The Daunting Affray! (Round 1: Temple in the Sky!)

"Limbo!" Leonardo cried, "We've died and gone to Limbo!" "Actually Fa-" Luis began, but was quickly interrupted by the rambling priest. "Though standing here it's not so bad, perhaps a bit grey..." "Father!" "Oh look at that! I still have some of my tools, I could probably suss out some of the properties of this place, it might even be fun!" "FATHER!" "Eh? what is it?" "We aren't dead, and we aren't in Limbo! and shhhhhhh." Luis said, bringing his voice down to a whisper. "Then...where are we?" Leonardo asked looking out at the bleak grey landscape before them. "another world? Like you claim to be from?" "Well...not really" Luis replied "it's a domain, it kind of exists everywhere." "Oh...how does it work?" "it...it's complicated...god shenanigans you know. There is only one person who could possibly tell you how it works and we really don't want to wake him up. The important bit is that we can use it to get away from that...lava pit thing..." "Oh, are we going to wait and return after it's left?" "Even if we wanted to we couldn't do that, time doesn't pass here..." "What?" "We could stay here for centuries but not a second would go by in the other world. If you look, everything here is frozen in time, excepting ourselves of course, the whole thing is all trapped in a single moment. Welcome to Timeless Space." Leonardo explored his surroundings with excitement. "Astounding! but...why doesn't it look like the island?" "Because it's not. The way I understand it it's essentially a reality superimposed over the original, completely different geography, but equivalent points in space." "Then how are we supposed to know where we're going? We could end up reappearing in a wall or off the side of the island!" "Calm down Leo, I used to fly spaceships between dimensions, I can handle a little bi-spatial navigation. I have a nav program in my glasses, it keeps track of my movements, we should be able to return to anywhere I've been. Furthermore, we can only enter or exit this place through shadows, it won't be too difficult to find a safe place to exit." "So where are we going to go?" Leonardo asked poking experimentally at a piece of frozen grass. "Hmmm, I think I have an idea" Luis grinned, "Now let's get moving, this place always makes me nervous"

Mouse stood in front of Father Curiosity's door. He took a deep breath, this was going to be harder than he thought. Tentatively he knocked on the door. "F-Father?" he stammered "I...I told the High Priests about the Demon" The Father didn't reply or even come to answer the door. "T-They said they were going to summon the Archons..." Maybe he was angry. Mouse hadn't meant to betray his trust, he just couldn't stand the idea of a demon in the temple. It was against everything the angels had told him. Frankly it was for the Father's own good, who knew what that demon could do to him. Mouse paused for a minute reviewing his thoughts. Could something have happened to Father Curiosity? Could that be why he wasn't answering? "Father?" Mouse slowly pushed open the heavy wooden door and peered into the room. Empty. Mouse slipped through the door and into the room. The Father must be out, maybe he had left something behind, some clue to his whereabouts. Mouse walked past the desk and the chairs, the bookshelves seemed to loom over him. A simple coffee table sat in the center of the room, illuminated by sunlight pouring in from a window across the room. Mouse stopped at the window gazing out at the garden, that beautiful garden. He had definitely been right in calling on the Archons, this place was too glorious to be defiled by demons, they would be purged and the world would return to how it was supposed to be.

Mouse turned back just in time to see the coffee table leap at him. He barely managed to duck in time and the table crashed through the window, flipping out towards the garden. Mouse stared at Father Curiosity and Luis standing where the innocuous table had so recently rested. He managed to squeak something about Archons and Demons and the will of the Holy ones before collapsing into a rather pitiful heap on the floor, deep in the embrace of unconsciousness.

"Mouse? Oh dear...did he say Archons?" Father Curiosity rushed over to the fallen Mouse. "Oh dear oh dear..." "Father, is he ok?" "He's perfectly fine, but I'm afraid he's put us all in danger..." "Father?" "I think he may have relayed your presence to the Archons." Leonardo fumbled nervously, still kneeling over Mouse. "Normally the higher priests would not listen to his worries, Mouse is known for being excitable...but after what I've seen, these...contestants...I fear they may have been more inclined to listen. If the Archons have been released...Oh...Oh Dear..." "Father..." Luis lifted the old man to his feet. "What is an Archon?" "The ancient soldiers of the gods, powerful creatures of combat. They will destroy everything on this island they view as impure. If they have been released...oh this could be a catastrophe..." "But...they won't hurt the worshipers or the priests right? They will only be hunting us contestants." "well...theoretically yes, but it's been centuries since the Archons were last released...many things have changed, they might not view our worship as pure anymore, they almost certainly won't approve of my work." "Alright, What do we do to stop them?" Father Curiosity slumped into a chair an aura of defeat seemed to hover around him. "I don't know..."

