+- Eagle Time (https://eagle-time.org)
+-- Forum: Cool Shit You Can Do (https://eagle-time.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Forum Games (https://eagle-time.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+---- Forum: Grand Battles (https://eagle-time.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=15)
+---- Thread: The Grand Battle II! [Happy End!] (/showthread.php?tid=688)
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - SleepingOrange - 10-03-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by SleepingOrange.
The lids snapped open as one, and a great swarm of objects rose up, circling each other and gradually coalescing into a humanoid shape. The shape was... disconcerting to all humans present. Aside from its composition, the proportions were subtly off; limbs were too long, hands were tipped with cutlery claws, and the head had only one facial feature: a smooth white "eye" with a sigil of some sort on it where the iris would be. The boxes hovered in a vertical circle behind the manikin, evoking the idea of a halo or wings. Its face tilted up to the faceless and let out a piercing shriek, blood pouring from the "eye".
An average schrotgolem couldn't lift things very high, and even a very powerful one couldn't let its whole body 'fly', but this one reasoned it didn't need to. A few blades and hard objects left the body, swooping towards Vyrm'n; they harried and pricked it with the efficiency and coordination of a swarm, hemming its movements and forcing it closer and closer to the ground. The schrotgolem glided across the grass towards where Vyrm'n was being lead, limbs not moving, wheel of boxes slowly rotating. It screamed again, drawing back a bladed arm as it drew closer to the faceless.
Gestalt intended to kill.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - GBCE - 10-03-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by snoomanwaff.
Cabaret, attempting to get the taste of faceless out of his mouth, remarks to Maxwell "well I guess it's kicked off now." He then pulled a pot lid from his pocket while the harisen disappeared and, muttering that it would have to do, threw it at Vyrm'n in a fashion similar to a discus toss.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - Schazer - 10-03-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.
Vyrm'n at first tried simply avoiding the irritating ammunition, then tried to grab it and bend it out of shape, but both tactics failed to stop the barrage. Unlike the shredding wall-rock, the damage from all of this shrapnel was mostly superficial, but nonetheless the involuntary contact stung and distracted the Faceles each time.
Slowly being harried towards the ground, the Faceless twisted and turned, looking for an opportunity to flee, but finding none. It suddenly collapsed from its elegant flight-form and plummeted to the ground with a smacking kind of splash, catching the schrotgolem by surprise for a moment. Unwilling to lose the advantage, Vyrm'n compressed its shape and leapt at the advancing golem as an unyielding, solid object. The two spirits collided, Vyrm'n attempting to crush whatever part of Gestalt it could get its mass around; the golem striking at the bigger Faceless from all sides with its arsenal.
The Faceless held down Gestalt's torso region with the majority of its bulk, before raising its front end and bringing it crashing down on the sygil-inscribed face. It did this three times before the pot lid arced its way over, crashing into the Faceless bodily and distracting Vyrm'n for a moment.
Gestalt took the opportunity to focus its attention on all the shrapnel flying around; it launched them into the Faceless in one go, turning it into an enormous, astral pincushion. It thrashed with pain at the all-over attack, unpinned Gestalt from under its bulk, and grabbed about half of the ammunition before the schrotgolem could take it off the Faceless again. It shuffled the weapons, which protested against their capture, right into its core so there was several feet of darkness keeping them under control from every direction. Gestalt tried to make them return; but it was like trying to get them to pull themselves out of being encased in solid rock.
Able to deal with the reduced amount of shrapnel pursuing it, Vyrm'n embedded the pot lid in itself and slithered as quickly as it could across the ground to Cabaret, before tossing the pot lid at the conjurer's feet.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - SleepingOrange - 10-03-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by SleepingOrange.
What was left of the schrotgolem lurched forward, a semi-human-shaped mass collapsing into a rolling pile; as it slithered closer, it reassembled into a large spider-like creature, limbs working in a jerky imitation of its arachnid inspiration without ever actually touching ground. The wheel of boxes was now hovering above its abdomen, a few more trinkets sliding out to augment the creature.
One object in particular was shifting towards the front of the construct: a dull white brick; as it reached where the mouth would have been on a real spider, it split into two jagged wedges of stone, which oriented themselves like fangs. The spider was approaching more slowly than it had before, though, reluctant to press its advantage without knowing what its opponent was capable of. However, it was definitely approaching.
