I'm trash talking to trash, yes.

devi pls

Quote from devi

I'm trash talking to trash, yes.

Okay, now this is something I would have to request you keep off of this thread.

While I'm certain (aka, I'm saying this hoping that I'm right but with certain doubts) you meant this is a good-humored sort of way, triple posting things like this is not acceptable.

EDIT:

Dante, I...uh...accept your monthly. A bit on the odd side, but since you've explained it to me, I can make some connections. A tantalizing start, is how I would peg it, much like the first monthly that I did when I joined Xate's clan (which I then turned into a three part series).

Quote from Alphaeus

While I'm certain (aka, I'm saying this hoping that I'm right but with certain doubts) you meant this is a good-humored sort of way, triple posting things like this is not acceptable.

If this was an actual triple post, I would have been infracted for it. Chrome's posts were deleted. Don't be so quick to assume.

Sorry bout that Devi, but one can only go by what they see.

As to Dooms:

"When we recognize that we are all insane, history stands explained." ~~ Samuel Clemmons, aka Mark Twain.

Yo Alph, can we put the completed monthlies on page 1? I know Gen's especially got lost in the storm of comments. Fine with having certain individuals (triple) posting about how trash we are but we should really put the focus on the people in this clan that aren't trash and post things here and on time like GeneratorRexDragon and that Chromium fellow.

(Love you, Cruel. Love you, Alph.)

Once Cruel turns his in (which will be in by the 7th, I gave him an extension because of IRL stuff), I'm going to be posting all of them on the Clan Page. Each one of you will have you're own little section under the Clan Events area, where I will put all your monthlies. I'm Just waiting to do them all at once. Have patience.

Wuv u 2 Chromiomiomium. <3 (Okay, that even made me a bit sick...)

Double posting, I know, BUT....

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1)The first clan event is officially over by tomorrow (Cruel will be turning his in shortly due to IRL issues causing delays). Once all three have been submitted, they will be posted in personal member-story sections I will be creating.

2)The NEXT clan event is going to be a slightly different principle -- again it is about the positive impact of Nehushtan on your char, but in this circumstance it is regarding how your devotion to a new and higher principle has made your life perhaps deeper, but has also made it harder. A dilemma of some sort, or trial. Again, due the end of the Month.

3)We are just about to welcome our NEWEST MEMBER!!! Wooooo!!! His application story is in the works currently, so as soon as that is in we will welcome the man I am keeping in mystery for now....

Thanks guys for being wonderful members, btw. Just wanted to say that I think I have the best clan members around. :P

I am the mystery man. It is a mystery to no one.

Quote from RichardLongflop

I am the mystery man. It is a mystery to no one.

hey get that spooky shit outta here

Not sure how much this actually leans towards the prompt, but it was all I could come up with and it's better than nothing.

d, his eyes slowly drifting open. He glanced around the dimly lit room, recognizing the wallpaper of Dr. Macbeth’s clinic. He suddenly noticed someone was speaking, and turned his head to find Drake sitting next to his bed. The boy had a dinosaur toy, and was talking about something related to it.

He took another breath and stiffly sat up, flinching at the IV in his arm. The movement caught the child’s attention.

“Mr. Draco!” He set the toy down and bounced out of the chair excitedly. “You’re awake!” He received a grin from the halfbreed, and a pat on the head.

“Hey there, kiddo,” the Draconian greeted after a cough. Drake tilted his head in concern.

“Are you OK? You sound sick.”

“I’m fine. How are you feeling?”

“I’m all better!” the boy chimed. “Dr. David says I can go home soon! Oh-!” He jumped back into the chair to reach a button on the wall and mashed it. A response soon came.

“Drake? Did you accidentally push the button again?” Macbeth asked.

“Nuh-uh! Mr. Draco woke up!”

“Did he now?” Dracustos threw in a “Hey Doc,” so as to confirm the child’s claim. “Oh- uh, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” There was a click as the call ended. The halfbreed glanced at the kid, then leaned back and closed his eyes with a sigh of relief. Drake’s alive…

“Are you still tired, Mr. Draco?” the child inquired as he sat in his chair.

“Mmh… a little.”