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Spoileroh yeah, and I drew this thing might give you a better idea of what Luis looks like. I would also like to mention I am not the best artist...

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Spoiler

In the center of the temple there is a spacious room. In this room rested a table. It was large, twenty people or more could fit around its length. And it was old. So old in fact that it was no longer wood, but rather a creative assembly of patches and layers of varnish held in shape by strong glue and zealous determination. Six figures sat, awkwardly spread out among the multitude of mismatched chairs that had been placed at regular intervals around the table's bulk. They wore the vestments popular with the upper echelons of religious orders across the multiverse. Simply, solid colored robes sporting a number of colorful symbols and adornments. An uncomfortable silence hung over them. One nervously tugged at his elaborate collar. Another seemed engrossed by the numerable pocks and scratches of the table's venerable surface. The tension grew. Each second it challenged them to break the silence and every second it grew harder to do so. That is until, "High Priest Grass,...I uh...heard your vegetable garden is uh growing well..." one stammered, pushing his overly ornate hat back into alignment on his head. The whole table held their breath, the silence loomed over the table, suddenly seeming a lot more oppressive. "Yeah...it's er going ok..." A sigh of relief echoed through the room and the group seemed to relax. High Priest Grass perked up a bit. "Actually it's great really." He continued confidence flowing through him. "The yield is really spectacular this year, the Acolytes have done a really great job. I mean just the other day the Grand Prophet came up to me and..." High Priest Grass realised his mistake a moment too late. The room went dead silent as everyone tried to ignore the very distinct absence in their number. "It's a real shame about the chair..." the Chief Archivist murmured somberly after a moment. "It was over two thousand years old." "And the wall" added High Priest Dignity. Everyone nodded in agreement. There was a pointed silence for several seconds. "Not a bad way to go considering. Burned up in less than a second, I'm sure it was painless" There were more nods at this and the tinny jingle of High Priest Smiles once again adjusting his headwear. "He was getting on in years..." One suggested nervously. "Yes, I'm sure he would've wanted it this way." said another "Better to die with a bang rather than slowly waste away I always say!" "Absolutely" High Priest Smiles agreed. "And it was Holy Flame, very appropriate death for a Prophet" many murmured in agreement. "I guess we are going to need a new leader." High Priest Grass sighed looking at the small pile of ash at the head of the table. "Think the Archons will take care of that too?" The assorted priests took a sudden and passionate interest in their shoes. "I'm sure uh, I'm sure they'll figure something out after they deal with the demons and heretics." the Chief Archivist said, his eyes not leaving the floor. "They seem very good at taking care of things" "A bit pushy for my taste" High Priest Dignity stated, giving the large hole in the wall a quick worried look. "Well they are the gods' Servants of Battle." Grass argued "That's practically the job description"

All throughout the temple the gods' Servants marched dutifully through the halls. Their pure white cloaks flowed perpetually in an intangible breeze. A bright glow emanated from underneath their hoods. They marched in step, surrounded by a bright light. Their flaming swords raised and ready, gripped in both hands. They moved with a sort of inevitability, never out of step, never slowing down or speeding up. Walls collapsed before them, and rubble moved sheepishly aside as though avoiding their penetrating gaze. All who got in their way, mortal and angel alike, were quickly dispatched with an almost mechanical indifference. There was something wrong, something that didn't belong in the world, perhaps several somethings. They had caught that familiar scent, creatures from beyond the walls of the universe. There were demons in the temple.

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Spoiler What does this mean?

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SpoilerIt means the second Eaglepocalypse has come. Also people other than you need to post. You're doing great, no worries.