Gestalt was about to strike.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - GBCE - 10-03-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by yousodumb.
Dairy of Professor Armidillo Reccxer: That faceless just hurt my dear new friend! I shall not abide this, I will not kill it but I will make it wish I had. My ally Gestalt had landed another attack, this was an opportunity I could not pass. I quickly ran over to the Faceless and connected my cane to it. Suddenly the pathway into its mind opened again, and this time I was prepared. Mortal, you have no place here, leave me now! the faceless said. I was determined, I would not be cast aside so easily! "It is you who has no place here, leave us!" I bellowed. HRAAGG! the non-entity cried as it tried to resist my commands. It is you who shall leave, And die while your at it the thing said. Interesting enough, this appears to be a sort of one-way connection, I could give it orders, But it's thoughts had no effect on mine! I attributed this to my tampering with the Gem at the top of my cane. "leave us, NOW! I came here for peace, But I shall destroy you if I am forced!" I then broke the connection with the faceless, It shuddered and took off in a north-easterly direction. All was peaceful for now, an opportune moment to explain my plan. In the distance I heard a mechanical rumbling, would this one be more peaceable? I certainly hope so.
My plan is nearing completion, Heavens save us if I fail.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - btp - 10-03-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by bobthepen.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - GBCE - 10-03-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by yousodumb.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - GBCE - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by Opirian.
Galus still began running his finger along the trigger of his pistol cautious of this person who had randomly offered him a gift. His mine raced and darted around, one of us will die every round? If that's the case who knows what this guy is planning. He raised his pistol and pointed it at Samuels face, "sorry for being so cautious but I don't particularly like the gift of death." The man gave a small smirk before replying "do not misunderstand me, I said I mean you no harm."
Galus still sat there finger on the trigger, maintaining his cool after being dragged forcefully to this place was not an easy task, "what do you propose? what is this gift you offer me?" the man stepped forward and held up his hands to show he was unarmed, "I do not have a gift for you friend, I was simply talking to this place we're in." What do I do? Galus thought, that brief pause caused him to relax his finger coming off his trigger his gun no longer pointing at his assumed enemy. This guy is clearly not normal, then again I don't suspect anyone to be normal, not one bit.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - Schazer - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.
The Faceless, struck by the professor's staff, felt that connection open up again. It heard his greivances, then decided a retreat would suffice for now if it offered precious moments to recover. The stupid man refused to listen to Vyrm'n's reply, and if leaving for the time being would make this insufferable mortal bugger off, it was the best course of action.
Vyrm'n soared away to the furtherest corner of the Labyrinth Field.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - GBCE - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by yousodumb.
Dairy of Professor Armidillo Reccxer: my connection to that faceless was much stronger than I thought. I saw its true intentions, its hopes, its dreams. I saw how it only wanted to go home and that it would kill all of us to achieve this goal.
truly heartwarming, I thought when suddenly my good friend Gestalt moved next to me. it looked like it was having some trouble putting itself together again, no doubt due to some kind of trick that faceless pulled. I quickly gathered up all the parts that I could find and gave them to Gestalt. As soon as the pen and paper was back in it's possession it scrawled out sloppily, I lost much when it attacked me, I would appreciate if you found some things to add to my being. I then looked around, there was nothing in my line of sight, suddenly I felt something hit against my leg, I looked down to see a small round object that made a peculiar sighing sound. "This will have to do" I said pulling some stuff out of my pockets, good thing I keep all sorts of brick-a-brack in them. I pulled out a lightbulb, a potato, a small collection of gears, a strange wire thing I made a few days ago that kind of looked like a hand, a small laser pointer (which I made a few months back), some shallots and a few wheels. Gestalt seemed happy with the assortment of items I handed him.
I hope that we are able to test out my theory soon.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - Sruixan - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by Sruixan.
It appeared the Cabaret had been speaking to thin air, for where Maxwell had earlier resided, there was just a few scuffs in the soil. No, he'd long since wandered off, towards the wall that seemed to stretch out to lost horizons beyond the field they played in. The fight in the background was merely an inconvenience, but every now and again he became a sentinel to Cabaret, unwilling to get involved just yet. The Professor was piquing his curiosity, and already his actions had helped Maxwell devise one method of getting out of this place. As he sauntered along, a few mumbles escaped the confines of Maxwell's mind...