“You shouldn’t be! You were asleep for a long time!” This received a questioning gaze, but before he could ask what Drake meant the door opened and the doctor walked in.

“Glad you’re up, Dracustos.” A mere wave was given, and Macbeth turned to Drake. “Could you go to your room, please? I need to speak with him alone.”

“Mh-hm!” The six-year-old snatched his toy and quietly left, closing the door behind him.

“He’s a sweet kid,” Macbeth commented as he made his way to the chair. “Such a shame he had to experience Ichneumon firsthand.”

“Yeah…” A moment of silence. “So, what is it you want to talk about?”

“Firstly, I want to say you’re a stupid lizard for doing what you did.”

“Heh, I know.”

“I don’t think you do.” Dracustos was silent, tiredly casting a questioning glance. “The energy drain from your teleport caused your white blood cell count to drop to dangerous levels; by the time I started to treat you, you’d gone into cardiac arrest from the venom. Your vitals dropped, and healing has slowed drastically; that knife wound still needs stitches to hold it closed. Draco...” He leaned onto his knees, folding his hands. “You’ve been out for five weeks.” The halfbreed looked at the foot of his bed. Five weeks?

“What happened out there, Dracustos?” He was silent for a moment before answering. The doctor could tell he was upset about something. He was avoiding eye contact, even refraining to face him directly.

“After I left the dragon... I… ran into someone. A former Tribe member, Adder.”

“A Tribe member? I thought they were all either dead or in prison?”

“He escaped, and just happened to be in the same area as me.”

“I assume he’s responsible for your injuries and the venom?”

“I broke my wing when I fell from the sky; landed on it wrong. The venom was all him. Tribe members are named based on certain skills they have. Adder was an expert in snake venoms.”

“Was?” Dracustos looked away, and it didn’t take long for Macbeth to figure it out.

“Did you go Feral?”

“No.”

“Then surely he forced your hand?” The halfbreed’s ears lay back.

“It’s not so much that I killed him that bugs me; he was too dangerous to be left alive. It’s... the way I killed him.” Dr. Macbeth leaned back.

“And what way was that?”

“... Do you know how lions take down their prey, Doctor?” He rubbed his chin in thought.

“If I recall, they go for the throat. Crushing the trachea…” He trailed off, realizing what the Draconian was insinuating. “Oh...”

“I could have used his knife, one of my swords. But I didn’t.”

“You did what you had to do. It may not have been in the best manner, but now he’s unable to do any more harm.” Another moment of silence.

“I did it… because I was angry. I... wanted to kill him- to make him suffer.”

“And why is that?” At first Draco didn’t answer, wondering when Macbeth became a therapist. Then he sighed.

“He’s the one who messed with the water supply. He put the Ichneumon in it to try to kill me, but Drake got them instead. But it’s not the first time a Tribe member has done this. The first time was twelve years ago.” Clawed hands gripped the blanket in anger. “They did it to kill my mother, because she kept the town alive. And while everyone was at their weakest, grieving over her death, The Tribe came in and took over.” This time David was silent, his gaze turning to his feet. He closed his eyes.

“I can’t quite say that I understand your pain… but you can’t let these things get to you like this. It will make it too easy for certain enemies to take advantage of.” Dracustos gave no reply, and so Dr. Macbeth assumed the conversation was over. He stood with a sigh and made his way to the door, pausing with his hand on the handle. “I’ll… tell Drake to leave you be for a while.” The halfbreed remained turned away, silent in his thoughts.
------

David closed the door and turned to find Drake standing in the hall. The child was looking at the floor, seemingly depressed.

“Oh, Drake… what are you doing out here?” At first he didn’t answer, looking at his dinosaur.

“You don’t think Mr. Draco is bad, do you Dr. David?” he asked. The doctor was speechless, realizing the boy had been listening to their conversation.

“No… no, of course not,” he replied, lowering onto a knee. “He was just doing what he needed to keep your town safe.”

“I know.” Drake raised his head. “My mommy says sometimes good people have to do bad things. Draco doesn’t like to do bad things… When he does he gets sad. Sometimes he goes away for a while.”