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Spoiler Holy wow long post I'm sorry

Christine wandered through the gardens aimlessly, soaking up the quiet sounds and gentle atmosphere. This place was so very elegant in every way possible, and she wanted to enjoy it before getting too into this new gift of her's. The tear shaped, crystalline object she had received from the Angel in a different section of the garden. She stopped to admire a trellis of gold and pink flowers, giving off the gentlest of fragrences. Christine gently reached forward, cupping the flower with both hands and smelling.

"Ah... c'est pacifique in this garden. I could so easily rest in this bed of aromas..." She muttered to herself, releasing the flower from her grasp. A bubbling sound caught her ears, and Christine turned to find an ornately carved fountain burbling with crystal clear water. A figure sat on the rim, dipping one of his hands into the water in the basin. He seemed to be doing something with it, although she wasn't sure what. Something seemed a bit familiar about him.

"Monsieur! Monseiur!" She scampered closer, slowing to a stop when she noticed who it was. One of the contestants from earlier. She had to remind herself that she, too, was a contestant. "Ah... um... bonjour?"

Reginald glanced up from the water, as a voice called to him. A woman, tall and thin, looking at him. He regarded her impassively, crossing his arms.

"...Yeah. Bonjour." They stared at each other silently, the woman seeming just a bit anxious at the lack of words. He didn't really feel the need to say anything, but decided to anyway. She didn't seem... hostile. As soon as he opened his mouth, however, a sound caught his ears. A crackling and popping sound. Like the air was burning. He stood up and the woman, who apparently couldn't hear the sound, looked at him in confusion.

"Qu'est-ce qui se passe?" She asked him as he walked towards her. Reginald ignored her, spying something in the air. Smoke. He narrowed his eyes as he realized it was approaching them. He stepped between the woman and the approaching presence.

"Stay behind me." Reginald backed them both up until he was close to the fountain. The woman gasped as the source of the smoke broke through the trees. Two figures with pristine white cloaks, glowing faces, and flaming swords. He heard the woman whisper a quiet 'Mon dieu' in horror. Reginald extended a hand behind him, pulling forward a stream of water. Quick as lighting, he flung it forward, slicing at one of the figures with it. The water slaps against its cloak, soaking it, and flaming sword. The fire goes out with a hiss, steam floating into the air. The two figures turn to look at the sword. They glance at each other, and then the one with the still ignited sword places its against the extinguished one. It sparks back to life, prompting the two to turn to Reginald and the woman.

"Demons detected. Must preserve the sanctity of the temple. Initiate cleansing." Reginald swore under his breath and drew up another spear of water. He glanced at the woman behind him.

"Now would be an excellent time to run."


Clark grumbled, marching through the dank tunnels. He had, reluctantly, nabbed a robe from that boy earlier. He also found a walking stick, solid wood, at the base of the stairs that had taken him down here. He had strapped his cane to his back with some sort of sheathe or something that was near the stick. After entering that from house earlier, he found a cellar door that had taken him down into some sort of tunnel system.

"What a bullshit dream this is..." He muttered angrily to himself, staring ahead at the inky blackness in front of him. He had been walking down this corridor for who knows how long, finding nothing but hallways for the entirety of his 'adventure' down here. He had been regretting ever even considering coming down here for what must have been the hundredth time when suddenly the tunnel he was in opened up into some huge, domed structure.

"Holy hell..." He glanced around the room. It was some ornate church, with a huge altar on a raised 'platform' Everything was carved from rock, even the pews. The only non-wooden things were the torches on the walls, which were all out. However, there was one glowing spot on the far side, which caught his attention.

"The heck's that?" Clark narrowed his eyes, approaching the glow. It looked like... a crack? A huge crack in the ground. "Huh..." Clark stared at it for a few moments before he remembered where he saw this thing before. Then it hit him, both literally and metaphorically.

Scout flared up as yet another meat thing approached it. Why are there so many meat things here? It spews magma, causing the meat thing to yell out and jump back. It scrambles over the weird stone formations on the ground, yelling obscenities. It moved to pursue the meat thing when it detected something. Vibrations through the ground. Heavy footed and yet methodical and orderly. The meat thing yelled out something else and scrambled back towards Scout.

There. Coming into the room. Two figures with some sort of burning, metal stick. The meat thing ignored Scout, flopping past it and landing partially on the altar. This seemed to agitate the two new things.

