The Rockaverse

A gunshot rocked the crowd- the first sound of weaponry any of the team had heard since arriving in the Cobran Caverns. Smoke poured out from Tamil's revolver as the crowd separated for him to march forward. Seru walked behind him. "Alright now, I think I've seen quite enough." The leader of Cobran announced. He lowered his pistol and turned his head profile to the group, turning to face Otis as he attempted to sneak away in the crowds. "Come back here, boy," Tamil said. Oris paused as his treachery was revealed.

Tamil holstered the weapon as he stepped toward the group. Ash, Horik, M'kama, and Percy all stood to attention as the crowd of Cobranites watched. "My name is Tamil," Tamil introduced. "And you're... you're the new arrivals?" Tamil gave a half-smile. "Down from Schittle, no less? Seru's got some... tales about what ya'll saw there..."

Horik tried to escape/.

Horik ran into another oven. Tamil grunted, running forward and opening the furnace. With a heroic moan he pulled her out of the flames.

Horik frowned as Tamil opened and shut the oven, face scrunched up in disgust.The mood of the area had changed and there was suspicion and fear in the air. It wasn't often this happened. Horik swallowed, unsure of how the people would react.

"You had to just make a goddam entrance didn't you?"

When Tamil's gunshot rang throughout the caverns of the Cobran, M'Kama quickly slid the pizza that had the burnt skin on it towards Percy, while he was distracted. "I'm sure. I suspect you'd be interested in hearing them, then?"

***
A heavy, worn boot, kicked aside the wreckage of a ship. Crown Prince Theory would look up to see two figures, a man and a woman, standing over him, blocking the sun for hitting his eyes. The woman sported a wide brimmed hat and the man had a cloak, caked in sand, a hood covering most of his face. The man began to walk off, laughing uproariously back towards a carriage, far too ornate and swimming in opulence drawn by four massive horned beetles to possibly be of the Rock and yet....it was undoubtedly native.

"Hey, boss...?" the woman called back, waving a bizarre looking firearm in the air. "It's Theory! What'chu want I do with 'em?"

An arm emerged from the carriage, giving an unconcerned wave. The woman shrugged, pointing the gun down, the barrel directly facing Theory's nose and shooting him nonchalantly in the face. Once the deed was done, the woman noticed something else stirring among the wreckage.

The cloaked man turned around and walked back towards the ship's remains, a grin still planted on his face. With a swing of a club, he knocked large panels of rubble back to reveal the wounded Syra.

"Seru would, certainly," Tamil said as Otis joined the lineup. "But first, I need to know we can trust you. You all have come to Cobran but have not yet realised what it is." Tamil squinted. "We need to take a closer look at ya'll, find out who you really are, what it is you want... and if we have it here."

"Honestly, we only came here to get our friend healed up and if you've already done that, we can just as easily be on on our way..." M'Kama pointed out.

"We don't let just anyone in," Tamil said. "Any man or woman who crosses the Cobran threshold has to be... read, made sure they ain't gonna go packin' with our location to an unfriendly outsider, understand?" Tamil glanced between the lined up lunatics. "Don't worry... it don't hurt... it don't hurt one bit."

And at his words, the air seemed to be sucked out of the forum. The breath kissed out their throats. Someone was approaching. And all the light of the world seemed to shine on them as the lanterns faded to the faintest of flames. From the arched entrance of the forum, between the rows of Cobranites, a woman approached- a woman Horik recognized. A flowing white gown. Her dreadlocks followed behind her on the ground. Her skin was near pitch black, reflecting the light like a marble sculpture. Her eyes were large, inviting, but dark.

"It is time... we found out what you're searching for," Tamil said as the woman stepped between Seru and himself...

"What is this?" M'Kama asked, glancing upon the strange looking woman in trepidation. "Forgive me, but I'd like to speak my mind first. I respect you Cobranites and your beliefs. But I do not trust this. I don't want any part of it," he stated simply.

"What is this?" M'Kama asked, glancing upon the strange looking woman in trepidation. "Forgive me, but I'd like to speak my mind first. I respect you Cobranites and your beliefs. But I do not trust this. I don't want any part of it," he stated simply.

"I'm used to wanting to go above the sand, never thought I'd be below it. Name's Horik by the way."

Ash gave a polite bow of his head towards Horik. "Ash, Captain Ash. And as far as sand is concerned, I always seem to be in it, covered in it even. Buggering miserable deserts." He sneered to himself slightly, not looking forward to being bathed in sand again. "And this is Percy, and he's the Voodoo man, and... Oh, Otis was here a moment ago... Where'd the boy-"

A gun shot rang out, catching Ash off guard as he quickly spun his body out from his seat, hand firmly gripping onto his pistol holster, ready to draw in a moment's notice. There was a man approaching them, who introduced himself as 'Tamil'. Ash eased away from his holster as the group seemed to form a line, though not before Horik ran into another oven it seemed, and Otis got caught trying to sneak off.