"Wall... keep us in... something out... curious... down..."
A little distracted, he very nearly collided with the wall, stopping himself just in time with a fumble in the opposite direction. His near-miss confused him slightly, and for a few moments he just sat down on the dirt, so well compacted and devoid of any real signs of life.
A watcher would have been startled by the energy which Maxwell put into jumping up again, leaving the ground for a few brief seconds before returning to earth. He now had another detail to add to his list of things that were a little unusual about this battle. Actually, come to think of it...
He delved into an inside pocket and procured from within a small notebook and pencil. The book he flipped upside-down and flicked to what was now its front, the pencil he used to record the lengthy monologue he'd etched into his brain over an hour ago. Annotations followed, and several pages later he closed the treasure trove content. The order of the day now was a stroll along the wall, a further examination of the perplexing barrier. It was made of reasonably large bricks that were rather coarse in composition - a few scratches on his hands told him that much. Lots of the wall was covered in what could very well have once been some kind of creeper, but now it was almost some kind of plaster, covering the wall and rendering long stretches of it devoid of markings - huge empty voids, comparable to the ground and sky of the world around him.
The most interesting thing Maxwell found, however, was a small cavity in the wall. At some point, someone (or something; he remembered to correct himself on that point) had removed a brick from the wall with great success. Of course, the wall was more than one brick thick, otherwise it would not be an effective barrier, but still... a quick count was all Maxwell needed to figure out another way over the wall. Now, who'd removed the brick?
...ah yes, that pile of boxes, a... schr... erm, golem thingy? The name of it eluded him, but what he could remember was its most recent transformation, into the spider, fanged with...
Maxwell sighed. What brilliant luck that the two contestants who could help them get out of here were the two most likely to try and kill him before he could tell them his plans...
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - GBCE - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by snoomanwaff.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - Schazer - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.
Vyrm'n soared far from the combat, until it felt the golem's influence on the knives and other bits and pieces contained within it begin to fade. Able to stretch itself thinner, the Faceless did so, quickly hitting top speed and making a dash for beyond the wall.
Again, it hit some sort of non-existent barrier with a bodily thump, landing heavily by Maxwell, much to the man's surprise. It swiftly dragged itself up from the collapsed puddle of darkness it had been, until it was its preferred crystalline pillar. It spent a further moment shuffling Gestalt's bits and pieces until they were thoroughly locked away again. Maxwell spent this whole time studying the Faceless warily, though he did his utmost to not show emotion on his face; he had no obvious defence against it should it choose to suffocate him like it had tried with Cabaret. When the creature finished, he stared at a point up it where a normal sentient creature's face would be in proportion to the rest of it.
"Yes?" The Faceless, unsurprisingly, made no reply. Instead, it lowered its bulk slightly so its swiftly forming arm could reach the ground. Maxwell sensed, rather than saw, Vyrm'ns consciousness quickly ascertain the position of Gestalt, before releasing a knife from the prison it was and shifting it to replace a finger. The resulting tool gave Vyrm'ns inscriptions a harsher, more urgent font:
<WHY ARENT YOU FIGHTING ARE YOU GOING TO ATTACK ME>
Maxwell considered the pillar of night, lost for a moment in contemplation of the meandering of stars across the Faceless' otherwise lightless body. He paused, weighing up the situation. He didn't want to appear weak or vulnerable to the Faceless, which technically had made the first strike in this battle for what, to Maxwell's recollections, would at best be only a vaguely justified reason. Then again, it hadn't made any attempts to attack yet, so with a decent response perhaps Maxwell could make an ally of this powerful creature, or at least a less preferred target.
"I'm not fighting because... I'm trying to find a way out. That doesn't involve killing someone each round." Sensing a tension still remaining in the Faceless' demeanour, Maxwell clarified, "So to fight you is a waste of time." It seemed he'd said the right thing, for the Faceless started its awkward script again.
<THERE IS NO WAY OUT NOT OVER I FLY AND THE AIR STOPS ME AND I FALL AND COME BACK TO THE EARTH WHICH CAN ONLY GIVE ME WORDS NEVER FREEDOM-> By this point, Vyrm'n was starting to get rather exciteable, the last few words approaching illegibility as Maxwell nervously reached out a hand to halt the Faceless' attempts to carve a hole of ideas.
