Posted on 2024-06-07 12:54:20
Score: 0 (vote Up)

THE LAMP EMERALD CUTTERS


We should definitely not split up, analyze our surroundings slowly-




Such a careful and thoughtful first step for the team would have been primordial, a safe bet for the mission the Diamond Cutters had been called in as Lanolin went on to read once more the missive sent to them. An immense energy spike, a foreign one in an old Eggman base, would certainly bode ill as they had been sent to scout and report their findings. An emergency team for either striking or gathering intel, they were still a work-in-progress as one of their member was...anything but careful and thoughtful.




Splitting up to gather more ground? Roger that, fearless leader! said the one key member whose boundless energy and enthusiasm made for the heart of the team...as well as most of its recurring troubles when in the field. Tangle was certainly not shying away from duty, ever eager to participate and make the world a better place, though how Whisper actually tolerated such reckless behavior did make Lanolin question how the lemur and the wolf ever got along to begin with. Will do! Be back in a few!




...I'll follow her, was all that Whisper had to say, speaking in the same volume as her namesake, a quiet and reserved sniper and fighter whose actual belonging to the original Diamond Cutters did lend some credence to their team. Lanolin was a stern kind of gal, someone who craved order and discipline, which she oft received from Whisper yet very rarely from Tangle. However, removing the lemur from the equation was out-of-the-question as she knew well-enough that doing so would not reduce their ranks to 2...but rather to one. As brash and impulsive as Tangle was, she always did have Whisper by her side, which meant that to have the experienced fighter and reconnaissance wolf...she needed to accept the excitable and downright hyperactive lemur as well. A rather bizarre alchemy, something still meant to gel together somehow, yet this mission would certainly raise their level exponentially...




In ways certainly unexpected.




Energy spike, uh? I should be looking for like big sparks...oooh, or maybe something like a Chaos Emerald! Tangle said, not speaking to anyone specific but rather herself. Her voice was loud, however, certainly easy to hear from any distance as the old warehouse and small factory echoed her words without any difficulties. As she swung by using her tail, extending it and employing the appendage to grab and do acrobatics, she kept her eyes wide open in case either a badnik or anything unsavory would show itself. Perhaps a new Death Egg? An experiment by Starline left on the stove for too long? Rough and Tumble pushing a button they shouldn't have pressed?




Silently was she followed by her dearest friend, the one that Tangle was closest to as Whisper was part endeared and yet exasperated by the lemur. A sharp contrast could be easily spotted between the two, Whisper being calm and as far removed from the loud qualitative as one could be. An expert in stealth, reconnaissance and shooting targets from afar, she could ever track her target without any challenge, Tangle being especially ranked in the child's play category given how noisy and hyper she was. Still did the once-called Guardian Angel of the Battlefield do honor to her moniker once again, ensuring that Tangle would not be caught unaware nor without any back-up.




Oh hey! That's funky-looking! Tangle said, getting near an object that stood upon a small table, certainly clashing with the rest of the dcor due to its aesthetics. In the cold, grey and partly rusty metallic framework of this once-thriving environment, such an object could only stick out as the lemur got closer to what seemed akin to a golden oil lamp, one adorned with obsidian details and a large blue gem on top of its lid. Could it be like a magic lamp? The kind that grant wishes like in the tales?! Jeez, that'd be-




Silence was greeted with at first a certain relief from Whisper, only for the wolf to realize that this meant something went terribly wrong. Tangle could indeed be silent and listen, especially when it was just the two of them, but during a mission it seldom if ever occurred for her not to say anything. As Whisper went on to get closer, rushing towards where she theorized Tangle ought to be found, triangulating with tracks and previous sounds, she did reach her dearest friend as quickly as she could. The sight greeting her was nothing short of alarming, the lemur somewhat incapacitated mentally, tantalized and seemingly captivated by a trace of slithering, serpentine blue smoke that glittered and shimmered in the ambient air. This caused for Whisper to see the dazed, entranced Tangle as she did something she rarely ever committed to: she shouted. Tangle!




Time went on to slow down, panic occupying the wolf's mind while the lemur's one was emptying itself. Spirals in wide eyes, a slight happy grin, steps forward and coils of smoke went on to invade Tangle as Whisper went on to run towards her. Screaming did nothing, thus direct action would be preferable as lunging, running and then grabbing the lemur became her own course-of-action. The fear of seeing Tangle receive any harm caused for Whisper to throw caution to the wind, resulting in the same smoke going on to gain an interest in the newest entity within its vicinity. What followed was a daze, a mixture of awe, fear and bliss cumulating in a strange lethargy that Whisper felt at odds against...and her chance to fend it off were growing minimal at best, impossible at worst.




What neither knew about this object were numerous. Its origins, its objective, its powers...a plethora of unknown, though the relic in question did go on to assimilate a great deal from those two. The item which had placed both under a soothing and inescapable spell was known as a Lamp Emerald, an artifact from another dimension altogether. It ever did seek people with strong desires, those who could withstand and channel its power by connecting with the lamp through an unique kind of symbiosis. As the smoke went on to pour through their pores, nostrils, mouth and every possible unveiled crevices did Tangle and Whisper begin to grow ethereal, glowing with wanton magic. The energy spike had resulted in it manifesting on Mobius, the call from a previous Lamp Emerald finding a suitable being intriguing this one.




