "Who's there?" She called out.
"Oh my dear Neph, we are not strangers you and I, our paths crossed before." Metal foot steps echoed as a figure stepped into the light, it was a clockwork, but not like any she had seen before, it's body more elegant, more streamlined, a make shift cloak hangs from its back, a metal plate fastened over its face, a violette glow coming through the eye holes.
Neph squinted. "Who the fuck are you tin man?"
The clockwork laughed. "Tin man, yes.... I am the tin man, lacking a heart... I have lacked a heart for a long time Neph, but you might know me as a King."
Neph blinked. "The...the clock work king? But you are in the Zig."
He chuckled. "Ah my primal counterpart languishing in prison, for he still has some of his mortal form, I have transcended the need for flesh, I am purely of the mind."
Rolling her shoulders, Neph glares. "And this is the part where you tell me your evil plan?"
The Clockwork king stops. "My plan? Continue what you stopped in Preatoria my dear, my glorious evoluation."
"Your evolution? You ripped people's minds from their bodies and shoved them into clockwork, how is that evolution?"
Woodkids To ash and blood
He clapped his hands, clockwork around the warehouse starting to stir, all eyes glowing violet as the started towards Neph. "To be free of death, of hunger, of aging, of sickness, I will create a new race, and my princess will be the pinnacle of them, my perfect creation... And you will not stop me this time."
Neph growled and leaped for him, glowing fist swinging as a clockwork throws itself in the way, shattering it's torso and more ran up, mechanical bodies twitching like puppets on strings, she was quickly surrounded, her fists slamming out in empowered hammer blows, but more and more ran up, swarming her, grabbing her and punning her to the ground.
She snarled and struggled as the King walked up, his hand glowing with psychic energy. "Maybe you just need to see things from my point of view." He says as he leans in, energy starting to probe her mind as she gritted her teeth. "Soon you will awaken to your eternal firm Neph, do not resist."
There was a shatter of glass as a red and gold blur slammed into the floor, scattering clock work before bounding over and ripping clock work off Neph with an impressive display of strength.
"Gir?" Neph blinked, looking up at her sister in full costume.
"Hey sis, HQ sent me in the second your radio went down, lucky you." Gir said, Neph could tell she was smiling under that helm. "What's the situation?"
The Clockwork king staggered back, the glow of his eyes flaring. "One of Cole's puppets, I'm shocked there are any of you left after the war.... But your kind had one weakness." He holds out a hand as a wave of psychic energy slammed into Gir, staggering her. "For all your might, your mind is weak."
Neph pounced, at him, knocking him to the floor as struggling with him. "Get the fuck out of my sister's head!" She shouted.
The King clucked his fingers and more clockwork poured in, hundreds of them, metal hands grasping as he tried to buck Neph off himself.
Gir recovers, looking at the oncoming hoard. "Wanted to try this." She said softly, the eye holes of her helm glowing before twin laser beams lash out, cutting through the mechanical bodies like a hot knife through butter.
The king struggles under Neph, before going limp. "Destroy this hold out, I have many more hidden around your city, you can not stop my quest, I will free, perfect Penelope Yin." He hisses before the light leaves his eyes, the surrounding clockwork dropping like puppets with their strings cut. "This is but the beginning." His voice echoed in their mind.
Neph slowly got to her feet, Gir walking up and patting her back. "You okay sis?" Gir asked, pulling off her helm and shaking out her green/grey hair.
"No... I think I just gained a nemesis... And not the steam powered one." Neph admits, looking around. "You realise we have to make it so her can't use these things again?"
Gir sighed. "So we are busting them up?"
"Safer that way."
Enjoy.
Boomtown.
Neph tapped her head set. "Vanguard HQ, this is Nephilim Blade, another dead end." She says over the com, the tinny reply coming in her ear.
"Some one has been collecting and stockpiling Preatorian clockwork besides us agent Blade, we have tracked them down to the Boomtown area, we have called in reinforcements to aid you."
Neph snorted as she bent at the knee, cybernetics legs putting before she bounded over the street, landing with a crack of pavement, she didn't need help, this was Preat clocks, she was breathing them into scrap when she was just a lowbie, looking around she brought up her mini map and looked it over, still some abandoned buildings to check out before it got dark, she could hit them up easily.