"Desecration of ancient relics detected. Commence purification." They brandished their burning sticks, making the meat sack behind Scout cry out. Scout slithered closer, curious. What were these things?


"Father, there must be something we can do against the Archons." Luis asked.

"I... I don't know of the way, if there is one." Father Curiosity glanced around anxiously, like the Archons were going to pop out of the ground and blow him up. Which they might do, for all Luis knows.

"Where are we headed, Father?" Luis looked around, on the alert.

"The Prayer Sanctum..." Leonardo muttered. "I need something from there. Or uh... here" He motioned at the building they had approached not moments ago.

Luis looked over the sanctum. It was a large, extravagant building, with lots of fancy carvings and linings. He and Father Curiosity slowly pushed the door open. The pews were mostly partially full, but only a few people turned to look at them as they entered. Leonardo led Luis to a 'back area' that resembled an office building floor, cubicles and all. Luis glanced around the office, eyes landing on something standing out in the otherwise empty office. A girl, sitting and looking bored out of her mind while a monk wrapped a bandage around her head, covering one of her eyes. He could hear her insisting that she didn't need medical attention. Luis chuckled and glanced away.

"So Father, I think-" He was cut off by a sudden bout of muted screaming. He whirled around towards the sound, coming from where he and Leonardo had entered a few minutes ago. The girl jumped to her feet, ripping off the bandage, much to the chagrin of the monk who was helping her. Suddenly, a sword that also seemed to be on fire burst partially though the wood of the door. Luis took a surprised step back as the door suddenly exploded, revealing five cloaked figures with shining faces and flaming swords. He heard the monk gasp in surprise and Leonardo choke out a few words.

"Th-th-the A-A-Archons!"

"Impurities detected. Begin demon cleansing. The lead Archon pointed his sword at Luis, then the girl. It then pointed at Father Curiosity and the monk. "Secondary mission: eradicate demon sympathizers. Father Curiosity squeaked in horror. Before he knew what was going on, one of the Archons had flung their sword at the girl. She jumped to the side just before it hit her, causing it to sling forward and impale the monk. He let out a quiet 'peep' before igniting and turning to ash within seconds. The girl gasped. Luis drew his plasma pistol.

"There's no hope against the Archons..." Leonardo whispered to himself.

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Spoiler I'm just happy to have you back and posting! :D

