Post by Baalbatos on May 28, 2016 8:04:32 GMT -5
(Thread PL: 50,380)
(Heavy weights on!)
Memories, thought Baalbatos, sweet memories. Bitter memories too. The Demon Realm and this world were a swath of memories for him, a sea of half-remembered encounters and scenes seared into he back of his mind as if by fire. He was almost a century old. In demon years, he was still a young man. But by human standards? He was old. Very, very old. So, it was as if he had a life time of memories. More than many of the oldest humans.
His first memories were strange, vague, animalistic even. It was not long ago that he had told the human Galen that childhood was a daily fight for survival for many of them. So, it made sense that his first memories were ones of hardship, ones of terror. Why, he remembered a time where he'd nearly died. In fact, it might have been the time that his internal recorder clicked on, the very first of his memories.
If he shut his eyes, even now he could remember it in vivid detail. He was being hunted, hunted by a larger demon. A much larger demon. He laughed to remember it, but he'd just stolen a large piece of meat from the larger demon and he was running away, but he could scarcely get away for his legs were so weak with hunger. It did not take long for the older demon to be hot on his heels.
Young Baalbatos knew he was as good as dead if he kept running like he was. So, remembered Baalbatos, he'd gambled on his ability to hide. He'd run into a rocky field full of tall, large boulders and attempted to lose the man there. His heart beating wildly, he'd dived behind a boulder and waited, on the verge of tears as the larger demon raged around him, looking for him.
And finally, the demon had stopped. For whatever reason, he'd given up. But Baalbatos did not move yet. No, he'd waited for what seemed like hours, slowly gnawing at the meat he had stolen. The food, it had felt so good in his stomach at the time, he felt like he'd never eaten before. Such encounters would become common place for Baalbatos, at least until he was strong enough to take without sneaking about like a thief in the night. Whatever it took to survive, Baalbatos reminded himself.
But he only needed to look at his surroundings now to remind himself how far he had come. Baalbatos rose from his bed, the weights on his body still heavy. With a grunt, he walked over to his desk and took stock of his possessions: that odd badge the Crane Master had given him, the series of credit cards that the man had also given him, and his data pad. Baalbatos picked up the credit cards and looked at them. The man had claimed that there was plenty of money on them. Money, he thought, he needed that. And that was when his next idea took route.
He opened the messenger application on his datapad and began a message intended for Gouta. He tapped away at the screen, writing his new plan into words:
"Gouta,
Came into some money. Transferring the funds to the administrative account. Should be plenty there. Use these funds, and only these funds, to buy new equipment and facilities for the BoO on Kyoraas. And the colony too, I suppose, if they need anything. Message me back as soon as you get this and can confirm the funds are in there.
Thanks,
Baalbatos"
And with that, Baalbatos sent the message and began the process of transferring the funds to their account. It was an arduous process. He transferred the funds through a series of accounts and sub-accounts, weaving a web of money that would be nigh impossible to trace. He did this with all of their money, lest their enemies try to track them through their spending. In a few minutes, it would be as if the money never existed. Good, thought, Baalbatos, just as he had planned. With a smile, Baalbatos set his datapad aside. Well, he thought, the Crane Master had said to use it to get his business started. And that's certainly what he was doing.
Baalbatos rose from his desk and made his way outside of the ship once again. It was time for a little practice, to make sure he was up to snuff for the coming hardships of training under the Crane Master. The sun was still high in the sky. Plenty of time for a little training, thought the demon. And he had just the technique in mind. He'd come across it in Fornosia's scrolls. As it turned out, Baalbatos already knew the technique: rapid movements based on enhancing one's speed with magick.
But Fornosia also had instructions for taking the technique even further. Magick, thought Baalbatos, what a wonderful and flexible thing. It was days like this that he was glad to be born a demon. Before long, Baalbatos stood alone in a field. No one around him, he noted. At least that nobody he could sense. He was wary these days. So many people here on Earth did not register as having energy, at least to his sense of the word. He realized now that he could be being watched. And that feeling made him uneasy. The demon quite liked his privacy.
But there'd be time to dwell on that later. For now, it was his time to practice his sorcery. He stood there, channeling his magicks all around him. They flowed through him, like leylines, like a river. His body swelled with magicks until it felt as if he were vibrating with power like mad. Yes, he thought, he had it. It was just as Fornosia had said! With a final burst, Baalbatos moved with blinding speed. Up into the air he went, and he came down like a bullet. Slowly, he turned around to see the image of himself, standing right where he had been. An afterimage, he realized.
"Perfect," said the demon.
(Attemping to learn [ST-2] Afterimage. I'd also like PL for this please, with heavy weights and LMB, please! Thank you!)