“Is that so…” Macbeth mumbled. He stood, ruffling the child’s hair. “Well, Dracustos needs some alone time, so I need you to go back to your room, OK?” Drake gave a nod before leaving, his peppiness dampened by the situation. The doctor remained for a moment, rubbing his chin in thought.
____________

The Coliseum gym was next to empty and strangely quiet, save for the clanking of someone lifting weights or the rhythmic hum and buzz of a treadmill, a couple Gladiators chatting it up. And on one end of the gym, the solid, muffled thumps of a scaly fist hitting a punching bag. Normally Dracustos would have gone home to sit in front of his koi pond and meditate in an attempt to find peace… but this time, he felt he needed to blow off some steam.

As he abused the leather sack, his thoughts wandered back to what had transpired what felt like moments ago; mostly his encounter with Adder, how the man confessed it was The Tribe responsible for his mother’s death, the clashing turmoil of emotions that came over him… the voice. It wasn’t his own; he had never heard it before. Adder said something about his eyes changing, like when he goes Feral. Could it perhaps have something to do with that form?

The trail of thoughts went back to Leia. Of all things, he and his father had never considered she had gotten infested with Ichneumon. The signs were obvious: occasional twinges of pain, coughing up blood… He still couldn’t believe it was their doing.

He could try to forget about it, or just simply try not to think about it, as he always did. But this… He couldn’t forget. It was hard not to think about. In fact, it seemed to be all he thought about since that encounter, as if it were a cancer growing in his brain. Those old memories still pained him, and these new ones even more so.

It was a pain he felt he’ll never get used to. Losing someone close. Facing their killer. Taking a life. Dracustos was already aware of his other side’s rage, but he hadn’t even gone Feral, and yet he had to keep himself from ripping out the man’s throat. But is what he did really any better?

“Dracustos!” Startled, the halfbreed spun around to find Dr. Macbeth standing behind him, then flinched at a sharp twinge in his back. The doctor sighed, gesturing for him to turn back around so he could have a look. The beast knelt down, and after a quick inspection he received another sigh.

“You pulled a couple stitches. I thought I told you to take it easy,” the doctor scolded, reaching into a pocket of his coat.

“Sorry. Must have been hitting harder than I thought,” Dracustos replied. He flinched again as the man began repairing the damage.

“What are you even doing here? You should be resting; your body’s been strained enough.”

“Just needed to blow some steam. And think.”

“Blow steam? You were going at it pretty hard.” David took a step back, returning the sewing materials to their pocket. “In any case… I have a job for you.”

“Didn’t you just say I needed rest?” The scaly figure straightened up as his boss sat on a bench.

“This just requires some travelling, nothing strenuous,” he answered, pulling out a folded piece of paper.

“Alright,” Draco sighed, “what is it?”

“I want you to go to these prisons and make sure no other Tribe members have escaped. I don’t want any more Ichneumon incidents, and I’m sure you don’t either, despite the fact we’ve found a treatment.” The halfbreed stared at him for a moment, a grimness finding its way into his countenance.

“No.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You’ll have to find someone else. I don’t know if I can handle being around another Tribe member right now.” He turned back to the bag. A frown was the response, and Dr. Macbeth raised his voice to be heard over the thuds and jingling chain.

“Dracustos, I’m trying to help you. I don’t know what kind of personal demons you’re trying to deal with or avoid here, but we have a job to do. People get killed, and sometimes you just have to deal with it. It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve-”

“David,” Dracustos interrupted, pausing his bag beating, “you’re treading on some thin ice. I suggest you watch where you step.” Macbeth was silent for a moment, mostly in shock at his comrade’s tone. Then he sighed and stood.

“I hold you in good standing, Dracustos. You’re one of the top people I can count on and trust to get things done. But if this becomes a regular occurrence… I’ll have to question your place.” He left without another word, leaving the half-dragon to sulk.

Dracustos turned, and noticed Macbeth had left the paper he pulled from his pocket. He snorted and turned his gaze to the floor, questioning himself. Why did I threaten him? He’s done nothing but help me, and I treat him like this? What am I doing? With a snarl he swung one last fist at the punching bag in frustration, breaking the chain and sending the bag a few feet across the room. Why am I still so angry…? Another glance was cast at the paper on the bench. At least he knew where to start making up.
____________

He was bitter the first few visits, but as he continued to take roll his saltiness faded. It was no surprize some Tribe members died in prison riots or escape attempts, but it did come as a shock when most of them greeted him as if he were an old friend. They would wave and smile, and when he spoke with them they were friendly and apologised.