"Father, We have to get these people out of here!" Luis looked around as the monks and prayers began to panic. "There's an entrance to the catacombs..." "Well tell THEM that!" "But...there might not be a way out..." "We have to act quickly, we can think about that later!" Leonardo hesitated for a moment before a look of cold certainty settled onto his venerable features. "EVERYONE INTO THE CATACOMBS!" he shouted. "SPREAD OUT! ESCAPE! HIDE!" The panicking churchgoers, recognizing his voice and authority, rushed towards the far end of the sanctum. The Archons continued to advance on the three figures remaining. Leonardo barely managed to get out of the way as the sword that had incinerated the kind monk returned to its owner's hand. Luis backed off slowly, firing several shots from his plasma pistol, but left little more than scorch marks on his opponent's robes. The girl stood stubbornly in the center of the hall, as though refusing to give up ground. The Archons moved forward, slowly, but inevitably. The girl just whispered something into her glove. A blinding flash of amethyst light filled the room, and in its wake the girl seemed...different, as though imbued with powerful arcane energy. An Archon struck at her but she easily avoided its attack, another thrust was blocked by a bright flash of purple light. Luis hurried over to where Father Curiosity had fallen and lifted him to his feet. "We have to move! Hurry!" he shouted grabbing Luis' arm. "But...the girl, she might need help" "She seems to be holding her own" Curiosity commented dragging Luis down a corridor, "My world is at stake and she's giving us time!" Luis relented and the two rushed up a staircase into a smaller room above. Down below two Archons managed to slip past Samantha's attacks and slowly made their way to the stairway. Meanwhile Leonardo was tearing the room apart, searching for something. "where is it...where is it AH!" he pulled a long dusty box from underneath an ancient battered tapestry. "Here we go!" Just then the Archons pounded up the final steps and into the room. Luis looked around quickly. An Archon blocked the stairs, there was only one other exit. A blast from Luis' plasma pistol made short work of the door's lock and the two tumbled onto a wide mezzanine that wrapped around the perimeter of the sanctum. By this time Samantha's fight had moved to the central chamber. She was landing powerful blows, but they seemed to have little effect on the robed creatures. "There's no way down! That was the only stair!" "Then we're going to have to jump. Hold on." "No wait this is MAaaaaaAAAAAAaAH!" Luis grabbed Father Curiosity around the waist and leaped from the mezzanine. Time seemed to slow down, the fall crawled forward at an agonizing pace. And then Luis' foot collided with something. An Archon fell to the ground under Luis' momentum, its sword flying from its hands. Another was thrown off balance and Samantha took full advantage of the distraction, knocking it to the ground and tripping its upright companion. Luis stood up dusting himself off. Leonardo and the box were, remarkably, intact but there was no time to praise his good fortune. "Come on, they're invincible, we have to get into the catacombs" Luis shouted. "I never run from a fight!" Samantha yelled back "We can't fight them now, but we have a weapon, we just need time to plan, come on please!" Leonardo was already running towards the catacomb entrance, the box held close to his chest. Samantha looked down at the Archons slowly recovering, and the other two marching back along the mezzanine. She hesitated for just a moment before turning and racing after the duo. Once they were all safely inside Leonardo quickly sealed the passage behind them. "That won't hold them for long" he said rushing down the dark tunnel. "So what about this weapon of yours?" Luis asked "Well, it's not exactly a weapon..." "Will it take care of the Archons?" "Yes...but we have to get all of them together at one time!" "Then I have a plan!" Luis grinned. Before long they were darting down a very familiar passageway and through a small door. If one could read Angelic they might certainly decipher the sign painted above it in Leonardo's flowing script. A single word, 'Hangar'.

Sam bounced on the balls of her feet, antsy. She had followed this guy she was supposed to be killing(?) and one of these weirdo priests down a long tunnel after those invulnerable religious robo-freaks had attacked. Now they were in a huge, open space with some sort of frisbee shaped machine. The guy and the priest were talking about something, something which was taking a long time to talk about, time they didn't have. Those things were coming. The priest man sounded scared and anxious and the man sounded comforting.

"Look, I know your bonding time is important, but those... Archons or whatever are coming and I don't think a wall is going to stop them. Can we hurry this up?" She gestured wildly at the hallway as she talked, voice rising in pitch as she talked.

"She's right, father." The man said. "I'm sure we'll find the other parts to your thing. It shouldn't be too hard, right?"

"B-b-b-but they could be anywhere!" The priest wailed. "And it's two very specific parts! What are the odds we'll find them before we can gather the Archons?" He seemed on the verge of tears. He gestured at the thing in his hands. It looked like an empty lantern. Sam assumed that was the 'weapon' that the two guys were talking about. The man chuckled.

"Have some faith, father."The man headed over to the frisbee machine and held his hand out. The priest sighed, handing him some sort of pyramid thing. The pyramid glowed and a hatch popped out of the side of the frisbee machine. The man whistled appreciatively.

"Wow... this is a fine piece of technology here... It's no wonder you guys got up here." The man crossed his arms and headed into the machine. Sam guessed it's some sort of spaceship then. Man, things just keep getting weirder.

"Actually, it was the greatness and benevolence of the gods that lifted the temple to where it is now." The priest remarked. "To be honest, I was never sure why this, and the other ones too, is here..."

"Benevolence, huh?" Sam scoffed, following the two into the ship thing. "Explains why they're sending these invincible killer freaks after us, huh?" She smirked as the priest flushed red and sputtered. The ship itself seemed strange, like it was designed for some other species entirely. The halls were narrow and too tall, with lots of steep inclines. The walls were made of some sort of really scratch rock, Sam guessed sandstone. And everything was a weird, orange, sandy color. She walked behind the priest to a room in the ship where there was a glass-like dome covering the top half. A chair sat in the middle, facing a motherboard of flashing lights.

"Alright you two, enough." The man said jokingly, already in what Sam assumed was the cockpit. He looked over the controls, which looked like a complicated jumble of lights and switches to her. The man understood it, apparently, flipping a few things. The ship hummed to life, more of the lights on the dashboard lighting up. "Father, do you know how to open the hanger doors?