"You tried flying over?" The Faceless was staring at Maxwell with a dead, eyeless face which had not been carved upon its features several moments before. The face slid up and down the surface, unmoving but obviously the beast's best attempt at conveying a nod. "Did you... see anything?" Vyrm'n raised its arm again in an attempt to write, Maxwell caught it before it could start. "If you would... please show me." The Faceless surveyed him mutely with its unseeing gaze, before returning the knife to its black tomb and offering a hand. With some trepidation, and not knowing what would happen next, Maxwell took it, trying not to leap back when it rushed up his arm. To his relief, Vyrm'n halted well below the elbow, leaving his wrist immobile but still able to move reasonably well. He noted Vyrm'n seemed to consent to him rotating the hand to a more comfortable angle, still keeping a tight grip at the edge of its hold.
With one hand encased, Vyrm'n proferred a second arm. This one broke the illusion of a humanoid resemblance the Faceless was trying to convey; in relation to its first arm and face the second arm seemed to emerge from around its stomach. Nonetheless, Maxwell took it; again it consented to halt just above the wrist. Vyrm'n suddenly pulled Maxwell up onto itself, still encasing Maxwell's arms but letting his feet traverse the solid darkness unimpeded. It leaned over slightly so the man's ascent up to the top of the Faceless was easier.
With Maxwell perched on top, Vyrm'n let him crouch down, before binding his legs up to his thighs. Now the man was immobilised by the legs and arms in a crouch. As Maxwell took this in, Vyrm'n swiftly leapt into the air, shape stretching up, Maxwell still at the black comet's head. Vyrm'n paid no heed to its passenger; it executed its usual twists and arcs to rise, leaving Maxwell with stomach-churning vertigo on multiple occasions as he felt gravity trying to tear him away from his mount. Eventually, the Faceless reached cruising altitude, and was content to drift in smooth arcs which kept Maxwell favourably oriented.
The two looked around; or rather, Vyrm'n assessed the placement of matter in the arena while Maxwell snuck glances between keeping his eyes clenched shut whenever the Faceless turned, tipping the man over on a discomfiting angle. They saw beyond the walled field the eight of them were trapped in, the nondescript plains carried on, as far as they could see, devoid of any attempt at definition.
<Are we finished now -> Vyrm'n's voice caught Maxwell by surprise, but it was hardly a revelation the creature was capable of communicating through telepathy. He noted the manner the exchange happened; there had been a complete lack of readable thought, punctuated by a burst of consciouness backed up by what Maxwell assumed was background thought, much like static, before Vyrm'n broke the connection abruptly and let no more through. Maxwell tried responding in kind, thinking I'd like to look at the boundary but the Faceless did not seem to respond.
Maxwell gave up and yelled as loud as he could, "Can we look at the boundary?"
Vyrm'n heard that, and swam through the air until the wall was far below. <If I hit that I must land before I may fly again-> Maxwell considered asking it to do it anyway, seeing as it had evidently done it before with no loss to its capabilities, but he wasn't sure how the fall would affect him. "No, I'll believe you. Can we go down now to where we took off from?"
Vyrm'n acquised, and glided down. Instead of hitting the ground with its usual liquifying splash, though, it slowed itself down by dragging its tail, until the whole contraption had ground to a halt. It released Maxwell by simply relinquishing its hold on him, he experienced several moments of panic as his weight made him sink right through the Faceless, followed by relief as he dropped out of the bottom of it. Maxwell examined his clothes, no black trace remained on them. Having had a lurking suspicion as the Vyrm'n's rationale for attacking Cabaret, he awkwardly tipped his hat to the Faceless. "Thank you." He turned back to the wall and studied it, planning his next course of action. The Faceless stood silently where Maxwell had left it, again furiously scrawling something in the dirt.
<WHAT ARE YOU THINKING OF NOW></span>
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - Sruixan - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by Sruixan.
Before he could attempt to utter anything, Maxwell fell to the ground. He wasn't all too good with flying - he'd never been one to travel by zephyr back home - and the flight, though amazing in every possible way, had certainly taken some toll.
"This... thiss.. barrier... hmph... I had intended to go over it in one of two ways; you and that pile of boxes are indeed exceptions to my thinking..."
He rocked slightly, his eyes once again shut, trying to remember something... something... he'd heard someone say something... that professor...