There were a few who were sour towards him, as was expected. They either refused to speak or insulted the halfbreed, even threatening him.

Needless to say, the friendly banter was the highlight of his trip, even if it was from formal enemies. But as he neared the end, he began to grow grim. The last member was in a prison by himself… Adder’s younger brother, Slick. He had a knack for getting out of sticky situations not with strength, but with cunning and tactics. However, he wasn’t to be underestimated, as he would stab someone in the back without hesitation. In a way, he was more dangerous than Adder.

Dracustos went through the routine of security checks, but instead of being led to the man’s cell, he was taken into a room where people speak to the prisoners through phones, separated by a layer of glass.

“He’s been a bit feisty lately. Figured this would be safer,” one of the guards explained. After a nod the halfbreed went to a seat, and not long after Slick was brought in. He had a similar build to his brother, but with a thinner frame and less defined muscles. In a way, he resembled the Joker.

He plopped down in his chair with a huff, then grinned when he set eyes on the being before him and picked up the handset. Dracustos hesitated, and the man gestured for him to use the phone. After a sigh he did so.

“Hey Slick.”

“Dracustos… how long has it been?” No answer came, and he chuckled. “So, what reason do you have to come here?”

“Just making sure everyone is where they’re supposed to be,” the Draconian replied. Slick’s grin grew, and he leaned onto the desk in front of him.

“Not all of us,” he cooed, lowering his voice. “Adder is out there. He’ll come for me… Your days are numbered.” Dracustos remained silent for a moment, debating whether or not to say anything. Then he sighed.

“Slick… Adder’s dead.” This received a laugh.

“That’s a pretty dark sense of humor, Draco! I didn’t know you had it in you!” As his laughter trailed off, he saw an expression on the halfbreed that told him he wasn’t joking. “You’re… you’re serious?” A nod, and the young man leaned back in his chair.

“Sorry Slick,” Dracustos apologised. The prisoner ran a hand down his face.

“Do you, uh… know what happened?” Again, there was an inner debate about answering, and again he sighed.

“It was me,” he said. Slick raised his eyes, seemingly shocked by the answer. “We ran into each other a while ago… he gave me no choice.” He was stunned at the silence that came from the other side. But then Slick leaned forward again.

“If I ever get out of here… you’re dead,” he growled.

“Slick-” The Tribe member shook his head and slammed the handset back onto its holder. He stood, turning to a guard with an angry “We’re done here” and holding out his hands. Dracustos sighed and hung up his own phone as the man was cuffed and led away.

“I didn’t want to do it, Slick. He brought it on himself. I’m sorry.”

As he left the facility, one of the guards from behind the glass caught up with him. The man was laughing.

“Wow, I’ve never se

wuv you alph~ :o

Alright...

So I'm gonna make each of you a storyline Gdoc. Good work both of you.

Cruel, when you post yours I will do the same.

Just as a side note, Cruel is currently having IRL issues that take precedence. He will be back as soon as possible, and is working on the monthlies as best he can.

In the meantime, Oktoberfest! No monthlies for this month. Instead, relax in your lederhosen with a frothy stein while I do some framework stuff for the clan.

Best of wishes, loyal Serpents.

P.S. -- wuv you too Chromy. <3

Doubleposting, I know, but this is important.

I have updated the clan home page, and I'll let you guys explore the few things I changed and added.

What I really want to draw your attention to is the fact that David is now offering homes for members of The Coils. These can be absolutely ANYTHING you want, and money is ABSOLUTELY NO OBJECT to David. Altaer -- master genius of cyberwarfare and securities design -- will take care of personally designing any security measures you want. Hell, you can have three homes if you are feeling luxurious -- David is generous.

So, what I'm getting to is that while I might have given you a month off, and there is no requirement or deadline for creating your homes, it might be advisable to use your free time this month to whip up a home or two or three, if you want.

Or you can just revel in your freedom for now and do nothing. Your choice.

Either way, have fun!