"I'm sure that it's uh... one of these..." The priest turned to a bunch of levers on the side of the cockpit. Sam shuffled over slightly as the priest turned. Damn, this cockpit is small. Aside from the chair the man was sitting in, there was maybe a solid three fight for her to share with this 'Father' guy. Sam looked over his shoulder. "Um... this one?" He grabbed a lever and pulled it down. The air began to rumble, and the wall -or what Sam had assumed was a wall- began to open up. It ground open loudly, shaking the air. Sam grabbed the back of the chair to steady herself. The man flipped a few more switches when suddenly something shaped like a pyramid on a stick popped up. The man cocked his head, then grabbed the pyramid. The ship roared to life, only adding to the noise.

"Now we just have to wait for the door to open up!" The man practically screamed over the din. That's when the flaming sword hurled past the ship, embedding itself into slowly opening hanger doors. The priest screamed and Sam paled in horror. The door to the ship was still open. She dashed down the skinny corridors, finding the door. The Archons sprinted towards the open hatch, ready to kill. Sam, irritated and slightly scared that she had been Channeling so much lately, somewhat reluctantly threw up a shield to block the doorway. She tried to hold it, but the Archons were strong. Very, very strong. The bashed down her shield, making her quickly throw another one up.

As she held her ground, a voice spoke to her. A voice she would have rather not heard right then.

[Warning! Output at one hundred and one percent of maximum safe limit! This unit can no longer protect user from χάος overload! Cease of power use strongly recommended!]

"Hurry the hell up!" Sam screeched just as they broke through her shield one last time. The force threw her back, causing her to land painfully on her back. They were too close to throw up another one. Sam materialized a thick blade just as one of the things swung their's down. She managed to deflect it, her blade fading away. The Archon readied it's sword, and started stabbing down. Sam clenched her eyes shut and nearly fell out of the ship as it lurched forward. She would have fallen out, had her hand not found the handle embedded into the wall. Her fingers wrapped around it, and there was an ear-rending sound as the sides of the ship scraped along the hanger doors, the machine itself rocketing forward. Within moments, Sam found herself dangling over the open sky as the ship broke through with a nasty crunch. Sam looked up, seeing a large portion of the ship plummeting through the blueness of the sky, out of sight. The hatch started closing, which Sam was thankful for due to the fact that they were suddenly going straight up.

"What the hell is that idiot doing?" Sam grumbled, bracing herself. She felt the ship change direction and knew they were plummeting back towards the island. She knew they were going to crash the moment she stepped into this damn thing.


Scout bubbled in surprise at the reactions, or lack thereof, from the not meat sacks. The two stood there, looking around. One muttered something in meat sack language and went to follow the meat thing that had run away. The other surveyed the room. It walked around a bit, then finally glanced down, cocking it's head in confusion when it saw Scout.

"...Demon detected." It spun its burning stick around so the burning part faced towards Scout. It then plunged the sword into Scout. The Force-of-Nature convulsed in surprise. That... actually hurt! Scout flared up, spraying the thing with magma, and threw itself open. One of the not meat sack's legs fell in up to the joint, which prompted Scout to snap shut. The thing howled, slashing at Scout with the flaming sword. Scout continued to open and close on the things leg, fire and ash spraying out at the thing it 'chewed' on. The thing wrenched itself free, leg and clothes burnt to a crisp. Scout felt... weak. The thing tried to stab it again, but Scout caught the fire tipped stick and clamped shut. The thing pulled its sword out, which lost its fire, and tried to slash at Scout again. Scout extended slightly, growing longer, and tore the ground asunder, unleashing an inferno of the same pale blue/yellow color of the sword's flames. The thing stuck its sword into the conflagration, reigniting it, and twirled it around.

"Fear, fire demon. Your end arrives swiftly." The thing spoke strangely. Scout made a decision. It spiraled away from the thing, rocketing down the corridor after the meat sack. The Archon followed Scout, sword brandished.