Reaching her next search location, she looked at a battered Wearhouse, looked like it had been hit by a hammer, the building leaning to one side as she walks up, finding the padlock on the door melted to slag. "Come in HQ, think I found something, a busted door that looks to high tech for the locals."
"Proceed with caution." The voice crackled back as Neph pushed the door open, looking into the gloom, only illuminated by shafts of light from the sky light, Neph cracks her knuckles, energy flickering into life around them as she steps in.
Walking in, she squinted into the gloom, her eyes adjusting to the dark as she saw figures piled up like fire wood, clock works. "HQ, I found the place... HQ?" She tapped her coms, only getting a squeal of feedback.
"No no, we can't have you talking to medelsom outsiders, Neph Seraph." A voice echoed from the dark, accented, but familiar, hauntingly so.
Neph slowly turns around, looking for the source of the voice. "Who's there?" She called out.
"Oh my dear Neph, we are not strangers you and I, our paths crossed before." Metal foot steps echoed as a figure stepped into the light, it was a clockwork, but not like any she had seen before, it's body more elegant, more streamlined, a make shift cloak hangs from its back, a metal plate fastened over its face, a violette glow coming through the eye holes.
Neph squinted. "Who the fuck are you tin man?"
The clockwork laughed. "Tin man, yes.... I am the tin man, lacking a heart... I have lacked a heart for a long time Neph, but you might know me as a King."
Neph blinked. "The...the clock work king? But you are in the Zig."
He chuckled. "Ah my primal counterpart languishing in prison, for he still has some of his mortal form, I have transcended the need for flesh, I am purely of the mind."
Rolling her shoulders, Neph glares. "And this is the part where you tell me your evil plan?"
The Clockwork king stops. "My plan? Continue what you stopped in Preatoria my dear, my glorious evoluation."
"Your evolution? You ripped people's minds from their bodies and shoved them into clockwork, how is that evolution?"
Woodkids To ash and blood
He clapped his hands, clockwork around the warehouse starting to stir, all eyes glowing violet as the started towards Neph. "To be free of death, of hunger, of aging, of sickness, I will create a new race, and my princess will be the pinnacle of them, my perfect creation... And you will not stop me this time."
Neph growled and leaped for him, glowing fist swinging as a clockwork throws itself in the way, shattering it's torso and more ran up, mechanical bodies twitching like puppets on strings, she was quickly surrounded, her fists slamming out in empowered hammer blows, but more and more ran up, swarming her, grabbing her and punning her to the ground.
She snarled and struggled as the King walked up, his hand glowing with psychic energy. "Maybe you just need to see things from my point of view." He says as he leans in, energy starting to probe her mind as she gritted her teeth. "Soon you will awaken to your eternal firm Neph, do not resist."
There was a shatter of glass as a red and gold blur slammed into the floor, scattering clock work before bounding over and ripping clock work off Neph with an impressive display of strength.
"Gir?" Neph blinked, looking up at her sister in full costume.
"Hey sis, HQ sent me in the second your radio went down, lucky you." Gir said, Neph could tell she was smiling under that helm. "What's the situation?"
The Clockwork king staggered back, the glow of his eyes flaring. "One of Cole's puppets, I'm shocked there are any of you left after the war.... But your kind had one weakness." He holds out a hand as a wave of psychic energy slammed into Gir, staggering her. "For all your might, your mind is weak."
Neph pounced, at him, knocking him to the floor as struggling with him. "Get the fuck out of my sister's head!" She shouted.
The King clucked his fingers and more clockwork poured in, hundreds of them, metal hands grasping as he tried to buck Neph off himself.
Gir recovers, looking at the oncoming hoard. "Wanted to try this." She said softly, the eye holes of her helm glowing before twin laser beams lash out, cutting through the mechanical bodies like a hot knife through butter.
The king struggles under Neph, before going limp. "Destroy this hold out, I have many more hidden around your city, you can not stop my quest, I will free, perfect Penelope Yin." He hisses before the light leaves his eyes, the surrounding clockwork dropping like puppets with their strings cut. "This is but the beginning." His voice echoed in their mind.
Neph slowly got to her feet, Gir walking up and patting her back. "You okay sis?" Gir asked, pulling off her helm and shaking out her green/grey hair.
"No... I think I just gained a nemesis... And not the steam powered one." Neph admits, looking around. "You realise we have to make it so her can't use these things again?"
Gir sighed. "So we are busting them up?"
"Safer that way."
Neph: I wanna fight!