"He keeps a diary. Why does he keep a diary? I write, yes, but... what if he does the same as-"
It occured to him, perhaps a tad on the late side, that The Faceless was still listening, content albeit irritated. He got up, brushed himself down and stared at the ebony, contrast to the ivory land.
"Sorry if I waffle... too used to talking to myself... thanks again, by the way... what am I thinking of? Why, I'm thinking of why a man like the professor is allied to a beast like that golem. No-one else has allied with another player, yet he thought it advantageous to almost immediately link up with that pile of trash... he writes incessantly in that little diary of his... he's planning something, I'm sure of it. Something that involves the golem. The Observer said that cane of his had power. It can change the mass of objects or something like that, I'm not too sure. Plan #1 over here was to get him to act a mass change upon himself and then to throw him over the wall like a tennis ball. He surely knows that he could do something like that, and yet he doesn't... I wonder w- I'm blabbering again, aren't I? I'm awfully sorry 'bout that; I mean, this isn't exactly a normal situation for me, and I suppose it isn't one for you..."
He trailed off. The Faceless was giving him a look he couldn't quite determine, and after that flight he didn't want to get on its bad side by boring it with trivial worries.
"I guess we have to fi- hey, I wonder where the other two contestants are? I mean, up in the air I counted six of us, down here I can count six of us, so where's... erm... Galus and Samuel? And what are they doing, I might ask... oh, I'm doing it again... look, thanks for everything. But if you want to go off and act to your own devices, fine by me. Erm..."
Losing hope, he turned to face the wall again and reasserted his position, lying there on the ground.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - Schazer - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.
Vyrm'n observed Maxwell's rambling with curiosity. The Faceless supposed it must be easier to articulate your thoughts to those around if it didn't take so long. It noted with the notion of amusement that despite his obvious habit of thinking thoughts to himself, Maxwell's cautious respect offered to Vyrm'n was never far off. It was rather like he seemed extremely worried about offending the Faceless.
Not that Vyrm'n consciously processed all of that, but the overall result was a respect for the man. Reaching out with the inky arm, it slowly grabbed Maxwell by his neck, shifted itself so it covered the wall, then gently set him down against the cool, black surface so he had something to sit up against that wouldn't tear up his skin. The Faceless, on the other hand, had simply taken the time to flow slowly around the stone, so as long as it did the same in reverse it could avoid injury.
Again, it opened its thoughts to Maxwell as the two sat. <May I form an alliance with you?>
The question took Maxwell by surprise for a moment. Deciding it would not risk anything to ask, Maxwell replied out loud, "And what would that accomplish?"
He knew, of course, but wanted to find out his potential partner's rationale. The Faceless said nothing for a while, Maxwell noticed the pinpricks of light seemed to be congregating where his skin met the Faceless'.
<To know there is one who may look me in the face and assure me they will not kill me is ... a relief. And you are a much better thinker than I am. You see things my sight can never comprehend.
But you already knew that,> added Vyrm'n. It was the closest it was capable to a joke.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - Schazer - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - Sruixan - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by Sruixan.
Lucky? Possibly. In his little notebook, a small hierachy in the corner of one page had a lot to say as to his opinion of The Faceless. He'd only held brief flights of fancy as to forming an alliance with such a strong player and had, even at the most recent surfacing of such an idea a few minutes eaelier, dismissed ; but here there was an opportunity, a little window onto a brighter future.
"I... I'm very much overwhelmed by this, you realise. Your offer, you are right, I know it makes sense. You must obviously think highly of the idea, for you were the one to propose it."
Maxwell steadied himself. The murky chair he sat on was fairly silent, fairly still, waiting. Hoping? No, too far... curious, probably.
"I accept your offer in good faith. I don't think I could turn you down, to be honest. I mean, you must know as well as I do that the more the merrier, and... and..."
Another brief pause. A sigh, a frown.
"Tell me, the Observer - he said a lot of odd things, didn't he? His announcement was littered with trivial matters that just won't leave me. At many points, his choice of language... worried me. Firstly I'd come up with three things, but now I'm overflowing with nuances. There's more to this than meets the eye, but, before I can explain anything... I need to think... I'm nervous, my friend. Do you have this feeling, this naggling feeling, that there's something bigger behind all this? That there's a greater picture here? I dunno 'bout your world, but in mine, a guy called Beltran Brooke once said something about being too preoccupied by the pretty pebbles on the shore to be able to comprehend the undiscovered majesty of the ocean. I think that's happening here."