Clark panted. This was just like some fucked up kid's nightmare, some freakish monster chasing you down a hallway, where you can't run fast enough and then it gets you. Clark contemplated giving up to the monster, this was just a dream after all, but something told him he didn't want the thing to catch up. Plus... something about this stick told him to keep going. Like... in belonged with something else. That it was needed. He heard the crackling of the monster's fire sword behind him and hazarded a glance. He immediately regretted it. The thing was less than ten feet behind him, gaining fast. Clark was pretty sure he was done for.

"Fuck... fuck!" He hit a corner, finally, and rounded it, sprinting down the next hall. He had to get out of here. But the thing was gaining. Done for. He's done for. Clark clenched his eyes shut and put on an extra burst of speed. Suddenly, the thing screeched an ear-rending sound that made Clark glance backwards again. One of the thing's legs had fallen into something, yellow lava and blue flames splattering it from the thing. Clark cringed. That crack thing. Shit. The monster frees itself, only to fall to a knee when the other thing barrels into it. They both tumble to the ground, surprisingly uncoordinated, as the crack shot towards him and Clark groaned. He's done for sure this time. The bubbling, flame sound from the crack came closer and closer until... it passed him. Clark glanced up in confusion. The crack had moved onto the wall and was matching his speed, moving with him. He just shook his head and ignored it, the things off of their tail. For now. Clark tried to pick up speed, his chest heaving angrily at him.

Clark ran with the crack for what seemed like hours, taking a bunch of random turns and dashing through a bunch of long corridors. He finally saw something familiar. A staircase leading up to one of the houses, resting at the end of the tunnel he and the crack were in. He didn't realize what was so familiar about it until he took a closer look at it. There, right at the base was a scrap of cloth. He checked his cloak. It was missing a scrap of cloth. The crack didn't wait for him, zooming up the stairs and, he assumed, out of the house. Clark stared at the scrap of cloth, groaning. This was the staircase he had come down earlier! He just went in a circle! His stick, the one he had grabbed from the bottom of the stairs, actively tugged against his hand, almost like it wanted something. He jogged up the stairs, finding himself in the familiar house, and exited the building. Clark then found his luck worsening, as some sort of pale, sand-colored frisbee machine plummeted through the air, screaming as smoke poured from the ragged hole in its side. It hurtled right for him. Clark closed his eyes and jumped to the side, hoping for the best.


Reginald darted between the lush foliage of the gardens, darting under trees dense with vines, smashing through enormous hedges, slipping between trellises of flowering plants. Those... brutes with the flaming swords just sliced through the foliage like it was butter. He frowned. Maybe he could outrun them, it would be easy even in this bulky armor, but this woman was already panting with the effort, clearly not used to strenuous activities such as running from a pair of psychopaths with flaming swords and no inhibitors when it came to murder, as he had seen them slice down a prayer group that had been camped next to a shrine.

"M-monsieur!" The lady called out to him. He glanced back and sighed as he saw she had fallen behind. Reginald stopped for just a moment, which let the lady catch up. She squeaked in surprise when he picked her up, cradling her in his arms.

"We are going the wrong way!" She called out to him. Reginald narrowed his eyes.

"What? Why?" He asked, vaulting over a short bush and the man trimming it. The poor man turned to look at Reginald and was quickly bisected by one of those freaks' burning swords. They were gaining.

"This... tells me we need to go that way!" The lady motioned in a direction perpendicular to their current path, then pointed at some... crystal shaped like tear in her hand. The point swiveled in her hand as they ran, pointing in the same direction as her hand. Reginald glanced back at their pursuers. They were close, but not that close...

"...Hold on." Reginald switched her to one arm, reaching out with the other. As they passed by a fountain, Reginald drew up a ball of water about the size of his torso, with some effort, from it and launched it at their two followers. He then changed direction, sprinting in the direction the lady wanted him to go. That was when something, some kind of object, came screaming out of the sky, opaque smoke making a trail behind it.

"Monsieur... I believe that is our destination..." She pointed at the falling object. Now Reginald was not one to follow orders, especially from someone he had just met or stupid things that involved dealing with things falling from the sky. But she seemed to have an idea, and well... Reginald didn't. And right now, with these... things on their tails, they needed a plan. With a shake of the head, Reginald dashed forward, through the foliage and towards the ship's impact point. He hoped.