The process of rendering them in gaseous form was effortless, its programming being so complex as to being akin to actual will as the Lamp Emerald went on to absorb both at once. Thus was not the actual objective, more a random event which it would need to contend with, yet in such misfortune could a blessing be found as there was choice as opposed to obligations here. One of them would be best-suited to the task, having a great wish to grant in order to link itself to the Lamp Emerald. Which would prove strongest was but a matter of observations, analysis and cold facts as the lemur and the wolf were scanned through a myriad of layers and manners. Their aspirations, their preferences, their history, all there to be learned from, creating data to sift through as the Lamp Emerald began to weight in...and then quite a situation was created here and there. Not only were their wish rather similar...




But each of them involved the other.




The lemur wanted nothing but for her friend to belong, to find a good space, to be with their loved ones and to eventually drop their guard. The wolf, meanwhile, desired to protect the first and most priceless friend she ever had, someone who meant a lot more to her than she could properly describe. Within the equation of power, opportunity and duty that the Lamp Emerald possessed and tried to complete there was no proper way to solve such a quandary. To grant one wish would result in the other being completely annihilated. Emotional and spiritual devastation on one side, no matter whom was selected. It was a problem, for eons of existence had made it so there would ever be just one genie for one lamp. It had ever been thus...yet ought it always be, now and forever? A new element was introduced, creating theorems and hypotheses to solve and test.




The Lamp Emerald was working against established logic, attempting to create a new one to solve the issue as they always did select beings with strong wishes, obvious desires that once granted would guarantee loyalty and devotion. Yet to go with one would doom the other, which would then create friction with the one that had actually been selected. It proved difficult to approach this through standardized procedure...but then an irregular thought did create a myriad of exciting new possibilities.




Who said that there could only be one genie per lamp?




The power would be divided, but then again they would both be contained within itself, which would render this point entirely moot. To select them both would ensure that they'd both be happy, completely trusting and then eager to work with the Lamp Emerald as the fusion, the symbiosis and passing of the cosmic energy went not to either just Tangle or Whisper...but to both. Non-tangible, more ideas and designs than actual beings right now, they were rewritten and recreated through magic, an immense amount of power which would then course through them right here and now. Two beings, two souls, connected through the same power and contained within but one artifact, bound to it and to each other now and for eons if not more.




The Lamp Emerald went on to glow, making it so a nearby scout went on to notice it through everything else. Worried about her team, Lanolin did go forth and try to catch up with them, exasperated though also worried about them. Yet as she saw the bright blue emerald lodged upon a most intricate lamp begin to shine and radiate did it catch her eye, creating a sort of awe-inspiring silence as the sheep went on to understand that this was what they sought. Yet as she approached cautiously, about to take pictures and notes did a smoke of orange and blue went on to get unleashed. Like thick tendrils did it slither and sway within the air as eventually did two forms manifest from nothing...two beings that Lanolin did recognize.




Nary a word was said, though their body language and their gaze told everything that needed to be known. Tangle had grown, her tail still as thick and long as ever, though she now wore a bedlah that could fit within such tales as the Arabian Nights. Pantaloons of grey and black with light orange trimming here and there, a top not dissimilar in pattern along with a bolero vest, she had a noticeable calm and happy smile as one of her arm was gently wrapped behind the other apparitions's back. The second being was none other than Whisper, whose eyes were slightly open as she mimicked the same pattern as Tangle: spirals. A smile beneath a translucent veil, a tight-bound top accompanied by a long semi-skirt, complete with jewelry as much like the lemur did the wolf show off much skin...yet Whisper did it even more so. Both looked radiant, sublime, alluring beyond measure with their cleavage, midriff and general glow as Whisper's hand and arm copied the same stance as Tangle's: wrapped behind the lemur's back.




Lanolin felt a plethora of emotions, questions rising yet one key element that could be felt, not just out of intuition but also as if it were thick and tangible within their aura: happiness. One nuzzling the other, a kiss on the cheek, a soft and delighted chuckle, as stern and cold as Lanolin could be on occasion did she recognize two beings in love when she saw them. No stress from Whisper, no detachment...and from Tangle could safety and relief be found in Whisper's company. It was beautiful to behold, though it left her in a daze to even stare at this spiraling and bright eyes. That manifestation was short-lived, however, as both bedlah-clad damsels embraced one another, with a small cyclone of smoke and magic sucking them within the spout as the Lamp Emerald then rested upon the table anew. Its mission completed, its future entirely in its proverbial hands, it needed nothing more but to employ its magic through various means and other would-be passerbys. Its next one, however, would be near-immediate as Lanolin snapped back to reality as she gently grabbed the lamp...then brought it along with her.




Many questions would arise, both Tangle and Whisper bound in servitude but also together as the couple that they always wanted to be, deep in their hearts. Their wish granted, together through thick and thin would they eventually be summoned as the Diamond Cutters still needed to go on, yet now they would be wielded for good and through a more direct leadership...yet also possessing a new name.




The Lamp Emerald Cutters.