He almost stood up, but thought better of it. In fact, he sunk a little deeper into the inky cushion.
"Give me time. Time, time, time... and the things you can't remember tell the things you can't forget..."
Presently, Maxwell became eeirily silent.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - GBCE - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by snoomanwaff.
Cabaret, (nervous) former magician, walked away from the scene with one hand up a sleeve, ready to pull something out if he was attacked, and came across a man in a suit, whos name eluded him at the moment, and another wearing what looked like, to Cabaret atleast, somesort of bodysuit. It was the second man who swung a pistol to point at Cabaret's mask. "umm...don't kill me?" Cabaret asked, putting his hands up and letting a rolled up newspaper fall out of his grip.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - btp - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by bobthepen.
Samuel frowned at Cabaret's approach. He had hoped to proceed with his plan while the other contestants bickered amongst themselves. No matter. I'll simply have to make my move a bit sooner.
Samuel turned to the pilot. "Galus, please keep an eye on this one. I need to begin my search. Be careful, he has a chaotic energy about him." With this, Samuel proceed to walk away from the two, eye's closed, arms outstretched.
Galus nodded, his pistol aimed at Cabaret's quivering mask.
"Wha..wha..why nice to meet you?" Cabaret sputtered nervously. Galus held his aim firm. "I'm Cabaret...the...well this is normally where I put on a bit of a show but...it seems to be a rough crowd. I wouldn't want to startle that gun into firing." Beneath his mask, Cabaret forced a weak smile.
"What's your ability? Why are you here?" Galus snapped at him.
"Ability? Oh, well I'm a magician! I can make anything appear, right out of thin air! Let me show you!"
"Hold it." Galus snapped again, a cautious edge to his voice.
"No worries! I actually can't summon anything dangerous. No weapons, that's my rule. In fact that newspaper is probably the most dangerous thing I've conjured all day."
Galus glanced down at the paper laying at the magicians feet. It read: "THE CABARET GAZZET: Famous magician enters contest! Astonishes contestants with impeccable tricks and handsome charm!" Printed beneath the headline was photo of Cabaret, hair blowing elegantly in the breeze with Maxwell and the others staring on in awe.
The ursian raised an eyebrow at the conjurer, and, apparently placated, lowered his weapon. "I'm Galus. The man over there is Samuel, he's a 'Karmist' or so he says. Still not sure what that means though, apparently he can sense life or something like that. He says...He says this place is alive."
Now it was Cabaret who raised an eyebrow at the pilot. "Alive? Really? This gray and mucky place?"
Galus nodded, and proceeded to detail his encounter with Samuel moments before. Cabaret crossed his legs, set himself on the dry ground and summoned a bowl of waffles - he had hoped for popcorn.
------ Several Minutes Earlier -------
"You seem confused," Samuel spoke as he lowered his arms. "Please, allow me to explain. I am a Karmist. What this means is that I have the ability to see and feel the flow of things, life, in particular. No doubt this ability is the reason I was entered into this contest. However, I am not one for battle. Killing for sport is...barbaric. Whoever placed us here will be sorely disappointed if he expects me to start attacking whomever I see. But I digress. My name, is Samuel Therion. Yours?" Samuel, smiling, held out his hand.
Galus looked down at Samuel's outstretched hand and bit his lip. If we was to make it through this contest, he would have to risk an alliance at some point. This man seemed relatively harmless, but something about the look in his eyes gave Galus an uneasy feeling. Alright, I'll have to work with someone eventually, might as well be this man.
"I'm Galus Lee Mathews," Galus responded as he took the man's hand. "I'm a pilot and," he looked toward his gun "a very quick draw."
"Delightful." Samuel said, shaking the Ursian's hand.
"Now tell me something," Galus asked "What did you do with the wall that was here?"
"Me? Nothing. It moved on its own accord. You may not believe this but this place is very much alive."
Galus looked about at the drab colorless surroundings. Nothing, aside from the bloody stain and the moving wall would even hint at the presence of life. Even the grass at his feet was dried and dull. The earth easily broke apart with a slight kick to it. "Explain." Galus said.