(Heavy weights on!)
Memories, thought Baalbatos, sweet memories. Bitter memories too. The Demon Realm and this world were a swath of memories for him, a sea of half-remembered encounters and scenes seared into he back of his mind as if by fire. He was almost a century old. In demon years, he was still a young man. But by human standards? He was old. Very, very old. So, it was as if he had a life time of memories. More than many of the oldest humans.
His first memories were strange, vague, animalistic even. It was not long ago that he had told the human Galen that childhood was a daily fight for survival for many of them. So, it made sense that his first memories were ones of hardship, ones of terror. Why, he remembered a time where he'd nearly died. In fact, it might have been the time that his internal recorder clicked on, the very first of his memories.
If he shut his eyes, even now he could remember it in vivid detail. He was being hunted, hunted by a larger demon. A much larger demon. He laughed to remember it, but he'd just stolen a large piece of meat from the larger demon and he was running away, but he could scarcely get away for his legs were so weak with hunger. It did not take long for the older demon to be hot on his heels.
Young Baalbatos knew he was as good as dead if he kept running like he was. So, remembered Baalbatos, he'd gambled on his ability to hide. He'd run into a rocky field full of tall, large boulders and attempted to lose the man there. His heart beating wildly, he'd dived behind a boulder and waited, on the verge of tears as the larger demon raged around him, looking for him.
And finally, the demon had stopped. For whatever reason, he'd given up. But Baalbatos did not move yet. No, he'd waited for what seemed like hours, slowly gnawing at the meat he had stolen. The food, it had felt so good in his stomach at the time, he felt like he'd never eaten before. Such encounters would become common place for Baalbatos, at least until he was strong enough to take without sneaking about like a thief in the night. Whatever it took to survive, Baalbatos reminded himself.
But he only needed to look at his surroundings now to remind himself how far he had come. Baalbatos rose from his bed, the weights on his body still heavy. With a grunt, he walked over to his desk and took stock of his possessions: that odd badge the Crane Master had given him, the series of credit cards that the man had also given him, and his data pad. Baalbatos picked up the credit cards and looked at them. The man had claimed that there was plenty of money on them. Money, he thought, he needed that. And that was when his next idea took route.
He opened the messenger application on his datapad and began a message intended for Gouta. He tapped away at the screen, writing his new plan into words:
"Gouta,
Came into some money. Transferring the funds to the administrative account. Should be plenty there. Use these funds, and only these funds, to buy new equipment and facilities for the BoO on Kyoraas. And the colony too, I suppose, if they need anything. Message me back as soon as you get this and can confirm the funds are in there.
Thanks,
Baalbatos"
And with that, Baalbatos sent the message and began the process of transferring the funds to their account. It was an arduous process. He transferred the funds through a series of accounts and sub-accounts, weaving a web of money that would be nigh impossible to trace. He did this with all of their money, lest their enemies try to track them through their spending. In a few minutes, it would be as if the money never existed. Good, thought, Baalbatos, just as he had planned. With a smile, Baalbatos set his datapad aside. Well, he thought, the Crane Master had said to use it to get his business started. And that's certainly what he was doing.
Baalbatos rose from his desk and made his way outside of the ship once again. It was time for a little practice, to make sure he was up to snuff for the coming hardships of training under the Crane Master. The sun was still high in the sky. Plenty of time for a little training, thought the demon. And he had just the technique in mind. He'd come across it in Fornosia's scrolls. As it turned out, Baalbatos already knew the technique: rapid movements based on enhancing one's speed with magick.
But Fornosia also had instructions for taking the technique even further. Magick, thought Baalbatos, what a wonderful and flexible thing. It was days like this that he was glad to be born a demon. Before long, Baalbatos stood alone in a field. No one around him, he noted. At least that nobody he could sense. He was wary these days. So many people here on Earth did not register as having energy, at least to his sense of the word. He realized now that he could be being watched. And that feeling made him uneasy. The demon quite liked his privacy.
But there'd be time to dwell on that later. For now, it was his time to practice his sorcery. He stood there, channeling his magicks all around him. They flowed through him, like leylines, like a river. His body swelled with magicks until it felt as if he were vibrating with power like mad. Yes, he thought, he had it. It was just as Fornosia had said! With a final burst, Baalbatos moved with blinding speed. Up into the air he went, and he came down like a bullet. Slowly, he turned around to see the image of himself, standing right where he had been. An afterimage, he realized.
"Perfect," said the demon.
(Attemping to learn [ST-2] Afterimage. I'd also like PL for this please, with heavy weights and LMB, please! Thank you!)