That girl really couldn't catch a break. And Otis's behavior, it was starting to come off as odd. He seemed... Paranoid? Definitely nervous, that much was evident. Tamil indicated there were 'stories' the group had that he wanted to hear, and someone named Seru, whom Ash guessed was the woman with him. The man had been talking about some kind of a 'reading', and as he finished, another woman had arrived, a strange one with onyx like skin and a white dress.

"It is time... we found out what you're searching for," Tamil said.

"What is this? Forgive me, but I'd like to speak my mind first. I respect you Cobranites and your beliefs. But I do not trust this. I don't want any part of it," the strange Voodoo man retorted.

Ash found himself slightly confused. Was all this mistrust really necessary? He wasn't familiar with the Seru girl, but Tamil acted like she knew the other folks there, implying she must know about The Gun. So why not just be blunt about it?

"Look," Ash spoke up. "I don't know what you intend to do with this 'reading', but before we do anything else, perhaps we can all just sit down like grown ups and talk about the big bloody gun?" He paused for a moment as he looked around between everyone gathered here. "I mean, that's what we're all really here because of. Or am I wrong?"

These GODDAmn Cobranites.

"We have a plan in place," Tamil responded to Ash, folding his arms. "The Caverns will take action. Now I will thank you for delivering the injured pilot but the gun will be dealt with." Tamil blinked. "Right now I have to make sure you all can be trusted. If there is a new gun on the Rock we have to make sure... it doesn't find us."

Uriah's forces began to fight for their lives, heavily outnumbered and outmatched. Zambob's forces were more disciplined than they'd been lead to believe. However, she was once a Knight and as such, she wouldn't allow herself to turn tail and run. "Fight until the last breath leaves your body!" She commanded as her, rather, Theory's men were slaughtered.

"Uriah the Bold, you have been found guilty of treason, desertion, and terrorism on a grand scale! Give up now, and I might let you live!" Azure called, racing up to the heavily armored Uriah.

"You aren't a Knight of Sor, or the Matran, who are you to accuse me of any crime?!" She retorted, slamming her helmet on to her head, and drawing her once ceremonial blade.

Azure smirked and drew her own blade, finding them much more elegant than a firearm. "I warned you," she whispered cooly.


*****

Theory blinked in astonishment and pain as blood poured from the side of his face. His ears were ringing from the crash, and the gunshot that had managed to crack his skull, and become lodged just under his left eye. The would-be assassin was still nearby, likely helping Syra. "Stupid Thrall..." he muttered as he tried, and failed to move before the pain in his head was too much to handle, and he passed out.


****

Syra moaned in pain as the panels were lifted from her small frame. Her body ached, she was sure her ribs were broken, and blood pooled around her from the small cuts she'd received at the hands of the shattering glass.

"Who, who are you?" She stammered, blinking her eyes slowly in the bright afternoon sun.

"This is why I hate flying!" Girthfield exclaimed as his young apprentice died.

M'Kama sighed. So the Cobraners already knew. M'Kama had yet to discern this was a good or a bad thing. He trusted some of the Cobraners he'd met....and he didn't even hold a grudge against their guardian deity. But there was something amiss in the way many of them spoke. M'Kama narrowed his eyes and sighed once more, "Very well, then. Conduct your test. I hope you find our intentions to be well meaning."

***

"We're askin' the questions here, lady," the woman with the wide brimmed hat snarled, aiming the gun at her.

"You with Theory?" The man in the cloak inquired.

Suddenly the woman's ghost seemed to leap out of her body, getting up into M'kama's face and ripping the skin off. M'kama screamed in agony as the world exploded around him, fireballs engulfing all the humans as he plummeted into hell.

M'Kama yawned. "Okay, are we done yet?" He asked after a minute.

It was all one of the woman's fantastical illusions!

Ash, M'kama, Horik, and Otis had all seen visions- the woman reaching forward, striking the life out of their lungs, feasting on their innards and consuming their flesh with snakes. Horrors beyond recollection. And then, it was over. They were again standing in the forum.

The woman blinked at the group before turning slowly to Tamil. "They are not here to harm us..." She breathed. "But they are not here to stay either..."

M'Kama belched. "Quite a feat, wise woman," he nodded at the old lady. "Anyone else require sustenance again? Suddenly, I feel quite hungry."

Not waiting for a response, he turned to Tamil. "What next, Snake-Man?"