"Of course." Samuel grinned. "I mentioned earlier that my ability allows me to feel the flow of life. When I initially came here I preformed a search of the surrounding area in order to locate the positions of the other contestants. During the course of this search one fact became painfully obvious. This place is flooded with life. For some reason, however, it fails to appear that way to normal senses. I think it may be hidden in order to protect it from intruders. Unfortunately I fear that given the nature of the other contestants, this protection will not be enough."
"What does this have to do with you?" Galus interrupted.
Samuel appeared shocked, "Life is a sacred thing, Galus. It is my duty as a Karmist to protect it. As I was saying I fear that the natural defenses of this place are insufficient given the current threat it faces. If one of the more violent contestants managed to bypass this defense and find themselves in the true garden - for this place is a garden Galus, a beautiful one at that - in that place they could do untold damage to this world. I must protect it from such a fate."
Galus was unconvinced. He still could hardly believe this place possessed life to the degree that Samuel claimed. Yet the man seemed determined to protect it.
"How would you protect it?" he asked.
"I must find a nexus, a doorway, into the real garden before the other contestants do. I certain one or more exists; the flow of Karma tells me that much. Once inside I should be able to barricade the other contestants from entering. Then I only have to wait for this round to end."
So that's it, Galus thought he's simply trying to avoid battle by finding and hiding in this 'garden'. Well, avoiding battle is a good strategy. He may even let me in with him, if such a place even exists.
"Alright, I'll help you look."
"It's not that simple. The nexus could be anything, a door, a bird, a bug, anything that has a key significance to this place. You cannot find it by simply looking. Either you'll enter on accident, or you need some sort of extra perception to locate it. I can use Karma to find it, but I need you to stand guard. It will take a good deal of concentration on my part, and I cannot afford to be bothered."
Galus nodded, "Fair enough. I'll keep an eye out should anyone approach. We..." At that moment, a man in a mask with his hand up his sleeve came into view. Galus quickly aimed is pistol at him.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - GBCE - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by Archduke_Ferdinand.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - GBCE - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by snoomanwaff.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - GBCE - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by yousodumb.
Dairy of Professor Armidillo Reccxer: after I had finished my last entry, I looked up to discover that nearly Everyone was gone! Only Gestalt was in my field of vision, I still heard the approaching metallic footsteps. Enough time had passed, time to test my hypothesis. Gestalt recognized the determined look in my eyes and wrote down Are you going to change my mass again? I did not like it last time. I then replied, "well yes, that is one part of my plan. You see due to my cane I am able to connect on plains that most people are not, I believe that there is more to this field than meets the eye." continue. Gestalt wrote. "Well since all the others went to who knows where, I am unable to tell the others about my original plan." Which was? I internally cringed, my original plan had been ruined. "oh it's not important now, Right now you and I must find the way into the hidden plain" hidden plain? My friend wrote down quizzically. "Just trust me." I said picking up the boxes that made up my new friend. I then changed his mass so that I could hold him in one hand. It is time to test my new plan. I then changed The Cane of Materialistic Probability's mass to that of a particle of light, I began to spin it round and round, slowly gaining speed. out of the corner of my eye I saw Gestalt trying to write something down. "now is not the time my friend" I said. Indeed now was the time for concentration, If my fingers slip, we'll both die. Eventually my twirling got up to the speed of light, I quickly changed our composition to that of Ultramagrainuim, An extremely rare and tough element, which could stand the immense amount of pressure we where about to experience. Gestalt and I took on the strange purple hue that characterizes Ultramagrainuim, Now was the time for my test. I lifted The Cane of Materialistic Probability high over my head and begun to bring it down. Midswing I changed Cane of Materialistic Probability's mass to that of a black hole and struck the ground. Suddenly the scenery began to crack and crumble, I could feel my being passing on to this other reality. bright flashes of light passed before my eyes, suddenly every thing went black. A few moments passed then suddenly, Gestalt and I found ourselves in a lush garden, with a bramble-covered wall. "We made it!" I exclaimed, Returning both of us to our normal mass and composition. Gestalt looked like he needed some time to adjust to this plain of existence.
I hope that from here, I am able to put my plan into action.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - SleepingOrange - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by SleepingOrange.
r's'rv'd
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - GBCE - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by Archduke_Ferdinand.
Reserved after those peeps. Also, yousodumb, I think you may have gone a little far just now.
Re: The Grand Battle II! [Round 1: The Labyrinth Field!] - GBCE - 10-04-2009
Originally posted on MSPA by yousodumb.